Star maker — Studio makes dancing dreams come true
"I want to be a professional dancer," she said without hesitation as she packed up her ballet slippers after class at Center Stage Performing Arts Studio last week.
Flint certainly isn't the first toe tapper to get stars in her eyes, but at Center Stage, instructors don't just smile patronizingly. They take it seriously when a little performer dreams of making a career in the arts.
"We've cracked the code here," said Alex Murillo, co-owner and founder of the studio. "We know how to make world-class performers."
He's not kidding: Within the past couple of years the Orem studio has turned out more than a dozen reality television stars, including two-time "Dancing with the Stars" winner Julianne Hough and current "Dance War: Bruno vs. Carrie Ann" finalist Zack Wilson. A number of the studio's dancers also have won principal parts in Disney and MTV movies. And, although studio owners kept names mum, they said more than half a dozen of their students were selected last week to move on to the next stage of auditions for Fox's hit television series, "So You Think You Can Dance."
"Maybe it's something in the water," one alumnus mused.
Others hypothesized that it could be a result of the prevalent regional influence of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which emphasizes clean living, hard work and the development of talents.
But even though it may seem as if the studio has discovered a conveyer belt that leads to fame and fortune, Kim Del Grosso, co-owner and artistic director for the studio, maintained that Center Stage's success isn't a matter of chance. There is a tried and true formula for molding ordinary performers into stars, she said. Center Stage has simply worked out the kinks.
Its method goes something like this: practice, practice, practice.
Oh, and Del Grosso added, it helps to have good connections in the entertainment industry.
"The most important part of a performance happens behind the scenes," Del Grosso said. "I tell my kids: If you blow the journey, it doesn't matter where you end up."
It's the polish that comes from hours of rehearsal that sets Center Stage dancers apart, said Randy Boothe, an arts professional who regularly runs across the studio's performers during the auditions he oversees for Broadway, Disney and Brigham Young University.
"After spending hours in auditions watching people only a mother can love, you can imagine what a treat it is to see someone who's really got it together," Boothe said. "But it's no secret how they get that way. If a student is serious and training at Center Stage, they're not just going to class Tuesday and Thursdays for an hour and a half."
Recent comments
It is just wonderful to see this studio get the recognition it deserves...
numquamcede | Feb. 20, 2008 at 9:28 p.m.
Center Stage isn't the only studio pumping out successful dancers...
Anonymous | Feb. 20, 2008 at 3:13 p.m.
Wow this writer know how to captivate an audience.
Punisher | Feb. 20, 2008 at 10:28 a.m.
