Niko is one of our FOCUS Company Pro dancers. We wanted to spotlight his awesomeness, and give you some insight to our competing program!

I had the awesome opportunity this last week to do a quick interview with Niko, and get to know what his favourite parts about being a part of the FOCUS Company PRO program are.

Getting to know Niko

I had the awesome opportunity this last week to do a quick interview with Niko, and get to know what his favorite parts about being a part of the FOCUS Company PRO program are. Niko started dancing at FOCUS at age 5! Now, a sixteen year-old junior in highschool, Niko reminisced about his very first class at FOCUS saying that his first class “was a tap class, and we did shuffles at the barre and I was really confused.” Niko is now a tap star, and it is one of the styles he competes in with FOCUS Company PRO, along with contemporary, and jazz/musical theater. And, like many of our PRO dancers, Niko also regularly takes acro and ballet classes to supplement his training.

To get to know Niko a little more, I asked one of his teachers Monie Adamson, if they could describe what it was like working with Niko. Monie responded with this:

“Looking back on Niko from when he was young to now, is how good-natured he has always been, whether he is being complemented or being given constructive criticism. He is very self deprecating, and has the charming attitude of being able to laugh at himself, and not take things personally. I am so proud of him, and the fact that he is happy to take class with anyone, no matter their age, or level of ability and so delighted to see the amazing work ethic, passion, and love he has for dance and his studio!”

-Monie Adamson

FOCUS Memories

As someone who has been at FOCUS for a while, Niko has a lot of fond memories. But, I asked him the impossible task of recalling his favorite one. After some thought, Niko said that some of his favorite memories are from late night rehearsals with the competing team. His funniest moment, though, was from Season 18. He told me about one competition where the stage was so slippery, he just kept falling throughout his entire tap dance, “Friendship!” But, like the PRO dancer that he is, he was able to get through it, and ended up still doing an amazing job.

I told Niko that we would be featuring his solo last year (which can be viewed by clicking this link), and asked him what he appreciated about this solo. He replied by saying how much he appreciated how it challenged him, in not only technique, but also in performance and movement quality.

Closing Thoughts

On a more sentimental note, I asked Niko how he thought being a part of FOCUS has shaped him as a person. He said that in general, dance has taught him discipline and how to work towards a goal, and achieve that goal. Specifically, FOCUS has taught him how to interact with people in general, as the environment that FOCUS has created is one that is welcoming and the interactions with teammates and teachers are easy. 

Finally, I asked Niko what was one piece of advice he would give to younger dancers. His response? 

“Don’t be lazy.”

He elaborated by saying that one of his biggest regrets is not putting in as much work as he does now when he was younger. Niko says that motivation is all around you, and that if you’re going to do something, do it right, and to your fullest capability.