Dancing Teen

From the Cleveland News-Herald

By Jean Bonchak

“Absolutely unheard of.”

That’s how dance professional Andrea Bisconti assessed her former student’s recent win at a competition that took place during the Dancing With the Stars national tour stop in Cleveland.

So what made the victory so incredible for Tyler Mausser, a Chardon High School sophomore, who has been delivering dance performances since he was 5?Tyler and his partner, Laura Klenz, who attends Aurora High School, were first introduced on the Friday prior to the show that took place the following Tuesday. Their pre-audition practice lasted a mere half-hour. To their surprise, the tryout was successful. But due to busy schedules the remainder of rehearsal time consisted of a couple of hours Monday night and a few more right before the show.

Bisconti noted it usually takes years of working together before a couple can provide a prize-wining performance in the precision-driven world of ballroom dancing.

Evidently a special mesh of chemistry and style occurred between the talented teens in an extraordinarily short amount of time.

As a youngster, Tyler’s dancing experiences centered on steps learned from his Austrian heritage. But his interest was piqued after he participated in an after-school ballroom dance class in eighth grade.

He began watching the television show “So You Think You Can Dance” and enrolled at the Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Willoughby owned by Bisconti. There, Tyler said he learned technique, style, confidence and to always have fun. Instruction at dance icon Maksim Chmerkovskiy’s studio in New Jersey taught him not to overpower his delivery and to focus on letting the body flow through movements.

“Tyler is an extraordinary dancer. … He’s amazing. … They (professional dancers) have been raving about Tyler’s talents,” Bisconti said. “You’re going to hear more about him in the dance world.”

Tyler said he was surprised to receive a call from Bisconti asking if he would be willing to partner with Andrea for a shot at the title. The competition is composed of selected area dancers showcasing their talents at each DWTS tour stop. In Cleveland, 10 couples showed off their best cha-cha moves to impress the judges, DWTS cast members Kym Johnson and Fabian Sanchez.Tyler said a case of nerves set in after being chosen as one of the final two pairs. Audience members were instructed to text their choice for the winner via cell phone. His nervousness dissipated quickly after hearing that the crowd pleasers gained 88 percent of the votes. “We were ecstatic,” he said. “We really didn’t believe it. … I thought we’re probably not going to make it, but we ended up winning the thing.” In addition to newly heightened status, the duo was awarded a trophy and two Samsung Eternity touch-screen phones.

Tyler’s commitment to seek a career in dance is strengthened as a result of the significant victory.“I’m not really concentrating on winning the world cup or world nationals, I just want to give a new voice to dance,” he said.“Really what I want to be is a choreographer. Watching other people do my movements and feel what I feel is just out of this world.”

The dancer who has received several trophies at local competitions offered advice to those who aspire to step lively. “If you’ve got the talent, it’s God-given. ... Whenever you want to dance, dance,” he said.“It doesn’t matter if it’s in the hallway, on top of a building or in the cafeteria. When you have the feeling to move, do it.”