Jamie Rich - Dance Team Member

Jamie Rich barely remembers life before dancing. Her career began at two years old and then she started dancing competitively at age five. Now she's heading into her sophomore year at SC4 and still doing the thing she loves most. 

It's rare to find a kid who sticks with one sport for so long, but Rich is determined to keep going even during college years and beyond.  

"It's really fun and it gives me a way to express myself," she said. "I'm a shy person, but when it comes to dancing, I've never been shy. It gives me a way to open up and be myself."  

Rich graduated from Port Huron Northern High School in 2019, which was also the conclusion of her dancing career as a member of the Stariltes team at the Port Huron Physical Arts Center. She enrolled to begin classes at SC4 in the fall and by the end of the semester, she had found a new team. 

The Skippers' head dance coach and owner of the Port Huron Physical Arts Center Laurie Charron took advantage of the opportunity to start a dance team at SC4. Rich and seven other girls auditioned and began rehearsing right away. They performed at halftime of Skipper basketball games and later at a competition in Chicago.  

"It was something different that I haven't experienced before because I always danced with Starlites, and we didn't get started right away so it wasn't as long of a season, but it was definitely still really fun," Rich said.  

Dancing on the basketball court in front of a hometown crowd was one of the newest experiences for Rich, as she was used to performing on stages in front of strangers across the country.  

"Dancing in front of people you know at games is really cool, but also really scary," she said. "I'd never really danced at home like that before."  

Fortunately, she had one constant during her transition, and that was Coach Charron. 

"It was great having her. I was really sad when I graduated and had to leave her, she's like my second mom more than a coach," Rich said. "Having her growing up was nice and she's always willing to listen and do things for us. She's a great person and coach."  

Rich plans to take her dancing beyond the Blue Water Area in the future, but she's staying one more year to keep dancing with Charron and the Skippers.  

"I've always wanted to keep following this dream wherever it takes me," she said. "I'm happy I'm staying here another year with my friends and to stay at home."  

She said she's studying to pursue a career either in criminal justice or real estate, but her biggest dream is to dance professionally.