Kate Losser is a first-year dance major at Westminster College. Crowned Miss Senior Adrenaline 2015, she will be traveling with Adrenaline Dance and Soul Escape this fall. The Westminster Dance Program launched in Fall 2014 and is still growing.
The Westminster College Dance Department launched in Fall 2014 and is still growing under the direction of Nina Vought and her talented students.
Nina Vought, chair of the Department of Dance, explained that the program aims to make Westminster a more well-rounded community.
Vought, who is celebrating her 20th year as a faculty member of Westminster, said that the department encourages its students to be versatile.
The students in the program learn about dance, art, administration, teaching and business.
Vought teaches theater and scenic design among other performance and health subjects. She said she believes the program will “encourage both dancers to dance” and also have Westminster “watch the art.”
One of the dancers, Kate Losser, a first-year student majoring in dance, said she chose this department initially because of its hospitality.
“The school as a whole, the welcoming community, was very inviting,” Losser said. “Nina was very gracious. I’ve learned things that I had never learned in my career before.”
Losser, who has already begun her professional career, will be traveling with Justin Giles’ SoulEscape as a company member throughout this year.
At the end of this summer, she and the company opened up their season with a show in Las Vegas followed by a dance convention in Dallas. Losser is also going to be traveling with Adrenaline Dance Inc. as an assistant after winning the 2015 Senior Miss Adrenaline.
The hopes for the department are high for Vought and Losser.
Vought, the department chair, said she hopes the program will “round out the efforts here at Westminster” and that having dance on campus is vital.
The students also have hopes for the program and department.
“I hope it grows,” Losser, a dance student, said. “I think it’s a program that works in the right ways.”
Currently located in the Miller Dance Studio, 1301 E. Miller Ave., dancers train in all forms of dance to make well rounded, liberal arts and professional students.
The studio is in conjunction with the Utah Ariel Artists who share the same space.
“We hope one day to bring it on campus,” said Vought, the chair of the department, about the space.
The department is currently preparing for performance opportunities and rehearsals.
For upcoming events and information, follow the Westminster Dance Department on Facebook and Twitter or go to its information page on westminstercollege.edu
