Dancer nds time between work and school to pursue her passion From classroom to ballroom

David Schub/Roundup dschub.roundupnews@gmail.com

Twirling around the dance floor, her back straight as a board yet as comfortable as can be, her long red pony tail that contrasts against her black shirt is whipping back and forth with each turn she takes.

She locks eyes with her partner several times and smiles as latin music plays in the background, feeling like the only pair on the floor.

Pierce College student, Talia Kogan, has won three national competitions, including ninth place in the country for ballroom dancing at the age of 15.

“If you enjoy what you do, it comes out and your body starts smiling,” said the 20-year-old who now dances at Arthur Murray Dance Studio at the Promenade Mall in Woodland Hills.

Kogan, a first-generation American whose family is from Lithuania, has been dancing for more than half her life. Her mom, Inna Kogan, who was a ballroom dancer in Lithuania, passed the dancing genes down to her daughter, and at the age of six put her first pair of dancing shoes on and never wanted to take them off.

“When I introduced her [Talia] to dancing, she fell in love with it and wanted to pursue it on her own,” said Kogan.

In Europe, the normal age to start dancing solo is around five or six years, then by the age of seven, students are partnered up to begin ballroom dancing, according to Kogan’s dance coach, Max Simitsa, who coached her on and off for four years beginning at the age of 14.

“Dancing teaches you to communicate without speaking,” said Kogan’s mom. “She matured fast and it taught her how to interact with partners of the opposite sex at an early age.”

While dancing with a partner can be rewarding by achieving the goals of working and thinking together, she mentioned it can be one of the hardest parts of dancing. She has had a combination of both good and bad partners and all that can be done is to learn from them how to better yourself on the dance floor.

“It’s like a relationship, being angry at each other won’t help the situation,” she said. “I’ve had partners walk out on me during a round of competition. There are high emotions involved.”

The countless hours that she and her partners dedicate to dancing and to each other means giving up the other activities in life.

“Talia would put in at least six days a week to train during high school,” Kogan’s mom said.

For the full story about Kogan, visit theroundupnews.com under the Arts & Entertainment section.

Theater Review: ‘Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead’

Danielle Meegan/Roundup dmeegan.roundupnews@gmail.com

The Pierce College Theatre Department tackled the Tony Award-winning Broadway hit “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern

Are Dead,” beginning Friday, April 26 and running through Sunday, May 5.

The comical spin-off of the Shakespeare’s depressing tragedy, “Hamlet,” follows the two minor characters, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, as they travel to Elsinore, King Claudius’ castle.

Along the way, they meet a traveling group of Tragedians led by the character known as The Player.

Upon arriving at Elsinore, the duo is asked by King Claudius, Hamlet’s uncle/step-father, to find the cause of his nephew’s recent demented behavior and to stop it. But before they can find it, they must first understand why they’re there.

A clever use of words presented at a rapid pace seemed to confuse the quiet audience.

Overhearing some attendees, they heard it was a comedy, and assumed they were going to see “a punch line after punch line” play.

What they got were two characters, who themselves are confused by everything, asking philosophical questions about life and death, such as what the meaning of life is.

Under the direction of Valorie Grear, the actors stayed energetic throughout the play that was written by Academy Awardwinning writer and playwright, Sir Tom Stoppard.

Nick Yastremski and Brian Graves, playing the title characters respectively, had an undeniable chemistry onstage. They had to blend well together since they are in everyone’s view for the entirety of the play.

The dialogue subtly included the audience by pointing out certain people in the crowd, but never fully breaking the fourth wall.

Though some of the lines were off on timing, the duo captivated the audience with the play’s motifs.

The two characters often confuse their own names, the playful games with the coins, and asking unanswerable questions, to name a few.

The comic relief, according to the audience’s behavior, came from The Player, played by the animated David Kline, and the Tragedians. Kline moved effortlessly across the stage while his mute actors followed his every move.

If one is unaware of the story of “Hamlet,” the Tragedians acted out the tale. Stoppard intelligently interweaves the two stories to remind the crowd of the events happening around Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.

Even though the production takes place on a tiny stage in the small Temporary Performing Arts Complex, the production team did a fantastic job making a gorgeous set with what little space they had.

John Jones, who was in charge of scenic and lighting design, created a world that was very attractive to the onlooker’s eye.

The duo is meant to stand in one room while the events of “Hamlet” fall around them, and it was believable since other characters would make their way on and off the stage.

Despite the blank faces on the audience, the production by Pierce was enjoyable. The crowd may not have understood the existential conversation or did not want to hear about death.

For information call the Theater Department at (818)719 -6488.