By Gassia Ashikian
Staff Writer
Apart from grading papers, lecturing students and writing tests, several Mira Costa teachers, including Diane Sieker, Stefani Owen and Karl Kurz, have unique passions for grooving to the music.
The annual “Dancing With the Teachers” Costa event provides Costa’s educators with an outlet to express themselves in the form of dance. Unbeknownst to students, several teachers at Costa had an edge in the competition.
Growing up, Advanced Placement English teacher Sieker discovered her love for dance when she joined a musical theater class at age nine.
“I instantly fell in love with dancing and acting,” Sieker said. “I did drill team all throughout high school. I also took dance classes for fun in college, and I just recently started taking classes for fun again.”
According to Sieker, dancing helps her unwind after a long day of teaching. Sieker has been taking a class called “Danceworks” for the past two years at Yogaworks in El Segundo.
“The class is taught by the most amazing dance teacher I have ever had,” Sieker said. “His class makes you sweat and smile.”
Sieker has performed in “Dancing with the Teachers” for two years in a row. Last year, Sieker performed a disco routine with journalism and English teacher Cameron Chow, and this year she participated in a stepping routine with AP statistics teacher Daniel Debevec, which won first place.
“We had the best time learning the stepping routine together,” Sieker said. “We were laughing the entire time while practicing.”
Sieker was also invited by her dance instructor to do a Britney Spears routine with a dance crew called the Revolutionists.
“Just last year I participated in a dance competition called Gym Crew Challenge,” Sieker said. “At GCC, amateur dance crews from gyms all across the Los Angeles area competed.”
Sieker taught and choreographed various dances between the ages of 17 and 23 at a musical theater camp called Summer Drama Camp. It was the same camp that she had attended while she was growing up.
“The experience was awesome because it reminded me of the memories I had when I attended camp,” Sieker said.
Similarly to Sieker, AP environmental science teacher Karl Kurz has been dancing for over 10 years. Kurz started dancing as a young child when he saw a sign that welcomed new dancers to a dance studio in Buffalo, New York, his hometown.
“When I was growing up, I practiced three or four times a week,” Kurz said. “The dancers and teachers became my family.”
Kurz was a dance assistant at the age of 11 and continued teaching tap and jazz until the age of 20. At age 18, Kurz tried out for Tap Dogs, a professional tap company, but did not make it past the second cut.
“I realized being a professional dancer takes a lot of time and commitment, and it was not my true passion in life,” Kurz said.
Kurz has also participated in “Dancing with the Teachers” for the past two years. This year, Kurz performed a tap dance routine.
“Last year I did the hula dance with math teacher Timothy Kelley,” Kurz said. “This year I believed that I hands down beat the other team’s so-called stomping.”
English teacher Stefani Owen was exposed to ballet at a very young age. She first began dancing when she took dance classes in eighth grade.
“I danced around my house every time I had the opportunity to do so,” Owen said. “I had to beg my parents for classes for a long time before they finally let me take jazz class.”
Throughout her seven years of dancing, Owen particpated in color guard and performed in various dance recitals.
“Competing with the color guard was a great experience for me in high school,” Owen said. “I have some of my my best memories from my teenage years.”
Owen no longer takes professional dance classes. However, she does take Zumba, a Colombian dance fitness program.
“The last time that I took a formal class was when I lived in Fresno, California” Owen said. “But I really just love to dance and have a great time.”
Despite the fact that Sieker, Kurz and Owen spend a great deal of time in the classroom, they still make time to revisit their passion for dance.
“I really love music,” Owen said. “I just love to dance.”
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