SUMMER DENIZ

Summer Deniz teaches ballet to young dancers at Strut Performing Arts.  She is an alumnus of California State University Stanislaus, where she received a Bachelors of Arts degree in Liberal Studies with a Concentration in Child Development, a teaching credential and a Multiple Subjects Degree in 2011.  Her dance resume is impressive:  she was a Principle Dancer with the Central West Ballet Company for four years; a Royal Court Dancer with the Sacramento Kings Basketball Organization for four years; and a Warrior Girl with the Golden State Warriors Organization for two years.  How did a prima ballerina crossover to NBA Jazz Dancer?  As Summer tells it…She started dancing at 4 years old and fell in love with ballet.  A natural talent, she was asked to be a Marshmallow in The Nutcracker by Bravo Repertory of Dance now known as Central West Ballet at age 5.  From that moment on, she loved performing in front of an audience.  She participated in many other Bravo/Central West Ballet productions after that: Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Coppelia, Arts and Harmony…playing different roles each year.  At age 12, Ms. Deniz was eligible to join Central West’s Ballet Junior Company and a whole new world opened up for her.  She was introduced to many different genres of dance; Modern, Jazz, Lyrical, Tap and even Hip Hop.   She was also introduced to her first pair of pointe shoes and fell in love with ballet all over again. Throughout high school, she danced with the Central West Ballet Company, often playing principle roles in their productions. She has played Snow Flake, Flower, Russian, Snow Queen, Dew Drop, Fairy God Mother and her favorite role of all the Sugar Plum Fairy to name a few.  After high school she went to junior college to start the pursuit of her teaching credential but she was restless…she wanted to try something new and she missed the rigors of dancing every day.  She decided to audition for a local All-Star Competition Dance Team captained by Hollie and Heather Bettencourt.  They had a great reputation and she had seen them dance…they were incredible!  She made the team and joined the All-Stars her freshman year.  “It was a challenge for me with the dance style being so different than ballet but I had an amazing time on the team.  I loved competing and performing and the training I received in jazz and hip hop technique was phenomenal.  It was so good in fact that I decided to completely focus on jazz and hip hop from that time on.  And that decision opened doors for me that I had never considered.  Doors leading to the NBA.  Yes one year later I became a Royal Court Dancer for the Sacramento Kings Basketball Organization.  I had such a wonderful time, made amazing new friends, was privileged to work with well known choreographers and perform in front of 17,000 people at games.  It was like a dream to be able to dance in front of all those people.  I traveled to New Mexico, Mississippi, Las Vegas and even China to represent that wonderful organization.”  Ms. Deniz was with the Sacramento Kings as a Royal Court Dancer for four years when she made the difficult decision to resign and finish her education.  She transferred to California State University Stanislaus and two years later received a Bachelors of Arts Degree in Liberal Studies with a Concentration in Child Development.  After she got her Degree she received her advanced certifications and began substitute teaching in the Manteca Unified School District.  But she couldn’t get over her love of performing.  She had taken two years off and she really missed it.  She decided to go back to the NBA and became a Warrior Girl for the Golden State Warriors Organization in 2010.  She danced with the Warriors for two years and once again enjoyed every minute of it.  In addition to performances, she did public relations appearances at children’s hospitals, assisted Santa at the Cerebral Palsy Foundation Christmas Party Event, and also entertained and met soldiers at Fort Lewis Army Base in Washington.  All the while dancing with girls who had become the closest of friends.  “I feel so very blessed and fortunate to have been able to experience six years as an NBA dancer.  The people I’ve met, friends I’ve made and experiences I’ve had have truly enriched my life.  And now I’ve come full circle…back to S.P.A and those that inspired me to reach deep and explore my love of dance in all its infinite variations and back to my first love…Ballet. “