Juan Diego students are dancing Light as Air

Friday, Oct. 31, 2014

DRAPER – Light as Air will be an evening of dance creativity and awareness for Clean Air in Utah as well as an opportunity for the Juan Diego Catholic High School Dance Company  to perform for the first time with professionals.

The invitation to participate in the event arose this summer, said Shelti Thompson, Juan Diego’s dance/ fine arts department chairperson. 

“[Leigh Cornu], who is putting the play together teaches at our summer camp,” said Thompson. “She choreographed them at camp and invited them to participate with professional dancers.”

Cornu, who is presenting the event in conjunction with Landis Salon, worked for Juan Diego  four years in a row “at the summer camp, and I have always been impressed with the dancers; they are talented lovely ladies,” she said.

“The idea behind this event was to draw together as much of the dance community [as possible and] to try to give professional dancers the opportunity to stage with other dance communities, and I was really excited when they [Juan Diego] agreed to do it. They are the only high school dance company that is performing,” said Cornu.

Twenty Soaring Eagle girls are participating in the event. One of the Juan Diego dancers is Katy Simon; for her dance is a passion.

“There are two aspects of performing for me: One is to share what I am feeling with the audience and in some way share my passion; performing also gives me something that I can’t explain the feeling,” said Simon.

She is also very grateful and excited to performing Light as Air.

“It’s an incredible opportunity and also because  we are doing to benefit a good cause that is affecting everyone in Utah,” said Simon.

Monica Mullholand shared Simon’s feeling.

“This is an incredible opportunity and experience; to be sharing the stage with professionals and doing something that we have never done before,” said Mullholand.

Thompson said that from the moment the students said ‘Yes’ to the performance they have been practicing with a lot of excitement.  

“I am really excited and so are the girls. … To perform somewhere different with professionals – and it is also an awareness concert for clean air – so all in all this is great.  I am very excited to see it; it is a brand new stage for a lot of them and I think this is really going to help them push themselves to a better level of performance,” said Thompson.

Light as Air will benefit Western Resource Advocates, a regional conservation nonprofit that works to set healthy air quality standards for the state of Utah.

All proceeds raised at the event will go directly to the “Clean Air Utah” division.

WHAT: Light as Air 

WHEN: Sunday, Nov. 2, 6 p.m. 

WHERE: Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center, 138 West 300 South, SLC. No babes in arms. 

For information or tickets, visit http://www.landissalon.com/lightasair