Our next senior spotlight is Emiko Van Horn. She was was born in the Chicago area and grew up in Skokie.

This is Emiko’s second year at Kaleidoscope, though she’s not new to dance, having started at the age of 2.

She joined dance ensemble after taking summer intensive at Kaleidoscope. She currently takes ballet, jazz, and contemporary.

Her favorite style of dance? Jazz. She states that, “Lately, I have been enjoying the fun

performance aspect of it and the technique/ tricks that are involved.”

She lists her favorite Kaleidoscope Dance memory as the JUMP dance convention. She said, “I loved spending the weekend with my teammates and getting to take class with them from amazing choreographers. I loved watching myself and everyone grow in class and show sides of them I have never seen before. The hotel was also very fun because it was like one big sleepover with all my best friends!”

Emiko describes Kaleidoscope as a supportive and accepting environment that always makes you feel at home. She feels lucky to be surrounded by such an amazing group of dancers and educators that helped her grow within her passion.

She counts among her favorite dance pieces that she’s performed as, “How Will I Know” from her first year and “Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken” from this year.

When asked why she loves to dance, she says, “I love to dance because it is a great form of self-expression and it is an art form that feels comfortable and natural for my body. I also love coming to dance everyday knowing that my teammates will be there with me.”

In the fall, Emiko will attending Depaul University in Chicago where she will be majoring in Graphic Design and hoping to continue dance within a club or company on campus.

While we’ve only known Emiko for a short time, she has made a tremendous impact on our dance ensemble and our studio. We can’t wait to see what she does next!

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