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Student Spotlight: Nathan Owen

July 24, 2014 by Rachel Hellwig

Nathan Owen, originally from Essex, UK, is now a resident of Huntsville, USA. At the age of 19 he moved to the United States to obtain a Bachelor in Nursing in Keokuk, Iowa. However, Nathan changed his degree to Theatre in Denison, Texas where he gained an Associates in Theatre. He now attends Sam Houston State where he will earn his BFA in Musical Theatre.

Can you tell readers how you became involved with dance? 

Nathan Owen
Nathan Owen

I had not taken a professional dance class before the age of 21, but I had always had a love for dance from an early age. I have inclined towards musical theater since childhood but never been within the dance chorus, always just singing and acting. After moving to the United States at the age of 19 to pursue a career in nursing, I sat in on an open audition for the theater department, was persuaded to audition and was subsequently cast in a small role, but was told if I switched majors to theater I could receive scholarships! So naturally I went back to my first passion of acting at Grayson college in Denison, Texas.

When the next season came I was cast as lead, Luther Billis in South Pacific, and was awarded an Irene Ryan nomination for region VI. I traveled to Louisiana to compete and this is where I saw two productions from Sam Houston State University. Its production of Enron blew me away and I immediately knew this was the school for me. I auditioned in April 2013 and was accepted on my first attempt, even though I stopped during my dance audition due to my lack of training. Being accepted onto the musical theater program here has really expanded my horizons more than I could have ever imagined. Within my first year I have taken multiple dance techniques including ballet, jazz, tap, aerial and theater workshop where we learn stylized dance from within the theater work or whole routines from the stages of Broadway, West End or movies.

What do you find you like best about dance class?

When it comes to dance classes the thing I like most about them is the discovery you make about yourself and what you are capable of. If you go to math three times a week, you don’t have these moments of pure excitement like when you hit a 13 part riff perfectly in sync with your whole tap class, or the first time you do a 360 release from the aviator in aerial! I will never stop being amazed at what I can do if I just put my time and energy into it.

What is the hardest part about dance for you?

The hardest thing about dance for me, is walking in with 30 other musical theater majors and being taught a combination, then having to pick it up in 15-20 minutes and regurgitate it in front of all my extremely talented peers and professors!

What advice would you give to other dancers?

As a new dancer I would say two things; one, it’s never too late to start learning. I have met people who have been dancing for 15 years and come to university and tried a new dance style, and it has an impact and improves all aspects of their dance by gaining an even greater understanding of their body.

My second point would be, don’t let dance be a blood sport. Auditions and competition should never divide this community, we have enough people in our lives saying NO! Or that you can’t do it professionally. So I would say to you out there, let the love of the arts strengthen our ties. Let it create empathy for one another because we all know how hard a ‘no’ is, but also the elation of a ‘yes’. So why not be cast in a chorus of their happiness, instead of the lead of your sadness.

How has dance changed your life?

Dance has changed my life for the better in so many ways. I now have a much greater appreciation of the craft of musical theater and the depth that dance can have within it. From the portrayal of story with movement, to the understanding of dance’s influence within the art, such as Agnes de Mille’s Oklahoma or Bob Fosse’s Cabaret. Dance has broadened my horizons further than I could ever have imagined and I can’t wait to see where it takes me.

Filed Under: Student Spotlight Tagged With: agnes de mille, bob fosse, nathan owen, Sam Houston State, student spotlight

Chicago Dance Scene — Beneath the White City Lights

February 22, 2012 by 4dancers

Christopher Kai Olsen is an Emmy Award®-winning Chicago filmmaker that I thought readers here might be interested in learning more about. Last year he created almost 50 minutes of original film projections for Thodos Dance Chicago’s multimedia story ballet.  The White City: The Columbian Exposition of 1893 is an original work – set against the backdrop of the famed Chicago World’s Fair. It was co-conceived and choreographed by Melissa Thodos and Tony Award®winner Ann Reinking.

Thursday, February 23rd, Chicago dance lovers will have the chance to see Beneath the White City Lights: The Making of an American Story Ballet at 10:30 PM on WTTW11. As part of the story ballet creative team from its inception, Olsen was afforded unprecedented access to the visionary endeavor, and in addition to his own artistic process, began documenting the making of the ballet, from concept, through rehearsals to its March 2011 premiere at the Harris Theater in Millennium Park.

The one-act ballet chronicled in the film brings the 1893 Columbian Exposition to life through dance, in a story filled with passion, ingenuity, intrigue, and murder. Its cast of historic characters includes famed architect John Root, ill-fated Chicago mayor Carter Harrison, Sr. and America’s first serial killer Dr. H.H. Holmes, who preyed upon young women amidst the chaos of the World’s Fair. (The film’s dramatic crescendo is danced inside Ms. Reinking’s inventive interpretation of Holmes’ claustrophobic “Death Box”).

We asked Christopher a few questions about the project, which he answers for us here…

Christopher Kai Olsen, Melissa Thodos and Ann Reinking

Can you tell readers how you came to be involved with this project?

I first began working with Melissa Thodos, Ann Reinking and Thodos Dance Chicago back in 2009 on “Fosse:Prelude”, a short film about three Bob Fosse dances featured during their 2009-2010 season.  Collaborating with TDC during this project was such an incredible experience that I jumped at the opportunity to work with them again on The White City the following year.

What is unique about this film?

With “Beneath The White City Lights”, I had the rare opportunity to film from inside the experience itself, allowing audiences to see The White City through the eyes of the dancers, choreographers, and designers who put their heart and soul into the production.

What did you find interesting about working with dancers?

I have a great deal of respect for Melissa’s leadership of the company, and for how her direction has attracted such a spectacular group of kind, talented and hard working dancers.  How they manage to perform at Olympic intensity hour after hour, for months at a time, and keep coming back for more (with a smile!) is incredibly inspirational.

Also, as an FYI…the week immediately following the broadcast, The White City stage performance returns to Chicago as the centerpiece of Thodos Dance Chicago’s 20th anniversary concerts. Performances are Friday and Saturday, March 2 and 3, 8pm at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 East Randolph Drive, Chicago. Tickets, $25-$60, are available at (312) 334-7777, or online at harristheaterchicago.org.

Filed Under: 4dancers, Editorial Tagged With: ann reinking, bob fosse, chicago dance, christopher kai olsen, melissa thodos, the white city

National Museum Of Dance

January 7, 2010 by 4dancers

The National Museum of Dance opened in 1986 in Saratoga Springs, New York. Here you will find things such as videos, photographs, costumes–as well as a “Hall of Fame,” which is the only permanent exhibit at the facility. In the hall, you will find names such as Fred Astaire, Paul Taylor and George Balanchine. Bob Fosse and Bill T. Jones were some of the more recent additions to the 36 members who are honored there.

 

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Filed Under: Dance History, Organizations Tagged With: bob fosse, fred astaire, george balanchine, national museum of dance, paul taylor

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