Danny Jamieson is in rare company. The 18-year-old Edmontonian is enrolled in an elite American program, one of just 50 students selected to the Boston Conservatory at Berklee as a student of Contemporary Dance. He is one of only two Canadians in this program. And he’s there on a merit scholarship.
On top of all that, the freshman student has also been selected as one of nine dancers to travel with non-profit organization Juntos Collective to Mexico this December.
“I’m going to Mexico to teach dance in AIDS hospitals, orphanages, public schools — bringing dance to people who are not exposed to the arts as often as we are here,” said the Lillian Osborne High grad.
READ MORE: Edmonton dancer doesn’t let diabetes diagnosis slow her down
Juntos Collective brings together students from the leading dance universities in the U.S. to take dance into Central and South America. Jamieson says it helps get kids interested in learning and engaging with their communities.
Jamieson spoke with Global Edmonton while home for the American Thanksgiving break. While in Edmonton, he’s taking time to give back — stopping in at his former dance studio, SGS Dance, to conduct some classes for current students.
“It’s so gratifying to be able to give back to my teacher’s studio and to see the growth in the students in the short time that I’ve been gone,” Jamieson said.
It’s a sentiment that fits in perfectly with Jamieson’s patriotic future plans. He wants to create an academic dance program in Canada for people who might not be able to access dance due to financial constraints, or who may not be aware of the opportunities available to them.
WATCH: ‘Anaconda’ dancer from Alberta wows Ellen with her moves
“One of my goals when going to school at the Boston Conservatory was not just to grow myself as an artist, but to grow as a teacher so I could give back to all of the people that have inspired me and gotten me to where I am now.”
Comments