CSULB dance major gives a glimpse into his world

By Jeanette Prather
The Online Forty-Niner
Contributing Writer

Most students at Cal State Long Beach understand that there are subcultures that lurk and thrive amid the mass student body. These small communities survive among the crowd with their own set of standards.

CSULB junior, T.J. Spaur is new to the school but not to the world of dance.

CSULB's dance center created a setting where Spaur could notice the subtle differences between dancer majors and non-dance majors.

"The dancers here are really friendly and patient," Spaur said. "Dancers interact intimately. Moves tend to be sexual and that breaks down barriers between people."

Dancers are often more selective with what they eat in order to provide non-stop energy for hours on end.

"I eat foods that have nutritional value instead of tasty, sugary foods," Spaur said. "You have to prepare to dancing three to four hours straight."

Beside interaction and eating habits, dancers may communicate to each other in ways that non-dance majors do not understand.

"People on the outside might not understand someone who says, ‘Oh they have such nice feet,'" Spaur said.

Spaur is getting a lot of exposure in the culture and practice of dance this semester. His schedule consists of ballet, modern, improvisation, anatomy for the dancer and non-verbal communications.

Spaur has been studying dance for 12 years, "I'm used to being a male dancer among a ton of female dancers," Spaur said. Until recently, Spaur was a kinesiology major. He applied to the dance program at CSULB in January before transferring from Cal State Northridge this semester.

"It's really hard now to get into this school, let alone the dance program," Spaur said.""I'm just really glad I made it."