When UA dance major Tiffany Campbell was invited to participate in the 2019 Dancing for the Kids, a fundraiser for Akron Children’s Hospital in the tradition of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, she might have been surprised to learn her partner was half her height.
While Dancing for the Kids is an annual event that normally pairs UA dance students with hospital physicians and administrators, Campbell was instead paired with 10-year-old cancer-survivor and young ballerina Kylie Jacobs.
Jacobs has been dancing since the age of 2, and continued dancing during her battle with cancer. According to her mother Carrie Jacobs, “Dance was really what helped her stay strong.”
'Tiny Dancer'
Kylie now attends the Dance Institute, UA’s recreational and pre-professional training for students ages 7 through high school, which is how she originally met Campbell.
“We have had an amazing time dancing together—being able to rehearse and teach her this piece, and even choreograph together,” says Campbell.
Together, Campbell and Jacobs showed the Dancing for the Kids audience how beautiful things come from collaboration by performing a creative ballet number to Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer,” parts of which are featured in the video.
At UA’s School of Dance, Theatre, and Arts Administration, dance students like Campbell go far beyond developing their own dance skills. During their time at UA, dance students have opportunities to foster community relationships through educational and volunteer experiences.
With the help of events like Dancing for the Kids, UA dance students are embracing the spirit of community engagement and forming valuable connections, all while being reminded just how powerful and life-affirming the art of dance can be.
Related:
► Story by Madeline Myers
► Media contact: Lisa Craig, 330-972-7429 or lmc91@uakron.edu