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Randi & Jeni Kemper

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Legendary actress Marilyn Monroe once claimed that “if you give a girl the right shoes, she can conquer the world.” Well, if that sentiment extends to dancing shoes, then sisters Randi and Jeni Kemper have definitely taken the dancing world by storm!

Born and raised in Colorado Springs, Jeni, 31, and Randi, 28, practically cut their teeth on the dance floor. “I started in gymnastics at age four and got to a pretty high level, but I was not the most graceful student out there,” laughed Jeni. “My instructor suggested to my mom that she should put me in a dance class instead. She did and I fell in love with it!” As for Randi, once Jeni began her dance classes, it was a never-ending challenge for her mom to keep her out of the studio. As a result, she soon found herself learning all types of dance, from ballet to jazz to tap.

Both girls enjoyed participating in a host of competitions while growing up. Jeni began participating in them at age nine and Randi began at age five. The girls treated dancing not as a hobby but as a sport. They would attend school during the day and then focus on their dance for several hours after school, in addition to events and competitions on the weekends and during each summer, proving that, despite its beauty and style, dance is a very rigorous and demanding activity. “It was a year-long commitment, but also a passion,” emphasized Randi.

While Jeni participated on the high school dance team, Randi found herself at age 16 as a backup dancer for Aaron Carter, a dream-cometrue for any aspiring dancer, courtesy of a local dance competition at the time. “I attended a dance convention that brought in teachers and choreographers from New York and Los Angeles,” said Randi. “Brian Friedman, a choreographer for Britney Spears, was casting for Aaron Carter’s World Tour at the time. He selected two of my friends and me to be a part of that tour. It was as if we had struck gold.” Randi soon found herself traveling throughout the U.S. and Japan for three exciting months. “It was an awesome experience for me and it planted the bug to pursue a career as a backup dancer,” she said.

Despite the glamour and glitz of a high-profile world tour, the potential for sibling rivalry never surfaced. In fact, Jeni was and always has been one of Randi’s biggest fans. “I was super proud of her for that,” smiled Jeni, who at the time was on a full ride scholarship for dance at the University of Arizona, from which she graduated in 2005. “We both love dance, but we have each chosen different paths. As for myself, I love the learning and teaching aspects of it.”

Even though Randi chose not to pursue the collegiate route, her days were inundated with experiences that have crafted a well-rounded resume. “After I earned my high school diploma through homeschooling, I moved to Los Angeles with two of my best friends from the dance studio,” she noted. Fortunately, through her connections with Friedman, Randi was quickly signed with the Bloc Agency in Los Angeles, which still represents her today.

Her dream was to be a backup dancer for high-profile performers, but that required a host of auditions and a lot of hard work to accelerate her experience. She took various dancing jobs to pay the bills for a while, and her persistence and unwavering determination paid off. Within two and a half years, she landed a job in 2008 as a backup dancer for Ne-Yo. That was followed by a promotional tour for Usher a year later. From there she danced with Janet Jackson at the Essence Festival in New Orleans, Louisiana, an experience she will not soon forget. “I grew up watching Janet Jackson, and never in my life would I have dreamed I would have the opportunity to dance with her!” exclaimed Randi.

The excitement continued as she danced for four and a half years with Chris Brown for his F.A.M.E. Tour and his Carpe Diem tour, which enabled her to make her passport her favorite book as she ventured not only across the United States and Europe but also to Dubai and Australia. One of the biggest highlights of her career, however, was when she graced the stage at Super Bowl XLVII in 2013 with Beyoncé. “That is every dancer’s dream,” she beamed. “That is the most viewed stage of the year.”

Randi knows she has been blessed by an amazing career but also realizes the rear view mirror is smaller than the windshield for a reason. With that in mind, she has begun to focus her career intentions on coaching at dance conventions. “I get to help young dancers now in a way that other mentors did for me when I started out,” she said. “In a way, I have come full circle.” Partnering with her boyfriend, Hefa Tuita, she has graced some of the most enviable dance stages and has also performed on the hit shows So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing with the Stars. Together, they continue to extend their dancing skills, creativity and knowledge with young dancers from all over.

While Randi took her dancing shoes down one road, Jeni pursued a different path, but still met with huge success every dance step of the way. After Jeni secured her college degree, she headed for the high seas and worked as a dancer and dance captain in various production shows for the Royal Caribbean cruise line. She also parlayed her award-winning choreography talents and used them in various Colorado Children’s Theatre Productions and D-11 Productions, among many others.

In the summer of 2010, Jeni opened Kemper Dance Academy in Colorado Springs, a studio that teaches all forms of dance to children and adults. She also has a company of 41 dancers out of 160 students that travels around Denver and Colorado Springs, competing under the studio name. Because of Jeni’s teaching skills and mentoring prowess, the company secured a spot in the fi nals at the national level during its fi rst year of competition. “It is a lot of fun teaching and inspiring others through dance,” she commented. “It is so rewarding to me to see the younger generation of dancers grow up and go out into the world to pursue their dreams.” Through her experiences in the dance world over the years, Jeni has come to realize that dance is not just about movement on the stage; it also carries with it a host of potential careers, from dancer to agent to choreographer. She understands the passions of those who desire to immerse themselves in the world of dance and she enjoys opening as many doors as possible for her students to help those dreams come true.

Even though Jeni has won countless awards for her choreography talents, the success of her students is truly what gives Jeni the greatest satisfaction. In fact, several of her students have earned scholarships and top awards throughout the United States. “I have an alumni student who has just received a full ride scholarship in dance to the University of Las Vegas,” she beamed.

And while some people might wonder if a career in dance is a stable one, Randi stressed that while a career in arts in general might be a non-traditional path, she can confi dently assert that both she and Jeni had a passion and have made it work. “I cannot imagine doing anything else,” she smiled. Jeni concurred and noted, “I
feel truly blessed, for in dance everything has fallen into place for me.”

For more information on Jeni, Randi and the Kemper Dance Academy, go online at kemperdanceacademy. com, visit them at 3958 North Academy Boulevard in Colorado Springs, or call 719-325-6234.