Spotlight: Dancing to stardom
This year at the 51st-annual Bill Riley Talent Search at the Iowa State Fair, Isaac Stauffer wasn't dancing for a title. He was dancing for his great-grandmother.
"This year has been extra special and bittersweet," he said.
While driving to the fair, he received a call that his 94-year-old great-grandmother had died. That, he said, set this year's competition apart from others.
"I definitely felt her on stage with me," he said.
The inspiration that Stauffer gained from his personal loss was enough to propel him through the competition into first place. Performing a tap routine to the song "Kiss Me," he won this year's talent search.
The 21-year-old University of Iowa student is a seasoned veteran in the contest, winning the junior division at age 9 and continuing with fifth-, second-, and first-place trophies throughout his years of competing.
"The reason I do the fair isn't for the money or to win anymore, but to entertain and inspire," Stauffer said.
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His inspiration didn't come only from his great-grandmother. Cousin Kerri Alvine inspired him to start dancing.
"Hearing that means the world to me," Alvine said. "We are as close as brother and sister, and to know that I had any influence to help him get to where he is today is just an amazing feeling."
The two both grew up dancing at Stairway to the Stars dance studio in Wayland, Iowa, where they primarily studied ballet, tap, and jazz.
Something that sets Stauffer's dancing talent apart from others are the tumbling moves that he choreographs. Tumbling since age 3, and dancing since he was 4, he is confident when doing flips and tricks, despite the little grip and traction that his tap shoes provide.
That was apparent at this summer's fair. His performance impressed many, including his former dance instructor, Melissa Wesphel.
"He was wonderful," she said. "He's really born to be on the stage, and it's more than just his dancing, it's about his personality and everything he brings to the stage."
Winning the Talent Search was only one dance highlight for Stauffer this past summer. He also participated in a Joffrey Ballet School intensive program and went on a grant-funded trip through the UI dance department.
A group of seven dancers, two directors, and a couple of technicians traveled to the Dominican Republic and Los Angeles to perform a grant-funded piece. The project, "Virtually Yours," was about breaking boundaries.
"It was about crossing borders politically, personally, and geographically," Stauffer said. "There was a huge collaboration between us and the directors."
As well as studying dance at the UI, he is studying elementary education. He hopes to combine both of these majors to teach dance in his future.
"It's nice to be able to pass along any wisdom I can," he said.
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