John Dixon, front center, with the cast of Hollywood. Front row: Joshua Alexander, Kate Harpootlian, Courtney Holden, Carol Anne Cooley. Back row: Laura Hutto, Taylor Keller, Autumn Drake, Kaitlynn Burkett.

How many of you people out there have ever called dancers sissies? I met three pretty ladies who can definitely prove you wrong. They are members of the Columbia City Jazz Dance Company who danced for a solid hour having few breaks and never even really breathing hard. These girls are athletes and some of their moves are spectacular. I met Courtney Holden, Kate Harpootlian, and Carol Anne Cooley after the July 8th matinee performance of Hollywood put on by the Columbia City Jazz Dance Company. All three had been dancing for longer than I’ve been alive and they do it very well. (Just to remind you, I’m currently 12 years old.) I was really impressed with the entire company which included dancers from age 6 to 18. These young people could really move. I personally am doing well to get through the waltz and the shag at Junior Cotillion!

The Koger Center was packed with children of all ages. Small wonder, when you consider that this was a matinee performed especially for young audiences by dancers who have performed all over the Southeastern United States, Bulgaria, and Singapore. The show was broken up into three parts. During the first part the dancers performed to songs from Moulin Rouge, Blues Bothers (my personal favorite in this part), Cruel Intentions and Garden State. Most of the choreography was done by company Artistic Director, Dale Lam but 17 year old Kate Harpootlian had a hand in choreographing several numbers as well. The second part, entitled Christmas in July was well danced and while not my favorite part of the show, was still original and entertaining. Part Three, “Bang That Beat” was sort of hip hop, which I generally don’t like and some more classic rock which is more to my taste. The moves in this were awesome! The two boys, 12 year old Joshua Alexander from Southeast Middle School and 10 year old Daniel Gaymon from Webber Elementary really shined in this part and you can bet these guys are tough! This part was made even more exciting by the fabulous percussion work of Dr. Chris Lee.

After the show the dancers did something that really struck me as kind. Despite the fact that they had danced manically for over an hour, they stood and signed autographs for long lines of children. Finally they were able to escape for a break and sat on the steps with me to grant this interview.

I spoke to Kate, Courtney, Carol Ann, Taylor, and Daniel to see what they liked best about dancing in general and this particular show. They all pretty much agreed that they loved dancing and enjoyed dancing for audiences filled with children. This is not surprising because part of this company’s mission is to bring dance to all children regardless background. When I asked how long it took to prepare for a show like Hollywood, they told me they had practiced for months, several hours per day at least 5 to 6 days a week! Man!!!!! I asked the 3 senior dancers, Carol Anne, Courtney and Kate if dance continued to be part of their future plans. Courtney has been accepted into the Honors College at USC as a math major but plans to continue her involvement in dance as a teacher of young dancers. Carol Anne is headed for Columbia College on scholarship as a dance major and Kate will head to Italy this summer for a dance intensive before returning to Columbia to finish high school. Then she will decide on a definite future course. Kate is not the only one headed out of the country this summer. Courtney has a special trip planned to Europe with her mom and grandmother. I asked both girls if the terrorist bombings in London recently caused them to worry about traveling in Europe. They both agreed that the bombings had been a terrible thing and made them a little scared and possibly a bit more cautious but that they had decided that they could not live in the shadow of fear all of their lives worrying about things that might happen. Both thought that perhaps this was the best time to go to Europe because security would be tighter in the wake of the bombings and travelers would probably actually be safer. I wished them both a safe trip and talked to Daniel and Joshua for a few minutes to see how they became involved with the company. Both boys told me that Dale Lam had found them performing in after school dance programs at their schools and had invited them to audition for the company…and well…..the rest is history!

The dancers had to leave to prepare for the evening show and I had to dash home to prepare this article. All in all it was the best day I have had at the Koger since Shakespeare Medley I saw this past winter!

The Columbia City Jazz Dance Company is supported by: the South Carolina Arts Commission, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts; the Cultural Council of Richland and Lexington Counties, which receives funding from the Central Carolina Community Foundation; Richland County; the City of Columbia; The Columbia Jazz Dance School; and the generosity of the Community. Visit them on the World Wide Web at www.columbiacityjazz.com.