Dancers in Northwest Arkansas might never have heard of the dance program at Brigham Young University's Idaho campus in Rexburg. But Kelly Fisher had -- even in Boston.
As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Fisher wanted to go to a church school, and as a dancer since the age of 3, she knew she wanted the best dance program she could find. It turned out BYU-Idaho filled both her desires.
FAQ
BYU-Idaho Dance Alliance:
‘Decisions Determine Destiny’
WHEN — 7 p.m. Thursday
WHERE — Rogers High School
COST — Free; donations for Samaritan Community Center (glue sticks, color pencils and pencil pouches) are welcome
INFO — Email [email protected]
"Growing up in Boston, I didn't have too many [LDS] members around me," Fisher says. "I'd heard so many wonderful things about going to church schools, and I wanted that complete immersion into my religion.
"I didn't know I wanted to major in it," Fisher goes on to explain about dance. "Then a touring [dance] team came to Boston, and we hosted some of the dancers at our house, so I got the chance to talk to some people who had gone to BYU.
"One of the girls had been told to go to BYU-Idaho for the modern-dance program instead of Provo. I went off that advice, and as I entered into the program, I enjoyed it from the start. I grew up doing a lot of different styles and genres, and the touring team allows me to do all of those different styles, whereas anywhere else I'd have to pick just modern or ballet or tap."
The Dance Alliance repertoire is unusual in that encompasses everything from ballet to ballroom to swing and world genres, according to press information. Since its creation in the early 1970s, the group has performed around the globe, including many countries in Europe, Central and South America, as well as more recently in Russia. Last summer, the troupe dance in Costa Rica and Panama.
That touring team, which this year takes 34 students to Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas and Texas -- "almost to a different state every day for two weeks" -- stops in Rogers Thursday for a concert at Rogers High School. The theme this year is "Letters: Decisions Determine Destiny."
"It depends on the director how the show is put together," Fisher says. "There's always a storyline to tie the show together, most of them around some aspect of the gospel. This one comes from one of the talks from our prophet [and current president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints], Thomas S. Monson. It's something we all need to think about. The decisions we're making today affect the rest of our lives... If you think about it as you watch, you'll be able to see how it connects."
Fisher is still waiting to see how her LDS beliefs and her passion for dance connect in the future. She's currently teaching in Rexburg and will be adjunct dance faculty at BYU-Idaho in the fall.
"I'm still deciding what I want to do for my career," she says. "But I know I want to continue to teach dance and develop and strengthen my testimony."
NAN What's Up on 07/22/2016