Junior accepted to well-known dance program

Imagine attending a basketball clinic featuring Michael Jordan as your coach. Or imagine throwing a football around with Peyton Manning.

Junior Austin Roberson doesn't have to imagine learning from the best. Roberson, a dancer for 12 years, was recently accepted into the Broadway Theatre Project where he will study under Tony award-winning actors, dancers, and singers Ben Vereen and Chita Rivera.

According to the Broadway Theatre Project web site, Playbill calls the program "a three-week, intensive, musical theatre training program," and "the world's most prestigious musical theatre arts education program for high school and college students."

Roberson said he found out about BTP through his dance education.

"One of my dance teachers told me about it. She had known a few people who had went and really liked it. So, she said it would be a good idea to go and audition," he said.

To be accepted into the BTP, Roberson auditioned in Texas with 50 other dancers. Auditions were held in Texas, Florida, California, and New York. Altogether, about 400 people were accepted into the program.

Roberson will travel to Tampa, Fla. from July 4 through July 28 for training. He stated that he would learn from many different performers in Florida.

"Out of the Broadway Theatre Project, we study under artists such as Ben Vereen and Chita Rivera. Those are a couple of well-known ones and a bunch of different famous choreographers and dancers, as well as actors, actresses, and singers, pretty much the whole musical theater group in the world," he said.

         Roberson is not the only one in his family who is interested in dance. His sister Val, 2006 Silver Lake High School graduate, is also a dancer and motivated him to perform at an early age.

            "I was inspired to dance by my sister when I was about five years old. She danced for a few years, and I thought it would be cool to dance and be just like her," he said.

Roberson is not only involved in the BTP, but he also dances with Tremaine Dance Company and the Dance Factory.

With the Tremaine Dance Company, Roberson travels to different states and assists professional choreographers in dance conventions. This year, he has traveled to Los Angeles, Atlanta, Kansas City, Houston, and Chicago. Along with Roberson, 40 high school students help, including two other students from Kansas.

At The Dance Factory in Topeka, Roberson is a member of the competition team, where he trains over 20 hours a week. They also travel and compete around the United States.

Locally, he has held the lead role in the SLHS musical for two years, playing Emile de Becquein in "South Pacific" and Bobby Child in "Crazy for You."

Roberson stated that the most difficult part of the BTP is competing against all the other performers.

         "The biggest challenge of dancing with the Broadway Theatre Project is probably going to be outperforming the other actors and actresses on stage because, in a way, it will be a competition because there will be agents and colleges offering scholarships at our performance," he said.

            Roberson commented that he was ecstatic to be accepted into the program.

"After going down to Texas to audition and spending all of the time rehearsing, it was very rewarding to find out that I did make it," he said.

            Roberson dreams of one day performing on Broadway.

            "I really hope and aspire to some day become a dancer and singer on Broadway, and if I am good enough, hopefully the lead role in a big show," he said.

Roberson said he hopes to gain experience from the BTP. Others can learn about the program by visiting www.broadwaytheatreproject.com.

            "I think it will definitely give me a lot of experience in what I am going to need in order to succeed in my dreams. I think it's going to be a lot harder than I expect it to be, but I am looking forward to being pushed to my limit," he said.

Sub Navigation

• News
• Editorials
• Sports
• Features

Top