With its humble, grassroots beginning at Folsom Lake College (FLC) in 2007, MOSAIC has since grown into a full-fledged dance company that performs a plethora of dance styles—running the gamut from ballet and tap, to jazz, hip-hop, contemporary, theatrical and modern. Professor Debi Worth, who founded the company and has been a part of it since day one, currently serves as director, in addition to the courses she teaches as part of the college’s AA degree in dance studies. “We have a passionate and positive dance classroom environment where dancers feel special, empowered and safe to explore movement and ideas,” shares Worth. 

HLB: How did MOSAIC get its start?  

DW: MOSAIC began as a ragtag band of dancers at FLC who took recreational dance classes for fun. At that time, there wasn’t a Visual and Performing Arts Department, nor was the Harris Center even a glimmer of a dream; the dance classes were tied to the Physical Education Department and did not lead to a degree.

HLB: What areas are you particularly proud of in the company’s history? 

DW: FLC’s dance program isn’t focused solely on acquiring dance technique, but [rather gaining] a clear understanding of dance history and cultural dance around the world. I believe that dance is powerful, not just for performers, but for spectators as well. My goal is to have MOSAIC act as cultural ambassadors, taking dance on tour and sharing it everywhere to bridge the world and cultivate broader acceptance, global participation, and cross-cultural understanding.

HLB: Are there any performance highlights for 2017?  

DW: An Evening of Dance is being performed on May 4 at the Harris Center and at FLC on April 19 during lunchtime. There’s also a performance tour to Disneyland in late May. 

HLB: What is MOSAIC’s mission and how do you achieve it?  

DW: Our mission is to “discover yourself in dance,” which starts with introductory dance classes and can sometimes, based on audition results, culminate into membership in the MOSAIC Dance Company—our “mosaic” being people of [varying] colors, ethnicities, body shapes, sizes, socioeconomic [statuses], religious ideologies, and dance-style expertise. 

HLB: Do you have any words of wisdom for students? 

DW: Take dance classes from as many teachers as you can; refine your technique, and understand that we are all visitors to the planet and should respect that not everyone’s dreams are the same.

HLB: What does the FLC Dance Studies program entail? 

DW: The AA degree offers excellent technique classes in numerous styles, but also emphasizes kinesiology, nutrition and injury prevention. World dance history and pedagogy are also required—[in order to] broaden a student’s understanding of their role in the world as dancers. Whether they wish to be employed as professional dancers, dance teachers, local studio owners, dance/movement therapists, choreographers, or in non-profit arts management, we have it all!

HLB: How do you hope to expand in the future? 

DW: [We hope] to tour and perform in New York, as well as Europe, and possibly for refugee populations, in order to illustrate the welcoming spirit we wish to extend from the U.S. to the world.