Talented tween of Castle Pines: Jack Koressel is an athlete to watch in the sport of dance
Jack Koressel, 12, has become an award-winning dancer, often training more than 15 hours each week.
By Elise Brassell; photos courtesy of Christie Koressel
To truly be exceptional at something often takes commitment and sacrifice. It can mean investing extra practice time when you would rather be hanging out with your friends; it can mean intense training; and sometimes it can mean that there will be others around you who don’t understand why, as a boy, you would choose an activity like dance instead of a more traditional sport like basketball or football.
Castle Pines tween Jack Koressel has experienced what it’s like to have others not understand why he has chosen to train and compete in the sport of dance. But, Koressel’s family hopes that support for this young man’s accomplishments in dance will only grow. After all, some athletes play football, some dance, some do both – like Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller on the TV show “Dancing with the Stars.”
Koressel started dancing when he was 5 years old and now at age 12, he has expanded to ballet, jazz, lyrical, contemporary and musical theater dance disciplines. Perhaps his first interest in dance came from his grandfather, a vaudeville dancer. In just seven years of training, Koressel has become an accomplished dance athlete in his own right, winning a Core Performer award and a runner-up Break Out Artist award at recent competitions. He has also trained with famous dancers and choreographers including Stephen “tWitch” Boss, Travis Wall and Kirsten Russell.
Michelle Latimer owns and teaches at Michelle Latimer Dance Academy where Koressel trains 12 to 15 hours per week – in addition to practice time at home. 
“Dance requires athleticism, agility, strength, endurance and hours of practice, like any other sport. It requires long hours of training and is very competitive just like any sport. It’s amazing how hard dancers have to work and how long they train, often many hours weekly and for many years to achieve what they accomplish. Then add the artistic element – education in musicality, timing, artistic interpretation and expression. It is truly a creative and athletic achievement,” said Latimer.
The competitive dance season begins in January, and Koressel will soon dance in his first competition of 2019, held in Westminster at the end of the month.
