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It seems Chaz Wolcott has been on a whirlwind tour these past few years. While eager students had been flowing into his musical theater classes at Broadway Dance Center for years, he chose to take a big risk during the pandemic and leave New York City to explore university teaching and other endeavors. Putting his […]
For more than 40 years, Jillana Hess Webb has brought sensational training to the dancers of Salt Lake City, Utah. Now she’s opening up about her journey to studio ownership, the tools she uses to help her dancers succeed, and her mission as an educator. Webb and her two sisters were raised in their parents’ […]
Ten years ago, Misa Oga embarked on a journey to create her own classical ballet school. Armed with her childhood training, a BFA in ballet pedagogy and ballet performance from the University of Utah, and an MFA in ballet from the same, she turned a 15-person summer intensive into a 100-student, award-winning school. The secret […]
Choreographer Kiel Tutin was destined to be a creator. “I was a choreographer before I was a dancer,” he says. He grew up creating pieces in his bedroom and setting the work on his older sister and her friends. “We used to rent space, and I would mix music and teach them routines before I […]
Celebrated choreographer Antoine Troupe is taking his years of creative success and giving back to the next generation of dance students. His journey wasn’t always easy, but, through challenges, he developed tools that make him uniquely fit for guiding tomorrow’s dance superstars—starting with the students at his school, Troupe Dance Company. Troupe’s introduction to dance […]
James Alonzo White’s teaching/choreographic career went from slow burn to fireworks show in an instant with his 2020 viral video, “A Brand New Day.” Now, his joyful choreography is captivating audiences around the country—making everyone want to jump up on their feet and join in on the fun. White took his first dance class as […]
Jay (Jong-Hoon) Kim wants to help his dancers at The University of Utah find freedom in dance while maintaining physical and emotional safety. Kim began dancing at 10 years old at a studio in Gwangju, South Korea. He then went to a nearby Gwangju arts high school and, when he was 17, began training at […]
Ellison Ballet faculty member Bat Udval has a methodical approach to teaching partnering class. He moves slowly, introducing new steps one at a time as if they are the bricks of a house; refusing to add more until the students are stronger and the foundation is ready. He does all of this in an effort […]
Ballroom phenomenon Lacey Schwimmer was born into a dance empire. Her parents, Buddy Schwimmer and Laurie Kauffman, are noted choreographers, dancers and teachers in the industry. (Laurie got her start as a classical dancer, Buddy got his in ballroom.) Together they opened a studio, choreographed for film and television, and did just about everything in […]