CHASE BROCK NICK KEPLEY • attended West from 1999 1995-1996 • perfomed in the Broadway 2000 revival of The Music Man
2003
• received the 2004 Dancers Responding to AIDS award • Choreographed the film Love, Mom 2005 • Founded the Chase Brock 2006 Experience dance company
2009 • Choreographed the Dancing on Broadway 2010 Wii game • Choreographed 2013 Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark Photo used with permission of Murray Made Photography
2014
• Attended West from 1999 until 2003) • Dancer for Ballet Austin Photo used with permission of Ailey Studio Theatre
• Started dancing with the Kanas City Ballet • Appeared in Camelot with the Philharmonic • Performed in Mary Poppins on Broadway • Assistant Choregrapher for Rodgers and Hammerstein on Broadway
ROAD TO SUCCESS
Former students make their mark in theater, dance by | Charlotte Grush
M
usic flowed through the theater and the dancers elegantly moved across the stage to the beat of the song. Although he wasn’t in the Broadway show, Chase Brock had a very important job. Brock was in charge of choreographing Spider Man: Turn Off the Dark, and he couldn’t be more proud to see his work come to life. Former West student Chase Brock, a choreographer for shows on Broadway, said was influenced by his time studying in the school’s fine arts department. Brock left high school in the middle of his sophomore year. “Like many teenagers, I had a real desire to rebel and strike out on my own and do my own thing,” Brock said. “West is the place where I really solidified my desire to move to New York and pursue my dreams as a dancer and choreographer.” Brock’s experience at West came from classes taught by dance teacher Resi Dolbee and helped him connect with people who had similar dreams and aspirations. “The dance, theater and music classes were the classes I valued the most and connected with the most and appreciated that most, and where I felt I had the most to offer,” Brock said. While teaching at Rugby Middle School, Dolbee recognized Brock’s budding talent and helped him push his limits. “She (Dolbee) saw my potential as a dancer and invited me to participate in all sorts of extracurricular dance activities,” Brock said. “She found as many ways as possible to challenge me and help me grow.” West was not just a home for Brock during his teenage years; he still comes and sees his friends and family during performances. “When my dance company recently toured to Asheville’s Diana Wortham Theatre,
it was such a treat to be able to reconnect with so many friends from high school, and I was so touched by the turnout,” he said.
Nick Kepley In his graduation in 2003, another of Dolbee’s former students, Nick Kepley, followed his dreams of becoming a professional dancer. He danced in Broadway shows and choreographed Cinderella on Broadway before becoming ballet master of Ballet Austin. “After I graduated from West, I was a professional ballet dancer for four years. I danced for Ballet Austin for two years and for Kansas City Ballet for two years,” Kepley said. “Then I moved to New York for six years. I performed in a couple of Broadway and off-Broadway shows. I did Camelot at Lincoln Center and Mary Poppins.” His passion for dancing has been a part of him since he was 4 years old. As a little boy, Kepley saw The Nutcracker and the performance sparked his interest. “Ballet is hard, and you kind of get addicted to how hard it is. There is definitely a special type of person that likes to be constantly challenged, and in ballet you will never be perfect no matter who you are, no matter how long you train,” Kepley said. “You physically can never do ballet perfectly, and that becomes kind of addictive. In moments when you do really get something right, it feels really rewarding.” Attending West helped Kepley prepare for his future through the theater and dance departments. He participated in spring musicals with dance teacher Resi Dolbee “I have good memories and most of them came from theater and dance,” Kepley said. “It would be a couple of days before the performance, and teacher, Mary Davis,would let us go crazy and do a run through of the show, and it was really over the top. It let us get all of our giggles out and that is always really fun.”
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