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It took youthful optimism and determination for Carrie Miller to start a company when she was fresh out of college. When the teenage Miller, a third-generation Arizonan, set out to become a dancer, she said, “I dreamt of presenting my own company on the Scottsdale Center for the Arts stage.” After graduating from Texas Christian University, she studied in New York with such noted choreographers as David Dorfman. Still, she felt the pull of home, and once back, felt grounded. Hence the name of her company of eight, Grounding Point.
Artistically, Grounding Point still needs a point of departure from the look of a hundred other dance companies. But professionally, Miller had the spunk and organizational skills to make her dream come true, first presenting Grounding Point at Scottsdale in May 1999. This week’s show features jazz ballet, hip-hop, tap and a fairly new genre, lyrical dance — interpretive dancing to pop-song lyrics. On this program it’ll be Hotel California. Members of the Phoenix Mercury Hip-Hop Squad choreographed 5 Diverse Styles. This show is sure to be an MTV crowd-pleaser.
In other local dance news: Earlier this month in New York City, 15-year-old Ahwatukee resident Anthony Spaulding II finished as one of four ballet finalists against 100 competitors in the Youth America Grand Prix. He’ll dance in the Arizona Ballet School spring performance as a toy who comes to life in The Magical Toyshop.
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