DANCER SPOTLIGHT: JACKSON SARVER

Q. What one item in the kitchen best describes you?
A. Probably a blender. I like to mix things up.

Q. What some best describes when you first wake up in the morning?
A. Dave Matthews Band's "Stay"-it's mellow, but it gets you going.

Q. If you could dye your hair one color, what would it be?
A. I would put in blonde highlights

Q.If you could have picked your own name, what would it be?
A. I would have chosen Robinson, it's my cousin's middle name.

Q. What was your favorite toy as a kid?
A. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Q. At which single store would you choose to max out your credit cards?
A. Best Buy or the Apple Store- I love technology.

Q. If you were an animal, what would you be?
A. I would be a bird. They can be independent, they have no roads and no borders, and they have a greater perspective because they see the world from a different place.

Q. Complete the statement, "I recommend..."
A. Walking up to a stranger and striking up a conversation.

Q. If you knew you could try anything and not fail (and money was no object) what dream would you attempt?
A. Dancing? Ha! Um, actually I think if I could I would be a Pro Skateboarder.

Q. Did you get any grief as a boy for taking ballet? What made you dance?
A. In elementary and middle school I did. It was cool to play sports and to be like the popular kids...you really figure out who your friends are. In high school it wasn't so much of a problem because it's a bigger pool of people. I started it when I was three or four years old...my sister was a dancer and this choreographer needed males. My mom said that if I stuck with it for a year, she'd give me a basketball...I don't know why I agreed to do it, but now it's been almost 20 years and the basketball thing is still a running joke. She gave me one about 10 years ago.

Q. How do you remember choreography?
A. Repetition helps, and muscle memory. Music helps guide me, too. Once I start thinking about it, though, I'm lost.

Q. How do you prepare before you go onstage?
A. I generally keep to myself and don't socialize so that I can get into the mental zone. I always have a big lunch before I perform, too-lots of snacks and Gatorade. Beforehand I also listen to my iPod...the music that I listen to depends upon the piece.

Q. Is there anything that you would like to tell the audience about ballet that they might not realize?
A. I think that ballet is a lot cooler than it's cracked up to be...it doesn't have to be uptight or elitist. It can be fun. It transports you to a different place just like a book or a story does.

Q. What do you like about dance?
A. I like that when I'm dancing I can become someone totally different. You can dive into that character; it really hit home when I performed Dracula.

Q. What have been your favorite roles? What about your most challenging?
A. Dancing Dracula has probably been my favorite, and the most challenging. The character has all of this strength and anger, but there is a very fine line that separates it from vulnerability. I did a lot of research to try to get the character right.

Q. What do you like to do when you're not dancing?
A. I like being outside...playing Frisbee or watching the Columbus Crew (I played soccer as a kid). Also, I like to relax, hang out with my friends, and play video games...mostly Halo and Mario Brothers.