International sensation Dua Lipa captivated audiences during the opening act of the 2024 Grammy awards, emerging from inside a massive jungle-gym-like metal structure flanked by multiple black-clad dancers – including Irvine Valley College (IVC) graduate Kazuma Inoue.
“It was the most amazing thing I have ever experienced,” said Inoue, who received technical dance training at IVC, earning an associate of arts degree in dance. He continues to hone his skills here, taking hip hop, modern and ballet classes.
After finishing his first dance class with IVC dance department chair Jennifer La Curan, Inoue was hooked. “I never would have become a dancer if it weren’t for IVC.”
According to La Curan, Inoue is well deserving of his recent successes. “Kazuma is an exceptionally talented choreographer, dancer and acrobat and we are incredibly proud to have him at IVC. His remarkable achievements are clearly a testament to his hard work and passion.”
Inoue, who trained as a gymnast while growing up in Japan, says he is living his dream. He is currently a parade dancer at Disneyland and a member of the acclaimed Los Angeles dance troupe, Diavolo, which he performed with at the Grammy’s.
Inoue’s success comes at an especially exciting time for IVC’s dance department. Following three years of anticipation, IVC has unveiled a sleek new 62,471-square-foot Arts Village – encompassing three buildings: music and dance, visual arts, fine arts and gallery. This stunning $61 million complex creates a central hub for the arts at IVC and also boasts LEED Gold equivalency. “This is a pivotal new milestone for our school,” La Curan said. “The arts enrich on many levels and our new arts complex helps students integrate many facets of the arts into their lives, allowing for many dynamic new career trajectories.”
Inoue’s career path is an especially exciting one – exemplifying IVC’s mission of developing an array of programs that prepare students for the real world, while manifesting the age-old motto: “Never give up, dreams can become reality.”