Drew Jaussaud

In middle school, Drew found his passion for dance at the Casper Recreation Center in a clogging class with Amy Nelson-Grussendorf-  a response to seeing the movie Billie Elliot. After 5 years of performing and competing in just clogging, Drew wanted to branch out and explore other genres of dance and did so with Caspers’ 307 Dance Academy, taking: ballet, jazz, contemporary, hip hop, and partnering. During this time he would also, compete and place at numerous national talent competitions, teach beginning/intermediate clogging at 307 Dance Academy and manage the now seven time State winning, Kelly Walsh Dance Team.

 

After graduating from Kelly Walsh High School, Drew continued his dance education with the nation’s only accredited junior college in dance, Casper College. While at this conservatory-based program, Drew had the pleasure of studying ballet, modern, jazz, tap, fosse, African, and flamenco dance forms with Jodi Youmans- Jones, Anna Corvera, Amandie Jolene (AJ) Campbell, and Kelleen Gilstad. Drew’s performance credits include: Evita: the Musical, A Midsummers Night Dream: Contemporary Dance Concert (Thesius and Peter Quince), Urinetown: the Musical, Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar (Titinius), and Revolution of Spirit: the Art and Culture of Wyoming Contemporary Dance Concert (Buffalo). At Casper College, he had the opportunity to take four semesters of dance improvisation and composition. His choreographic highlights include: an original work for the Boys and Girls Club of Central Wyoming, Jamii, with a grant from the Boys and Girls Foundation, original solo and group choreography in collaboration with Wyoming Poet Laureate, David Romtvedt for the Wyoming State Book Festival and Literary Conference, and a solo from his work, Allegories, at Wyoming’s FCCLA conference. In addition to choreographing and performing, Drew served as the programs first office aid and recruitment assistant to the chair of the dance program and President of Flight Dance Company and the Association of Dance Performers (ADP). With his help, enrollment in the dance program grew 60+% and Flight Dance Company and ADP completed and/or attended multiple community outreach functions, fundraisers, and collegiate dance conferences. Drew was accepted to several potential transfer schools but fell in love with the program at the University of Wyoming. Drew finished his time in Casper serving as a Production Stage Manager for Casper Colleges, Footloose: The Musical.

 

At the University of Wyoming, Drew has continued his dance training in ballet, modern, jazz, and composition with professors Jennifer Deckert, Marsha Fay Knight, Maurice Watson, Margaret Wilson, and Aaron Wood. His UW performance highlights include: Aaron Wood’s, Echoing Terrain of Solitude and Maurice Watson’s, Spring to Dance. Drew enjoys responding to social, political, and artistic phenomena in his choreographic work. His choreographic works include: California Poppy and multiple numbers for the 7220+ Above Cabaret. When he is not performing, or choreographing he also enjoys stage managing. Drew was the assistant stage manager for Jose Limon’s Excerpts From The Winged, re-staged by Pablo Francisco Ruvalcaba (performed at the Kennedy Center) and Jennifer Deckert’s Dracula: The Legend in Motion that showed in Laramie, and later toured across Wyoming and South Dakota. Drew has remained dedicated to helping his fellow students and colleagues serving as the Vice President for the Associated Students of the Performing Arts (ASOPA) and Senator to the College of Arts and Sciences for the Associated Students of the University of Wyoming (ASUW) Student Senate. Drew served as both the Head Intern and Technical Intern under his mentors Margaret Wilson and Peter Jakubowski for the 21st annual Snowy Range Summer Dance Festival.

 

His greatest joy is sharing class or the stage with his better- half Craig. Drew and Craig look` forward to pursuing graduate school, binge watching new shows on Netflix, and taking their corgi Halle on more walks.