Current Favorite Song: “She’s Always a Woman” by Billy Joel
Favorite Dance Scene: The Audition Sequence from A Chorus Line
Wyatt Florin will be graduating as a dance major from Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. He will be attending University of Southern California’s Glorya Kaufman School of Dance earning his BFA in Dance, and is also planning to minor in Business Administration! This summer, he plans on continuing to take classes to keep up his training before heading off to USC. He says he will miss his dogs the most when he heads to college (sorry Mom and Dad!)
His favorite SHUFFLES performance and memory coincide with the first time he played Peter Pan in our annual Peter Pantomime! Speaking of Peter Pantomime, Wyatt told us, “That show is so magical, and being Peter had a huge impact on my mindset as an artist.” Further speaking on his artistry and career goals, Wyatt believes that dance makers are change makers, and that through the use of dance, powerful narratives can be told. He hopes to continue to use dance as a form of storytelling, and use dance as a way to make change in the world.
Inspired by Twyla Tharp, he was captivated by the energy of shows like Movin’ Out, Come Fly Away, and West Side Story as a young dancer, mesmerized by the frenetic movement combined with the dramatic theatrical elements. “To me,” Wyatt says, “dance is a form of narrative itself - and I want to help re-establish its formerly dominant presence on 42nd Street.” His goal is to blend modern techniques, such as Horton and Graham, with the contemporary and commercial dance styles, and bring them to the Broadway stage.
Wyatt has been a student at SHUFFLES for 12 years. When not at SHUFFLES, Wyatt likes to hang out with his friends and family, and take photos! Check out his work on Instagram @wyattflorinphotos!
When looking back on his time here with us, he said, “Being at SHUFFLES is magical. When you walk in you can feel the bold spirit of the people who came before...the people who are currently doing what you dream of, and what you will do. It is a space that has pushed myself and my peers to new limits. It has taught me to be vulnerable, opening me up to new ideas. It has made me eager to show who I really am. Without this vulnerability and this eagerness, I would not be the artist I am today.”
Way to go, Wyatt! We miss you already!