A 'Grand Jeté' toward Lifelong Dreams

June 15, 2016

Six years ago a shared passion brought them together. Now that same love – dance – will take them to opposite ends of the country. 

To say their devotion to dance and each other has opened doors for recent Heritage High School graduates Sarah Pippin and Jake Tribus would be an understatement. The doors basically “pirouetted” right off the hinges.  

Jake and Sarah were two of only 24 students nationwide accepted into the highly prestigious Juilliard School dance program in New York City. After hundreds of hopefuls auditioned in five major cities. Two students out of 24 in the nation who made it. From the same high school.  

Juilliard accepts only 12 male and 12 female applicants into its freshman dance class annually. Heritage High gave them one of each. At least, initially.

While Sarah “glissades” her way to Juilliard this fall, Jake will “dip and step” in the opposite direction. He has accepted a full scholarship to a new dance program at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. 

It’s the bittersweet ending to a successful longtime partnership. But mostly sweet, as they look forward to what’s around the corner. 

 ‘Regular little girl activity’ 

Sarah Pippin has been dancing pretty much as long as she could walk.  

“My parents put me in (dance lessons) as a regular little girl activity,” said the effervescent ingénue. “They and some of my (dance) teachers saw something in me and wanted to cultivate what they initially saw, and I’m very grateful for that.” 

Sarah landed at the CC & Co. Dance Complex in Raleigh 10 years ago. That is where her love for dance along with her development as a promising talent really took off.  So did her perspective on dance’s impact on her life. 

“My parents would always explain to me that I was that kid that when someone would be standing in my spot I would be like, ‘You’re in my spot, you’re in my spot!’” she said of the growing realization that this was more than just for fun. “There was definitely a period where I really had to go, ‘OK, if this is something I want to do as a career, I have to take the steps to make my training more concentrated and take it more seriously.’”

‘Fell in love with it immediately’ 

While at CC & Co., Sarah met another young dancer who was on the brink of a similarly important decision. 

Jake Tribus had moved to North Carolina after having lived in Georgia, New York, Hawaii and Virginia, the son of a career military man. Like Sarah’s parents, Jake’s mom and dad also saw something different in him. 

“My parents noticed I was always very outgoing, always moving around – whenever music was on they always noticed I was dancing,” said Jake, who had mastered many of Justin Timberlake’s moves by the age of 4. “I just enjoyed it.” 

So a friend encouraged Jake’s parents to give him dance lessons. 

“I fell in love with it immediately,” he said. “I wanted to keep going back, I would ask my parents when the next class was happening.” 

He took his initial lessons at a couple of local dance studios, where his talent couldn’t be ignored. So, he too, wound up at CC & Co. 

“I began training there, kind of realizing that dance was becoming more than just a hobby. It was more than just something I did after school to stay in shape. It was something I had begun to fall in love with.” 

Instructors thought that Sarah and Jake might make a good match on the dance floor so they paired them up. It was a nearly magical combination from the first lift. Professional choreographers got in on the act, offering intensive classes to the young phenoms. 

Sarah and Jake started dancing their way from one competition to the next, traveling across the country gathering accolades along the way. One such honor was first place in the New York City Dance Alliance Nationals in 2014. Their winning piece was choreographed by Sonya Tayeh of the "So You Think You Can Dance" TV dance competition show. (By the way, if you're wondering if Sarah or Jake auditioned for that show, they did not. The season they would have most likely done so turned out to be a special "Next Generation" season geared toward children age 13 and younger.) 

Jake also co-founded Artists Giving Hope, which encourages positive behavior to ward off the negativity that stiff competition in the arts can breed among youth.

First-place performance at the New York City Dance Alliance national competition. (NYCDA video) 

‘This school has been super, super great’

Very demanding schedules required a good bit of missed class time. So they met with Principal Mark Savage who, along with their teachers, worked with them to ensure they didn’t miss a beat academically. 

“This school has been super, super great about working with us,” said Sarah.

They credit their Heritage dance teacher Natalie Rojano with being a good mentor to them. She supported them by allowing them to serve as mentors to fellow students, helping her teach and choreograph certain pieces. She also encouraged Jake as he performed in his first ensemble role, in the school’s musical, “Beauty and the Beast.”

“I feel like the arts are highly represented at Heritage,” said Jake. "It makes it easier for us to do what we do, and to work with our teachers to make up the work that we miss and to keep up with our academics.” 

“Both Jake and Sarah are equally talented academically. Not every student can pull off being so involved in being in some outside endeavor and still be fully engaged in their academic life,” said Heritage Principal Mark Savage.  

“From the beginning as we pursued possibilities with them, their parents always wanted them to have a full, exclusive high school experience and not have one experience forego the other. What we do at Heritage is start with ‘Yes’ and figure out how to make it work." 

(NOTE: A new high school opening this fall, Crossroads FLEX, is designed to benefit students like Jake and Sarah. Application period is open through June 24.) 

Savage added that he derives much satisfaction from his job in helping individual students pursue their dreams. 

“As a principal you’re always hoping that these four years helped to give shape to the great ‘what’s next,’” he said. “Now, with graduation that’s what we get to bear witness to. To be able to see everyone now launching into that great ‘what’s next.’ And they’re launching so brightly it’s just an honor to see it.” 

Making the cut 

Auditioning for Juilliard is not for the weak of heart – or body. 

After submitting video portfolios, both Jake and Sarah were invited to live auditions. That’s where the grueling process began. 

Sarah and Jake auditioned in Chicago and New York, respectively. There were several rounds within the audition, with dancers being cut at every level. Jake and Sarah both performed numerous pieces encompassing various dance genres, a solo piece and “choreography on the fly.” 

After each session, they would see a few more students sent packing. 

“I was shaking,” said Sarah. “As any performer or athlete you kind of look in the room and say, ‘Where do I fit in this crowd of people?’ Everyone realized we were all equally as nervous.” 

Nerves aside, they both made it. They got the calls earlier this spring. Both were accepted to Juilliard. And, both were accepted to USC. 

Jake chose USC because he knows he wants to pursue commercial dance. This is the type of dance that would incorporate hip-hop, jazz or funk. What you might see in music videos or TV ads. Jake also dreams of someday starting his own entertainment-related business. 

Sarah accepted Juilliard’s offer so that she can pursue dance that is more “concert” based – live performances such as the ballet, or a Broadway musical.  

Same journey, separate paths 

Jake was prepared to go to Juilliard up until the end of April when he had the opportunity to visit the USC campus. Getting accepted into Juilliard was a lifelong dream, and he was very happy to make it come true. But he felt like USC was the best choice.

Six years of endless rehearsals. Watching each other grow as dancers. Learning together. Sharing the joys of victory and the agonies of defeat. A deep and meaningful friendship that could last a lifetime. 

So, after having spent the last third of their young lives as dance partners, how do Jake and Sarah feel about going their separate ways? 

“Sarah and I have danced together for so long, but we obviously are different people with different personalities,” he said. “Ultimately the deciding factor was that I feel like my place at USC would fit me better.” 

“I think we both recognized and respected that each of us has to have our own separate paths,” said Sarah. “And I think it’s kind of cool to be able to share our knowledge that we’re getting from separate places and be able to keep in touch.” 

“I’m proud of both us. I’m proud that we did what we felt like was best for us.”