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Portland Observer

Jefferson Dancers Take to The Stage and The Air in Soar

SOAR is the Kick-Off of the 49th Performance Year

On Friday, November 15, Portland’s longest running dance company, the Jefferson Dancers, will take the stage at BodyVox in a wide-ranging display of talent. This annual event, aptly named SOAR, will feature 7 pieces, including hip-hop, ballet, modern, jazz, aerial, and African. 


SOAR is the kick-off of the 49th performance year for the Jefferson Dancers. The company is made up of students from Jefferson High School/Middle College for Advanced Studies and led by Steve Gonzales, now in his 26th year as Artistic Director. In addition to school, the Jefferson Dancers have an intense daily rehearsal schedule: dancing for three hours each school day in addition to a 90-minute dance instruction class. 


"Throughout the year, we bring in professional guest artists and choreographers, and the dancers also perform student-led pieces crafted by our talented company members," says Gonzales.


The Jefferson Dancers will go vertical for this year’s SOAR event with a new aerial piece, “Be Here.” According to Gonzales, “The Jefferson Dancer’s versatility is elevated to exhilarating heights in the silks as inventive floor movements morph into the air in a collaboration with AWOL Dance Collective.”


The SOAR 2024 fundraiser is a critical annual event that helps sustain the Jefferson Dancers program. Once federally funded, they now rely heavily on donor support to continue to be a training ground for aspiring artists.


Explains Gonzales, "The Jefferson Dancers offer an extraordinary opportunity for students at one of Oregon’s most racially diverse high schools. Our mission is to provide students with an immersive experience in a professional environment that fosters creativity, commitment, and achievement. We lay a foundation for success in all aspects of life and further study in the arts."

 

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