I was born on November 27, 1987 in El Paso, TX. I was the fifth of seven children, and I was surrounded by boys. All growing up I was the little girl that was appalled at the idea of wearing pink, was always playing soccer and wrestling with the boys, and was determined to prove I could do anything the boys could do. My mom was determined to make sure there was some sort of lady-like tendencies in me, and she chose to do this through dance.
I have always felt like I chose to become a dancer, but looking back, I realize that I probably had no choice in the matter. My mom was a Dance Major at BYU, and dance was a major part of our family. My mom didn’t approve of the approaches to dance that she saw in all the local studios, so she converted our garage into her own studio, and started the RazzMaTazz Dance Studio in our garage. Every day after school, she would teach ballet, tap, jazz, swing, and clogging to all ages. That was my only exposure to dance until I was in high school, when I finally joined a “real” company, and further increased my love for dance, especially modern.
I got accepted to BYU for school, but I was unsure what I wanted to study. My freshman year I took generals, and didn’t dance at all. I quickly realized I was miserable, and the solution to my misery was to start dancing again. The next year I enrolled in as many dance classes as I could and began my path to become a Dance Education major. During that time I performed on dancEnsemble, a student-run choreography-based performing company. I also had the opportunity to travel to China and perform and study dance there, as well as perform for many of the General Authorities at a special dinner/show. I graduated in December of 2011. I now am a Dance Specialist at Meridian Private School and look for opportunities to dance wherever I can!
Jeanmarie Robles Auxier
Jeanmarie Robles Auxier is a full-time student at Brigham Young University. Auxier is receiving her BA in dance with an emphasis in ballet at BYU. She currently is dancing with BYU Ballet Showcase.
Auxier began her training at the age of three in Hartford Ballet in CT. There she performed Kirk Peterson’s American Nutcracker Ballet in the prestigious Bushnell theatre for a few years in addition to other Ballets. She then went to the Hartt School dance division for her advanced training years. While attending, she studied with Susan Brooker Director of Ballet Met, Miguel Campaneria, an ex-American Ballet Theatre dancer, and Hilda Morales, ex-American Ballet Theatre dancer. Her training is based in ballet, character, contemporary and jazz.
