Spotlight on Kamron Vaziri

From thespian to pre-professional ballet dancer, Kamron Vaziri has made the leap in a relatively short amount of time.

At 18 years old, Vaziri has only been dancing for three years, and began concentrating on ballet two years ago. Yet, he was chosen as one of only six New Artists of Next Generation Ballet, the pre-professional ballet company at the Straz Center.

In a world where many kids start when they can barely put on their own dance shoes, Vaziri has distinguished himself as one of the few exceptions to the rule.

As a thespian in high school in Binghamton, New York, Vaziri auditioned for Carousel in the 10th grade. “I got the lead dance part because I was the only boy that could move,” he laughed.

With that role came a love for dance. Vaziri enrolled in modern and jazz classes. Shortly after, he moved with his family to the Atlanta area where he took classes at a local studio. Deciding he wanted more serious training, he began commuting an hour a day to train with the Atlanta Ballet.

“Because I started late, I never got basic technique training,” said Vaziri. He also added private lessons to catch up to his peers. “For how long I’d been dancing, I was good, but for my age, I was a little behind.”

This past summer, Vaziri was offered full scholarships to both the Milwaukee Ballet’s and the NGB’s summer intensives. He chose to come here.

In addition to his full-time dance training, Vaziri also takes classes at HCC. He enjoys drawing and interior design. He’s looking forward to performing in The Nutcracker in December and Swan Lake in the spring. “I love the music to Swan Lake.”

Training with NGB “Is the hardest I’ve worked for anything in my life,” he said. “But I love what I do.”