FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – The dance department at Fresno City College has been earning national recognition and breaking records along the way.

This year has been a standout season for Fresno City College dance, with their most successful season in school history. For the first time, two Fresno City College dance pieces were selected to perform at the American College Dance Association’s Regional Gala, including student Jacob Gasca’s “Chasm of Paradoxes.”

“Luckily, I was able to take my own choreography, and we did get selected to be in the gala,” said Gasca. “Both my piece and our guests’ choreographers’ piece were selected, which has never happened before in the history of the college that both pieces got selected.”

The journey didn’t stop there. In May, Fresno City College was invited to Washington DC to represent the Northwest Region at the American College Dance Association nationals. They are now headed to the legendary Jacobs Pillow Dance Festival.

“Going to Jacob’s Pillow is sacred ground for all dancers,” said Olyvia Stafford. “It’s somewhere that not a lot of dancers end up going, so like for us as students, getting to go is huge because dancers that have been dancing for years don’t even get to go over there often.”

From ballet to modern and contemporary, this tight-knit team of 17 dancers practices as one, building something more than choreography.

“What makes a Cinderella moment is being open to vulnerability, which is a big part of it for us as it is a presence at the City College dance department,” said Cristal Tiscareno, who is one of the dance instructors at Fresno City College. “We like to break down the facade of a perfect structure and show the humanity. When you see our department, you’re going to see a diversity in body types, in activity and background and level of ability, and we’re all embracing that.

Gasca who began dancing just three years ago, says dance gave him direction in a time of uncertainty.

“I had to figure something out. so, I just came to Fresno City and took a bunch of classes and then dance stuck,” said Gasca. “I’ve been in there since and I don’t plan to get out. It’s created this road for me that I don’t want to get off of.”

They are now fundraising to keep the momentum going with a $10 community Dance Expo on July 26th to support future performances. You can visit the Dance Expo website for more information.