Making the Leap

A Wichita dancer sets the stage to go from Wichita to Broadway.

During actor Taye Diggs’ recent visit to Wichita, the star of How Stella Got Her Groove Back noticed the movement of a twisting torso. Taurean Everett slowly spiraled his body, from his hips to his head, during a rehearsal of “beyond.words,” a dance piece created by Diggs and dre.dance co-founder Andrew Palermo. Diggs instructed the rest of the 16-person student ensemble to watch as Everett repeated the movement. “I guess I was doing something right,” Everett humbly said afterward.

The 22-year-old dance major donned his first pair of tights only four years ago, but he’s already found success in the local dance and theater scene. In his final semester at Wichita State University, Everett is going out with a bang by dancing in Ballet Wichita’s “The Nutcracker,” as well as four pieces in the Kansas Dance Festival, including “beyond.words.”

A Wichita native, Everett is the second of five in a sports-loving family. Unlike his four brothers, however, Everett has always found his favorite pastime in the arts. Growing up, he spent hours reading and drawing rather than shooting hoops or swinging a bat. “I’m not too good at throwing or catching,” he admits. Everett originally wanted to be a veterinarian, but his body prevented him from pursuing his love of animals because of extreme allergies. (He recalls once going to the hospital after holding a baby tiger during a school field trip.) So it’s probably better that Everett plays Macavity, the havoc-wreaking feline in Music Theatre’s production of “Cats,” than own a furry friend.

Although dance might come naturally to him, Everett stumbled onto his career path by accident. As a high school sophomore, he walked into a competitive cheerleading team’s auditions with a friend to lend moral support. Instead, he ended up on the team. With no previous training, Everett learned to do flips, handsprings and catch his partners. “A lot of things that have to do with the movement of the body come naturally to me,” says Everett.

His physique doesn’t hurt. At 6 foot, 175 pounds, Everett’s sculpted muscles, washboard abs and dark brown eyes make him as suited to modeling as dancing. In fact, he hopes to become an underwear model to help pay the bills in New York while auditioning for roles next spring. During rehearsals for “Aida,” for instance, the director cut Everett from a scene where he escorted a principal actress around the stage as a pool boy. “He thought my body was too distracting, and people would be looking at me instead of the princess,” he laughs. “I didn’t know if I should be upset or not.”

Now, Everett is preparing to make the leap beyond Wichita. Last year, he performed with Alithea Mime Theatre—a company that combines dance and mime—in New York City for the United Nations Youth Assembly. He has performed for three seasons at both Music Theatre of Wichita and Ballet Wichita. In addition to performing in five shows during his final semester, Everett has six dance classes. “The hardest thing is pushing through when I’m physically, mentally and emotionally burned,” he says.

During the week, classes often form a six-hour time block with only 15 minutes between courses. Afterward, rehearsals sometimes run another three hours. “As soon as 'The Nutcracker’ is over, it all stops,” he says. “Then, I’ll be bored.”

That boredom will be fleeting. In the spring, Everett plans to travel to New York City for auditions. He hopes he’s ready for the leap with the lessons he’s learned in Wichita, but he remains humble. “You have to be gracious,” he says. “A part might be offered to the guy standing next to you, but it’s nothing personal. I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason.”

Perhaps it’s fortuitous that Everett is working with Diggs only months before he makes the leap to New York. “I do see myself doing some of the stuff he’s done,” says Everett. But rather than try to make it on the big screen, Everett hopes to stick to the stage. “That’s what I want to do,” he says. “I want to captivate someone.”