Columbia native Kate Harpootlian’s time as a finalist on the Fox TV show “So You Think You Can Dance” ended Monday, but making into the last 14 brought nationwide attention to her and to Columbia and its dance scene.
Kate said the show was a fantastic experience but far from an easy one.
“The best part was challenging myself every week and becoming so close to such a talented group of people,” she said. “The biggest challenge was definitely the emotional and physical tax the show put on your mind and body.”
Internationally known choreographer and Irmo native Justin Giles, who worked with Kate on the show, said dance teaching in the Columbia area ranks with the best in the country. Kate agreed.
“The level of training I received at Columbia City Jazz was a big part of why I pursued a career in dance. They not only gave me a strong foundation, but also brought in master teachers from all over the U.S. who are still choreographers I work with today,” she said. “Not to mention, I was able to dance around the world before I even graduated. Not many young dancers get that opportunity.”
Columbia City Jazz Artistic Director Dale Lam, said Kate outshone many dancers with more natural talent, and again Kate agreed.
“I am not gifted with dance, but I make up for it with perseverance and performance,” she said. “I always had extra self-rehearsals after shows to work on my routines, because I knew I needed more time than most people. I have had so much rejection in my career but that determination to go on has kept me going.”
Another of Lam’s students, Alexa Erbach, who performed in off-Broadway shows and currently attends graduate school at the prestigious American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, said that quality is perhaps the most crucial for any dancer.
“The one thing I’ve seen in New York City is so many talented people who leave early,” Erbach said. “It’s about grit. It’s about training and continuing to audition and not giving up.”
Kate’s advice for young dancers hoping to follow in her footsteps echoed the theme of the importance of hard work.
“Young dancers need to know that it’s not the yeses and awards that will make them be successful but the rising above the noes and losses,” Kate said.
“A no is one step closer to a yes,” Erbach said, agreeing that every dancer must learn to deal with rejection. She said her training growing up in Columbia made it much easier. “Rehearsals were tough. Classes were tough,” she said. “Behind the sternness was love. Dale loves us.”
Kate’s plans with “So You Think You Can Dance” behind her include continuing to pass along the lessons she learned in Columbia to new generations of dancers. “I am currently based in Los Angeles, but I teach and choreograph around the U.S.,” she said.
She will, of course, also continue performing.
“I’m hoping to go on tour with Shaping Sound in the fall and I’m going to continue to pursue my other passion, acting.”