Starting on the wrestling mat, Nathan Von Urff (11) shifted his attention to the stage, making him one of the only boys in the dance program.
Von Urff, a gifted wrestler and dancer, has recently broken barriers between the sports and dance world. Throughout Von Urff’s high school years he’s primarily been a wrestler, however this year he spontaneously joined dance and became one of the only boys in the program.
Von Urff’s interest in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) inspired him to join the SJHHS wrestling program his freshman year. Ever since, Von Urff has been in wrestling for SJHHS, and is considered one of the top wrestlers in his weight class. He found friendship and structure, which helped influence his future of being more involved in our school.
“I had to choose a P.E. class freshman year and I heard a lot of fighters say wrestling is a good base for MMA, so I decided to join wrestling” said Von Urff.
Von Urff decided to join the SJHHS Dance Program during his junior year. He was motivated by his desire to improve his flexibility and muscle mind coordination.
The dance program is usually dominated by girls, and being one of the only boys in the program, Von Urff felt a bit intimidated. Nevertheless, he was welcomed into the class with open arms by his fellow dancers. This created a whole new realm of opportunities for the program, such as the partner work seen in the La La Land Pep Rally.
Kristen Calder, the dance teacher at SJHHS knew Von Urff would be perfect for the role of Sebastian because she wanted someone who was adaptable, flexible and strong, and Von Urff was the first to come to mind.
Calder saw a lot of potential in Von Urff’s dance skills based on his work ethic and adaptable persona. This ultimately made her decision clear to make Von Urff the lead in the La La Land Pep Rally. Von Urff played Sebastian, the hopeless jazz enthusiast and piano player.
Von Urff appeared in many different performances, one being the fairytale themed, student choreographed show, where he performed a dance inspired by the Black Swan movie. This dance brought a dark and chilling aspect to the overall lighthearted dance show, with the Swan Queen being consumed by darkness as the show went on. The cult-like jazz dance was performed while styling in long white and black skirts and shirts, Von Urff’s group partook in multiple quick changes, lifts, and partner work.
“Black Swan was in my opinion my best performance, everyone in my group was so nice and accepting,” said Von Urff.
Recently, Von Urff performed in the STEPS dance show, which allowed students with special needs to get to dance in front of an audience. Dancers in the program had the opportunity to volunteer to perform with these students, Von Urff being one of many who volunteered. This performance was very important because it exposed students with special needs to the dance program, and gave them more opportunities to partake in it.
Von Urff encourages his friends and fellow wrestlers to participate in the dance program, which is promising for the bright future of the dance program. He adds diversity to the wrestling team and the dance team which before both sports were very isolated.
