Teen-Ager Dances His Way Into the Spotlight

Jeff Daurey was discovered in a restaurant.

At 13, he had finished dining when he practiced some dance steps near his table. The parents of a San Fernando Valley dance student spotted him and recommended that he study at the Debbie Reynolds Studio in North Hollywood. He did, and he’s been hooked ever since.

“People always told me I had rhythm,” Daurey said, “but I hadn’t taken lessons before.”

Earlier this month, Jeff Daurey, 17, was discovered again.

The scene this time was the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Daurey was one of six recipients of the fourth annual Music Center Spotlight Awards, sponsored by the Pacific Telesis Foundation, in which more than 400 students from high schools across Southern California competed for cash prizes totaling $45,000. Daurey, who specializes in modern dance, won $5,000.

Daurey, a senior at the performing arts high school in Van Nuys, was also offered a summer scholarship to the Joffrey Ballet by its artistic director, Gerald Arpino.

One of the competition judges, actress-dancer Paula Kelly, said Daurey “has the singular quality of being able to totally shape the story he’s telling.”

Daurey, for his performance, selected an instrumental piece scored by Ennio Morricone from the 1986 film, “The Mission.”

“It’s an uplifting song which builds the whole way through,” Daurey said.

Daurey also belongs to Kids of Rock Theatre, a Valley-based song-and-dance ensemble of teen-agers that regularly performs in Southern California. The group stages theatrical musical reviews with selections from Broadway and contemporary music. This summer, the troupe was invited to perform at Expo 92 in Seville, Spain.

Daurey was the only Valley student among the six winners.

Jeremy Wasser, a junior at Agoura High School, was a runner-up in the jazz instrumental category. The 17-year-old saxophonist won $2,500. But, more importantly, he won respect.

“I told myself I had to do well,” Wasser said. “I had to prove to my parents that I could make it as a professional, and I did it.”

The other categories for the competition included ballet, opera, pop/musical theater vocal and classical instrumental.