Rising Star

Jennifer Chance

Dreams of Juilliard dance into reality for one extraordinary talent.

While many college-bound seniors from Denver's East High School were soaking up the relaxation of their final spring semester, Rebekah Johnson traveled across the country to endure one of the most grueling experiences of her life. For Johnson, life after high school meant one thing, and that one thing hinged on her performance at an audition for the Juilliard School.

Perhaps the world's most prestigious performing arts college, Juilliard is well known for the talent it has produced and is notorious for its arduous admittance process. "Juilliard has the reputation of being the best of the best," says internationally renowned choreographer and Juilliard alum Christopher Huggins. "Even [some of] the best dancers don't get accepted." At 17 years old, Johnson faced the most feared panel of judges a dancer is likely to come up against, and she triumphed. Out of 400 applicants, Johnson is one of just 24 who will join the school's enviable ranks this fall.

When asked if she realizes what she has actually accomplished, Johnson downplays her achievement but admits how important the audition was. "Just talking about it makes me all nervous again," she says. She knows, however, that Juilliard is no laughing matter. Nerves weren't the only obstacle she faced on the road to her audition. While most dancers headed to face the gauntlet of judges would be rehearsing nonstop and concentrating on little else, Johnson's focus was continually challenged.

In the fall before her audition, Johnson was without the ability to rehearse her audition solo. "She couldn't take dance classes because I couldn't afford it," says her mother, Barbara. When, two months prior to her audition, she severely sprained her right ankle during a cheerleading stunt, Johnson found herself at a loss. With a damaged ankle and nowhere to rehearse, she turned inward. "I just kept going through the solo in my head," she says.

Although Juilliard was first in her heart, she tried to maintain a realistic approach to her college plans. "I would list all other colleges and Juilliard last," says Johnson. She kept a straight "˜A' average in her classes under the assumption that academics may have needed to play the role her talent potentially couldn't. All the while, she had to consider the very real possibility that her Juilliard dream may be, at best, postponed for a year.

To build her confidence, and to test her ankle, Johnson auditioned for a few other schools, using the piece Huggins had prepared for her. She impressed the judges at the State University of New York at Purchase and the Ailey School and was accepted to both. Huggins, who also attended SUNY Purchase, says he "got absolutely stellar reports about her auditions." Her confidence level high, Johnson decided to go ahead with her tryout for Juilliard and traveled alone to New York to realize her dream.

The experience is one she won't soon forget. There were 52 people in the audition room when she arrived, and the first segment was a ballet-class environment where the prospects lined up to show the judges their technique at the barre. Johnson was in the back row "” not a terribly good position for her 5'3" frame "” but found another way to shine. "I just decided to make things really strong," she says. "I don't think I've ever pushed so hard at a ballet barre." Her strategy worked. At the end of that round, Johnson was one of 18 dancers asked to stay.

"I started crying," she says. "I think the first cut was the hardest." But the difficult process was just beginning. The 18 remaining dancers had to perform a solo for the judges. Johnson's, choreographed by Huggins, was designed to push her limits. "It took her completely out of her comfort zone, and that is why she shined," he says. From the solos, 10 dancers were selected to continue on to the final round of interviews. Ever modest and somewhat unaware of her talent, Johnson stayed cautiously optimistic. "People probably think I went in thinking I can do this. That's not true at all," she says.

Following the audition, she returned to Denver and went back to school. When the Juilliard admissions office called to check on her financial aid package "” and to tell her she would be an entering freshman "” Johnson thought it was a joke. "They don't just call people," she says. It wasn't until the acceptance letter was in her hand that she finally allowed herself to believe what she had done.

Huggins, on the other hand, was not surprised that she was accepted. Every student for whom he has choreographed an audition solo has been accepted into Juilliard. "I was a little ambivalent about her auditioning because I've seen many be rejected, waitlisted, crushed," says Huggins. "But Rebekah is gifted. Her future as a dancer is incredibly bright."

Johnson begins her first semester at Juilliard this month, and there is still a lot of work ahead. Juilliard instructors build a dancer up by making her challenge herself, and they challenge her by forcing her to look at what she wants. At the end of each semester, each dance student must meet with instructors and are often asked, "Is Juilliard right for you?" The instructors already know the answer and aren't afraid to share it. For Johnson, the answer has always been simple. "Dance is dance," she says. "And I love it."