Student’s solo choreography selected for national conference

By Bryce Johnson and Brielle Aguayo •

Justin Tran, junior marketing major, first started dancing during his freshman year of high school.

“I just loved it. I loved how physically and also mentally challenging it was. It is very physical, but it’s also creatively taxing,” Tran said. “I personally love choreographing more than I love dancing itself.”

Last year, Tran performed his solo choreography piece, “Compliance is Key,” in NSU’s DanceWorks 2024.

Elana Lanczi, associate professor and program director for dance, said Tran continued working on it since then.

Tran performed “Compliance is Key” at the American College Dance Association Southeast Conference in early March. It was then selected for the 2025 ACDA National College Dance Festival in May, representing NSU and the Southeast region.

“I think Justin has a natural talent as a choreographer and as a dancer, and I always tell him that, so it’s not the first time he’s hearing it. He really has a natural ability,” Lanczi said. “The piece has pretty much stayed the same, but as he’s rehearsed it and as he’s continued to perform it, he’s found different things in terms of emotion or different timing in there to help reinforce the message that he’s trying to get across.”

Tran said the inspiration behind the piece was the feeling of having to comply with society’s expectations.

“There’s this narrative that you need to comply with whatever someone else tells you to be essentially. So that’s why I stuck with it so much and that’s why I thought I should really go at it,” Tran said.

Kilee Morgan, junior management major, first met Tran when they were both freshmen. Morgan appreciates being able to work with Tran and watch him grow.

“I am so beyond proud of Justin and the work he has created. He is such a talented dancer and choreographer. He creates a story through movement that makes an impact on those who watch,” Morgan said.

Kyra Triepke, junior human nutrition major and editor for Mako TV, enjoys working with Tran and listening to his feedback. Triepke said Tran’s “Compliance is Key” dance is moving.

“It almost brings you to tears. Watching it, I get chills because you can really see his story come to life,” Triepke said. “Every time he performs it, especially this past time at ACDA, everybody was like, ‘Oh my God. That piece brought me so much emotion, so much feeling,’ and you can really tell that he put a lot of work into that.”

Lanczi said Tran’s piece being selected gives the dance program more recognition and visibility.

“I talked to one of the adjudicators after the conference and he said, ‘If we didn’t know where Nova was before or what Nova was before, we know now.’ So it helps really to bring visibility, not only to the program, but to the university as a whole,” Lanczi said.

For students who are interested in dancing or choreography, Tran encourages them to take advantage of any opportunities they come across.

“If you have an opportunity to dance, I’d say take it. Here, there’s a bunch of shows you could audition for. You don’t have to be the best dancer. We have a lot of beginner dancers in our upcoming show, the Student Choreography Showcase. I am really happy to see that there’s so many new faces,” Tran said.