At the University of Arizona’s School of Dance, we are proud of our students’ passion and dedication to their craft. Our dance majors come from diverse backgrounds and have a range of interests, but they are united in their desire to grow and improve as dancers. In this update, we would like to highlight some of our students’ recent achievements and perspectives on their dance journey.
First-year Dance major, Margo Bartlett, notes that her favorite part about dance is performing, and she has already noticed so much positive change in her dancing since joining the School. Margo says she feels “uplifted and encouraged by all my dance professors and finally feel like I’m properly engaging and growing with dance.”
Casidy Chan, a second-year Dance major with a minor in Family Studies and Human Development, is passionately interested in making connections with people and helping out within smaller communities and the greater community as a whole. Casidy notes, “I was blessed with the opportunity to be in the Paul Taylor master work, Company B, set on us by the amazing Amy Young. I was casted for the Dream solo which was technically demanding yet so fulfilling as it required a great amount of storytelling and a dreamy quality.” She also went through basic training to become a Victim’s Advocate volunteer with the Pima County Attorney’s Office. She plans to finish with advanced training after graduation.
Madison Reznicki is a second-year Dance and Pre-Business double major with an interest in commercial dance and marketing. This September, she performed the lead female role of Miss Cooper in Michael Williams’ jazz/musical theatre piece, &TheVerdictIZ, at the Arizona Jazz Dance Showcase. Madison notes that she “had an amazing first semester taking on my new role as the Underclassman Merchandise Chair of the Dance Collective, our student-run organization at the School of Dance. We released the cutest sweatsuits and long-sleeve shirts, and I’m so excited for what’s to come next semester!”
Skylar Fry is a junior Dance and English major with aspirations of being a professional concert dancer and choreographer. Skylar notes. “One of the highlights of my semester was working closely with fellow student Sebastian in graduate student Ana Broton’s choreography workshop for Advanced Choreography. In 7 weeks, Ana set a duet that is one of the most meaningful and challenging pieces that I have ever had the honor of showing. It pushed my boundaries physically and stylistically and was one of the best creation experiences.”
Sasha Reist is a senior with a double major in Dance and Film & Television. Her documentary short, Changement, was selected to be shown at the Academy Award-qualifying Leeds International Film Festival and nominated for a National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Student Emmy.
These are just a few examples of the many achievements and aspirations of our dance majors. We are proud of their hard work and dedication, and look forward to seeing all the incredible things they will accomplish in the future. The University of Arizona’s School of Dance is a supportive and inspiring community, and we are honored to have such talented and motivated students.