Seven years ago, 15-year-old high school student Sasha Schick attended her first Arizona Jazz Dance Showcase.
“I was nervous going into the weekend as I didn’t know what to expect,” she said.
Her decision to fly from Wisconsin to attend the event with her studio stemmed from the inspiration older dance students gave her.
“My dance teacher’s daughter, Payton Schultz, who was someone I have always looked up to, was a sophomore in the program at the time,” she said. “Before that weekend I had no idea what it meant to be a dance major in college, or that that was even an option.”
“Determined and Motivated”
However, her experience at the showcase opened her eyes to the possibilities of dance, “I returned home determined and motivated to one day achieve this goal of being a dance major at the University of Arizona.” she said.
Now a senior dance major at the University of Arizona School of Dance, Schick can reflect on her four years of experiences with the annual showcase, now in its 32nd year.
The weekend opens the school’s facilities to the public, welcoming dancers from all over the nation to join Arizona dancers, faculty, and guest artists. Schick said the showcase gives dancers the chance to experience what the School of Dance has to offer.
“Dancers take classes and audition for different scholarships and witness what life looks like as a dance major in college,” she said.
“Made Me Fall in Love”
Schick participates in the event every year. As a senior in the BFA program, she said she can see the impact Jazz Showcase had on her decision to attend the university.
“I always tell people how it was this event that made me fall in love with this school. When I was a senior in high school, it was actually the only program I applied to, and I refused to look anywhere else because I was just so set on making this my reality.”
Swarming the event are dozens of BFA students with bold-texted shirts that read “ask me about UAZ Dance.” Schick said she was thrilled when it was finally her turn to wear one.
“We get to wear these shirts, and that whole weekend, people really do ask you what the program’s like,” she said. “It’s really special to get to share why it was so appealing to me.”
Dance Collective
Dance Collective, the School of Dance’s ASUA student organization, plays a major role in the operation of Jazz Showcase. Members handle check-in, set-up, class monitoring and merchandise sales, just a few of the many ways students facilitate a smooth operation of the weekend.
Schick entered her freshman year as an eager member of Dance Collective. She went on to serve as underclassman merchandise chair, then upperclassman, and now finishes her final year as vice president.
As the vice president, she said working up to this position taught her crucial professional skills.
“[The event] taught me a lot about working together to create a successful outcome as a group. I’d say Jazz Showcase is the biggest example of that,” she said.
She added that this year has been a turning point for growth.
“I took on a much bigger role this year as vice president. I worked alongside Margo, our president, as the main contact with faculty,” she said. “Managing the team aspect has taught me what I need to do to best prepare the next person to take on this role.”
Ready for her senior year
Now, she said she feels ready for her senior year. Through dance classes with leading artists, seminars, and leadership roles, she said Jazz Showcase has been a space for her to open up to the possibilities in the world of dance.
“I’ve seen how much the event really is about dancing with new people and learning new things,” she said.
She noted that the experience cuts out comparison and presents questions of “How can I exist in this room alongside these people without trying to fight for a spot in the room?”
Ahead for Schick are auditions for dance companies with ambitions of performing and one day owning a dance studio.
Giordano Dance Company
Her skills in auditioning, dancing and networking have grown exponentially through this event, she said, adding that she earned a spot for this year in the mentorship program for the acclaimed Giordano Dance Chicago, “America’s Original Jazz Dance Company.”
“I’ll be working this year with monthly calls, and then I get to go and sit in on the rehearsals,” she said. “I get to go to their show and be backstage with them, having that whole experience just to see what it would look like to be a company member there.”
Schick said the lessons she’s learned over the past four years will stay with her forever.
“If the 15-year-old girl who stepped on campus for the first time saw who this program and these four years have shaped me into, she would be so proud. I will forever be grateful for all of the lessons, opportunities, and experiences this school has given me.”