USU DANCE COMPANIES SPRING SHOWCASE 2013

2012 USU DANCE CO. CONCERT

March 27, 2012
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Krissy Smith Fry
Dance Director
Utah State University Dance Companies
435-764-3739
Logan, UT 84341

ANNUAL CONCERT FOR UTAH STATE DANCE TEAMS
One Stage: One Passion, No Boundaries

LOGAN, Utah – The three companies within the Utah State University Dance Team will hold their annual spring concert on April 10, 2012 at 7:30pm. Presented on the USU campus in the Kent Concert Hall, the one-night performance will combine the choreographed routines of the Full-Circle contemporary company, the Vilociti Hip-Hop team, and the My Bad break-dancing crew.  The concert theme is One Stage: One Passion, No Boundaries.

“The show celebrates the way that every dancer can relate  - they share a common thread in the fact that no matter the style of dance, passion is what drives them,” said Krissy Fry Smith, director over the three dance companies. “This year’s concert will showcase almost every style of dance which is something that does not happen often.”

Tickets for the performance can be purchased at the Caine College of the Arts box office, located in the Fine Arts building on the first floor. Tickets purchased in advance are $5 for students, $10 for adults, and $7 for children. The One Stage performance has also been approved for extra credit for both the arts symposium and creative arts courses.

The Utah State University Dance Team was organized in 2007 under the direction of USU alumna Krissy Smith Fry. Since its inception, the team has become a prominent dance influence in the Cache Valley area. With the absence of an official dance program at Utah State University, each company within the USU Dance Team strives to provide dance opportunities for Utah State students as well as choreographed entertainment for the surrounding community.

For additional information contact Drew Van Dyke at 801-550-9628 or email at drew.vandyke@aggiemail.usu.edu.

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Annual Auditions

Members of the 2011/2012 USU Dance Companies.

During the first week of September, many college students are still cycling through their newly purchased back-to-school outfits.

While some choose new designer shirts, pants and shoes, others choose spandex, gym shorts and sweats.

Just after Labor Day, hopeful contenders at Utah State University come to audition for the school dance companies.

“This year, over 150 people tried out between all three days,” said dance director Krissy Smith-Fry.

Three days: one day for the contemporary team, one day for the hip-hop group, and one for the newly formed break-dancing crew.

Although contenders were divvied between multiple days depending on their dance preference, deciding who to cut and who to keep was not easy.

“It was very difficult,” Fry said. “I think My Bad was the easiest because it is a very specific style and there were not as many that tried out.”

Because recruitment has been a challenge, Fry asked that her assistants and returning members help in the selection process.

“My director and I would give feedback to each other and then decide together who we thought would bring more talent to the company,” said Kumiko Osterloh, a captain for the Vilociti hip-hop team.

Aside from judging, the assistants also helped to choreograph the audition routines.

“This year I was able to choreograph two routines for our prospective dancers,” Osterloh said. “I taught them the choreography to both pieces and then I sat and critiqued.”

Using a rating system to gage each applicant, Osterloh and other returning team members compared notes after each routine.

“Me and my assistants make a ‘yes, no, and maybe’ list,” Fry said. “The ‘maybes’ are the hardest ones to pick from. Occasionally, we throw in a returner to see how they compare.”

17-year-old Viliami Matangi was one individual who received a unanimous ‘yes’ from the returning members. Though he had impressed others during his audition, he was unsure of his own performance.

“At one point, they said ‘improv.’ I didn’t know what that meant so I just stood there,” he said. “I had fun, but I never thought I would make the team.”

With each person who made the companies, there are numerous others who didn’t.

Lori Truman, a senior in the graphic arts department, opted not to audition this year having tried out twice before.

“I thought if I didn’t make it the past few times, I probably wouldn’t this year,” she said.

Because returning members participate in the selection process, Truman feels that prospects are often deliberately and subconsciously selected due to prior friendships.

“It seemed a little bias because people trying out knew people that were already on the team,” she said. “People on the team would say ‘I danced with her in high school,’ but because I’m from out of state, I didn’t go to high school with anybody.”

Natalie Thatcher, a junior in communications, also chose not to audition this semester.

“Because I didn’t make it the first time, I didn’t want to fail twice,” Thatcher said. “If it is something that I really wanted, maybe I would have taken dance classes and tried out again.”

Thatcher’s observation mimics the advice given to all those who wish to audition again.

“Take a class, whether it’s modern, jazz, or hip hop,” Fry said. “Take a class and always come back to try out. Every year is different.”

"I Could Swim, Golf, or Dance"

Viliami Matangi

17-year-old Viliami Matangi was not allowed to join the wrestling team. He was advised against basketball and told that soccer was too dangerous.

Worst of all, doctors told him that he could not play football – his priority and passion in life.

“They said I could swim, golf, or dance,” Matangi said.

Due to a genetic condition resulting in a narrow spinal column, his athletic options at Logan High School were limited.

So Matangi chose dance.

“I heard about the Utah State dance company right during football season, so it was the perfect distraction for me,” he said. “I came to tryouts and made the team.”

Now a member of the Utah State University hip-hop team, Matangi has become an inspiration to his teammates, his high school peers and members of the community.

“His story shows that life never turns out how you planned it,” said Joni Nelson, a family friend and instructor at the Tueller School of Dance. “When one door is closed, there is always another one that opens.”

Nelson was one of many individuals who encouraged Matangi to audition for the university team.

Because Matangi and her son grew up playing football together, Nelson understands the devastation Matangi felt upon discovering the condition during his sophomore year of high school.

“You’re supposed to have fluids that run through your spine to keep your nerves cushioned,” Matangi said. “Because my spine is so narrow, there’s no fluid so my nerves get pinched every time I move.”

The severity of the problem prevented Matangi from playing contact sports, especially football.

“If I ever get hit on the top of my head, all of my discs would collapse and I could be paralyzed,” he said.

With the possibility of paralysis, Matangi’s time on the field was ended.

“His senior year was getting harder and harder for him to watch the football team,” Nelson said. “We had seen him and his cute little brothers dancing around, and I just wanted to help him find something to fill his time.”

Though Nelson and her daughter had encouraged Matangi to dance for years, they once again suggested that he audition – this time for the Vilociti hip-hop group.

“The day of tryouts, she called and told me that she was coming to pick me up,” Matangi said. “I said I didn’t want to, but she didn’t give me a choice.”

Taylor Martin, a graduate of Logan High School and member of the Full Circle contemporary team, also encouraged Matangi to audition.

“One day, I saw a video of him on Facebook goofing off and dancing with his friends,” she said. “He could really do the moves, ‘serious swag’ as the kids say.”

Though others believed in his ability, Matangi did not.

“I’d never learned a choreographed dance before,” he said. “After everyone performed at auditions, they called us back and said, ‘If we read your number, you didn’t make the first cuts.’ So I took off my number because I thought I was getting cut.”

However, after being instructed to reapply his audition number and run the second choreographed routine, Matangi made the team.

“He was really good but extremely nervous,” said USU dance director Krissy Smith-Fry. “But once he started dancing he came out of his shell, and we took him on as an intern.”

Though he remained shy for the first few company practices, Matangi has come to accept his newly discovered talent as well as the teammates he now calls family.

“My favorite thing is the family bonding,” he said. “I’m glad I had that this year because it was nice to come to practice and get my mind off of football.”

His teammates feel the same.

“We are so protective of him. He is like our baby brother,” said Vilociti member Mary Taggart. “We’d do anything for him.”

While Matangi relies on his team for choreography, they look to him for inspiration.

“Football was the biggest part of his life,” said Kumiko Osterloh, a captain for the hip-hop team. “We shouldn’t take what we love for granted. We should appreciate everyday that we dance and make every practice worth it.”

Although his story has brought others to a sense of awakening, Matangi is still in a state of disbelief.

“Sometimes I take a step back and think, ‘oh my gosh I’m a dancer,’” he said. “I never thought I would dance, but now I will dance as long as I have an opportunity to.”

The Assistants

Vilociti captain Natalie Miller with 
captain of the My Bad Crew, Joey Geurts.

Each week, the Utah State University dance director, Krissy Smith-Fry, oversees three dance companies, six three-hour practices, 49 total members and numerous pieces of choreography.

She also teaches two modern dance classes each semester, organizes annual fundraisers, and adopts the role of costumer, designer and event planner.

The secret to her success: her assistants.

“It works really well,” Fry said. “I love my assistants because of the respect that they have for me and the respect that they have for each other.”

When Fry started the teams in fall of 2007, she was a one-woman show. Despite a lack of funding and a busy schedule, Fry began the companies in hopes that it would someday lead to the reinstatement of the USU dance program.

“I was a full time student teaching five classes for the PE department,” Fry said. “But I started the teams because I saw a need for dancers at Utah State; there was nothing for them to do.”

A dancer herself, Fry wanted to provide USU students with the opportunity to either continue dancing, or begin it altogether.

Having directed for five years now, she is also extending opportunities in leadership.

“The assistants do a really good job,” said freshman member Natalie Albertson. “They are really motivating and they take charge even when Krissy isn’t here.”

To help oversee both practices and performances, Fry has selected two assistants for each of the three teams.

“The reason that I have two is because it’s too difficult for one to bear on their own,” Fry said. “I choose two people who are different so they can complement each other and make up for one another’s strengths and weaknesses.”

Kumiko Osterloh, a team captain for the Vilociti hip-hop team, has witnessed the mechanics of a well-run dance company since she began performing at age three.

“I have a good feel for how things are run as a company,” Osterloh said. “I am very organized and always have a plan for our warm ups and practices. It's important that we have organization within our dance company and I think that I can help bring that.”

While Osterloh brings her organizational abilities to the team, co-captain Natalie Miller helps to keep everyone motivated.

“Natalie is always telling us to go for it,” said Misako Osterloh, a Vilociti member and Kumiko’s sister. “She says ‘let’s do this girls,’ which always pumps us up.”

Members of the other teams share a similar appreciation for their company leaders.

“They love us and want the best for us,” said freshman Full Circle member Alex Anderson. “They love to dance and they want to share that with us.”

Despite overwhelming support from their peers, the team captains are not immune to frustration and difficulty.

“The hardest part is respecting the wishes and instructions of my coach, while also maintaining the friendships I have with all the girls on the team,” said Lindsey Mickelsen, a captain for the contemporary team. “It can be difficult to be a leader over peers that are both your age and your friends. I try to find a happy medium between being a dictator and being a pushover.”

Joey Geurts, one of the captains for the break-dancing crew, can empathize with Mickelsen’s feelings.

“I’m new to this so it’s something I’m trying to feel out,” Geurts said. “I’m trying to be their friend, but I’m also trying to be strict.”

Though each of the six assistants face similar challenges, they go about handling them differently.

“I treat them like ten-year-olds,” said Brett “Soda” George, the second captain for the break-dancing crew. “I try to keep them moving from one thing to the next, or else they will get left behind.”

While George struggles to maintain attention, Mickelsen works to reassure individuality.

“I want all the girls to feel like they play a unique role in the team and that even though I am an assistant, I am no more important than the rest of them,” Mickelsen said.

Though Fry has selectively designated two captains for each team, there are numerous unnamed leaders on each company.

“I think every person on the team has something special to offer,” Mickelsen said. “Those future captains will be the ones that show effective leadership skills and have earned the respect of the peers as well as our coach Krissy.”

Acknowledging Those Behind the Scenes

Members of the USU dance companies at the 2011 Howl.

The Utah State University dance teams are regularly applauded.

Those behind the scenes are not.

Despite lack of recognition, however, a team of costumers, seamstresses and makeup artists continually aid in each performance.

“These people are givers so we keep going back to them,” said Joey Geurts, a member of the break-dancing crew. “It sounds bad, but we take advantage of that.”

While there is adequate support now, the USU dance companies have not always had someone to rely on.

When dance director Krissy Smith-Fry began the USU dance companies five years ago, much of the funding for the team’s costumes were out of her own pocket.

“The first year, we had zero funding,” she said. “I financially supported the companies.”

Though the budget has improved due to years of fundraising, Fry and her assistants must be continually innovative when preparing for each show.

“We beg, borrow and steal,” Fry said. “We borrow from my sister’s dance company in California and we borrow from the theatre department.”

For costumes that the theatre department and other companies cannot provide, Fry relies on Lisa Lundahl and Arlene Smith.

“Krissy and I collaborate on ideas,” said Smith. “I can figure out the easiest way to do things. Lisa Lundahl does the hard stuff.”

Despite Smith’s creativity and Lundahl’s sewing experience, however, the pair is often restricted.

“A lot of limitations come strictly from budgeting,” Smith said. “Things have to be very simple. We aren’t always able to go as big as we would like to.”

While many costumes are scaled back to save money, one event repeatedly requires extravagance – the Howl.

“The Howl was amazing,” said Full-Circle member Julia Williams. “Everything was bright, colorful and detailed.”

This year’s circus-inspired theme was not only time intensive for the costumers, but for the makeup artist as well.

“Each person had different clown makeup based on their facial features,” said makeup artist Audrey Merrill. “Coming up with something unique for 53 people was difficult.”

Because Merrill was responsible for such a large group, she had to rely on members within the companies to help her apply the makeup. Though they lacked experience, many were pleased with the end result.

“The Howl was my favorite because I didn’t look like myself,” said freshman Alex Anderson.

While positive reactions from the team reinforce their motivation, Merrill and each of the costumers have additional reasons for repeatedly helping the companies – the people they love.

Merrill’s boyfriend is a member of the break-dancing crew, Lundahl has a daughter on Vilociti, and Smith is the dance director’s mother.

“My mom has always been really involved in what I have done,” said Danielle Croft, Lundahl’s daughter. “She is a very giving person and she is very talented at what she does.”

Likewise, team member Brett “Soda” George appreciates the service of his girlfriend and the rest of the costuming team.

“When you’re in costume – you’re in character,” George said. “They add to the aesthetics of the performance and they enhance the story. Costumes are irreplaceable.”

As grateful as members of the team are, many feel incapable of adequately expressing their appreciation.

“There's not a lot that we can give to them in return except for our appreciation,” Geurts said.

Breaking Bad Habits Over the Break

Director Krissy Smith-Fry directs her team.

Each fall semester, the Utah State University dance teams work relentlessly to learn new choreography.

And each holiday break, they forget it.

But not this year.

“It’s always a problem,” said dance director Krissy Smith-Fry. “But this year we’re trying to combat it.”

With practices not resuming until Jan. 10, Fry and her team captains have devised new strategies to avoid the reoccurring issue.

“We’re giving them the music and video,” Fry said.

Though both have been available in the past, Fry hopes to avoid a routine relapse by distributing the audio and YouTube videos to each individual member.

Along with each music CD and video URL, however, comes a warning.

“It’s known that if they come back unprepared, they will be pulled from the pieces,” she said.

Despite precautionary words from their coach, however, many feel that the problem is inevitable.

“People don’t practice over the break on their own,” said freshman Full Circle member Alex Anderson. “It’s a busy time of year so they get caught up in other things.

In contrast, team member Erik Wynn feels that practicing over the break is an obligation.

“It's each member's responsibility to practice outside of scheduled rehearsal time while they are away,” Wynn said. “Just because we have breaks from school doesn't mean we should take breaks from dancing on our own.”

Because each of the members will rehearse on their own time, they will also rehearse in their own individual ways.

Natalie Miller, a team captain, plans to regularly practice in her kitchen, while; Kumiko and Misako Osterloh, sisters on the hip-hop team, will rehearse together at their home in Sandy.

“I find it best to perform it for my family,” said Kaylee Andrus, a returning Vilociti member.

Full Circle member Lexi Childs will dance in her car and Brittany Beecher, a member of Vilociti, will rehearse each night before going to bed.

“Because we do dance as a routine - when you are not here and with your dance family, you let everything slip,” said Natalie Alberstson, a freshmen on the contemporary team.

In addition to rehearsing pieces, Fry has instructed each member to regularly exercise over the break.

“I ask them to do 30 minutes of cardio a day,” Fry said. “I can always tell who has and who hasn’t.”

Though each team member must complete at least half an hour of cardio each day, they are not restricted to a certain exercise routine.

“So much of dance is endurance so we have to do a lot of cardio outside of practice or we will die,” Miller said. “Honestly, any sort of exercise is beneficial because in dance we use our whole bodies.”

With this marking her fourth year on the team, senior Jamie Smith understands the importance of regular physical activity.

“If you haven’t stretched over the break, your muscles become really tight and it takes a while to get back to where you were,” she said.

Despite direction from the dance coach, team captain Lindsey Mickelsen realizes that the decision to rehearse, stretch and exercise ultimately comes down to each individual.

“There is nothing I can do or say that will ensure that the dancers remember the choreography over Christmas break,” she said. “The most help I can do is tell them to practice and trust that they'll do it.”