>La Grande Observer | Union and Wallowa Counties' News Leader

IN STEP WITH DANCE: Aimey Musgrove, right, rehearses for an upcoming show with dance classmates Wednesday with instructor Beckie Thompson-Hendrickson. (The Observer/LAURA MACKIE-HANCOCK).

The feeling starts deep within you.

A leap celebrating love.

An arch of the back that signifies life.

Or mourns the end of one.

When the lights come up, you aren't just moved.

You are changed.

— American Ballet Theatre Web site

By Jeff Petersen

Observer Staff Writer

When she was little, Aimey Musgrove, like many girls her age growing up in La Grande, dreamed of being part of the Tiger Line dance team.

Now that she's a high school freshman, the 14-year-old has taken her dreams to a whole new level. She wants to follow in the footsteps of Daisy Thompson, the La Grandeite who became a Blazer Dancer and used her dance to see a good chunk of the world, dancing in resorts in Aruba, the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas.

The daughter of David and Dana Musgrove of La Grande, Aimey is among over 75 dancers from Union, Baker and Wallowa counties who will display their passion for dance in the Winter Dance Festival presented by Beckie's Studio of Dance. Twenty numbers will be performed to traditional and contemporary holiday songs. And Santa may make a surprise appearance.

Dancing — whether it's ballet, jazz, tap or pointe — requires discipline. Musgrave practices 3 1/2 hours a week at the studio and another two to three hours at home.

"I practice the dances, and if I'm struggling on a move, that's what I work on," she says.

"She's a very dedicated dancer," said her teacher, Beckie Thompson-Hendrickson. Aimey is part of a special group of about 10 dancers in Thompson-Hendrickson's ballet-jazz-tap class who have danced together for many years.

Physical fitness it important for giving powerful performances. The dancer gets tired, but in a choreographed show with all the adrenaline and excitement, fatigue goes unnoticed.

Acting — and expanding artistic boundaries — is a big part of dancing, Musgrove said. For example, the dancers perform a Michael Jackson number where they act really tough.

And you can have a bad day and still have a great day dancing. But sometimes the tension is obvious, at least to the dancer.

"You can tell because the movements are hard and sharp," the soft-spoken teen says, not the precise, graceful movements the dance is after.

Talent is also important. You usually have to be graceful to perform ballet, Musgrove says, although with tap if you work hard you can improve.

The rewards include making new friends and having new experiences such as being part of award-winning ballet, jazz and tap teams. Musgrove hopes to be in more competitions in the future and continue striving for excellence.

Dancing is not all stage presence. It's also about scenery, lighting, costumes and working together as a group. One especially large challenge for dancers goes on behind the scenes.

"If you're in more than one dance, you have to change costumes, hair and makeup" and then rush back onstage looking totally unruffled.

If Musgrove has to pick a favorite dance, it would be jazz.

"I like it because you're more energized and have more movement."

Whatever the dance, it involves delivering emotion through movement, and expanding horizons beyond the Grande Ronde Valley to span the globe.