By JAYDEN KUPFERMAN
Senior Luke Blair has been a part of the Jericho dance program since his freshman year, showing immense devotion to dance in general both in and out of school.
Blair’s involvement with Choreo, Jericho High School’s annual dance production, has provided him with valuable opportunities to share his passion for dance. “It is nice to show what I spend all of my time doing and share it,” he said.
Blair’s greatest strength as a dancer is his flexibility. “I was born flexible, but now as I get older, I have to work very hard to keep it,” he said. Blair’s classmate senior Alanna P. said, “Luke has amazing technique. He is always sharp with his dance moves when he needs to be, and easily learns choreography. His flexibility allows him to excel by perfecting his leaps and jumps.”
Blair’s classmates look up to him. “He’s incredibly talented and has a really fun personality that makes everyone happy,” junior Lindsay L. said. In addition, Blair’s friends admire how he is able to perform on stage. “He’s an amazing dancer. He is capable of doing whatever he puts his mind to. When he dances, no one can help but watch and be in awe. When it comes to Choreo, he takes the show very seriously, but also knows how to let go and have some fun,” said senior Tatum W.
Dance teacher and Choreo director Ms. Corbett has been Luke’s teacher for the past 4 years and appreciates his contribution to the Jericho dance program. “Luke is a positive role model in his class and always pushes himself and others to their highest level of performance. He is always eager to learn and explore creatively,” she said.
When Blair is not dancing, he is involved with numerous other activities. He is the president of student council and a volunteer at Dancing Dreams, a non-profit organization where he is paired to dance with a young boy with cerebral palsy. He is also the dance captain of his senior competition team at The Studio Dance Perfection, the private studio where he dances.
Blair spends months preparing for Choreo, Jericho’s annual dance event. “Choreo lets me see an entire new world of dance,” Blair said.
Blair hopes to continue dancing in college. “It is a huge part of my life now, and I could never see it being gone completely,” he said.