Most three-year-olds are in the process of learning basic motor skills, such as how to walk and run. When junior Kylie Krajicek was three years old, she was dancing for high school auditoriums filled to the brim with eager audience members. Thirteen years of training later, she is taking her dancing to a new level by using summer dance camps such as the Oklahoma City University Dance Intensive to explore the idea of going to college for her dance talent.
“I have attended this camp for two summers in a row,” Krajicek said. “I thought it was super fun and met a lot of new people. I plan on going there again next summer to make more memories.”
Krajicek first entered dance because of her mom’s past years as a gymnast.
“My mom put me in dance because she did dance and gymnastics when she was younger,” Krajicek said. “Dancing runs in my mom’s side of the family, so I guess it just made sense.”
Krajicek soon found a passion for her dance movements and enjoyed the laughter and joy of the audience due to her performances.
“I like the creative freedom that you get and the way that the music can move you,” Krajicek said. “I can portray a message and provide enjoyment for other people. I really like that.”
Krajicek is always looking for new opportunities to improve her talent, so when her dance teacher told her about the Oklahoma City University Summer Dance Intensive, she jumped at the chance.
“When my teacher mentioned the intensive to my friends and I, I was excited to have the opportunity to dance in a different environment,” Krajicek said.
Krajicek had such a good experience the first time that this past summer she decided to come back.
“The teachers’ different teaching styles is one of the things I liked the best,” Krajicek said. “It gave me a new perspective on things I have been doing ever since I was young, which I thought was pretty cool.”
During this camp, dancers live the life of regular college students pursuing a dance career. The camp shows them the positives and negatives of attending college while juggling high standards as a dancer.
“It’s a week-long dance intensive where you work with the teachers, dance all day, and basically see what life would be like as a college student,” Krajicek said.
For Krajicek to be fully comfortable in these different environments, her studio in Elkhorn created pretend scenarios that gave her a better idea of what the dancers would encounter.
“The studio helped prepare Kylie and the other two that went with her,” Kylie’s mom, Amy Krajicek, said. “They used mock auditions at the studio of what to expect when they do their leveling and things like that.”
A typical day at camp included eating breakfast and then attending different dance classes such as tap and jazz. The campers would then eat lunch, attend ballet class and rehearse for their weekend showcase. After dinner, they attended more specialty classes and listened to lectures about dancer health and campus facts.
“I’m used to a busy schedule but not as many hours of dancing each day to include dancing in heels, which wears out your body way faster than normal,” Krajicek said.
Despite the exhaustion, Krajicek met many new teachers who had a positive effect on her and her dancing.
“I really liked Jessica Fay, one of the ballet teachers. She’s really similar to my dance teacher because my dance teacher was taught by Jessica,” Krajicek said. “It was really helpful to be in a different space but still doing the same thing that I know how to do.”
Encouraging teachers were a plus but not the only positive effect Krajicek had when attending the camp.
“She’s been at the same studio her whole life, so she’s been around the same people and the same teachers with the same eyes and opinions,” Amy Krajicek said. “It’s nice to have different instructors that have never seen her before and have never seen the other people she’s used to dancing with.”
All these positives made Krajicek not only enjoy her experience this past summer but be hungry for more.
“Making new friends, building relationships with teachers, learning dances and making memories is what keeps me coming back each year,” Krajicek said.
