Jonathan Lique displays a few of his dance awards. Photo by Steven Whitford, KP News
Meet Jonathan Lique, a Key Peninsula resident and a young man of rare talent.
Lique is one of the seven children of John and Ronda Lique. He’s 18 years old now and a senior at Peninsula High School, but even as a small child, music compelled him to the dance.
Though born in Washington, Lique spent his early years in Utah where at the age of 8 he joined a local school of dance known as “Studio I” and became its very first male dancer.
By age 9, Lique competed in a hip hop solo and began taking tap classes.
In his 10th year, he was doing a tap solo and began taking jazz dance classes. When Lique turned 11, his family moved back to Washington and he enrolled in the Just for Kicks Dance Studio located in Port Orchard.
The school is run and owned by Tanya Bleil Johnson and is managed by her mother, Pennie Bleil. The school has been open for the last 22 years.
Bleil is very impressed with Lique.
“His dance is incredible and he incorporates his personality into every performance, and he’s also cute as a button,” she said.
Since then, Lique has been nearly as busy as his feet. In the summer of 2011 and 2013 Lique taught a Saturday scholarship class at Just for Kicks.
He has performed at Peninsula High School and two seasons with the Vashon Dance Academy. On Feb. 14 of this year, he competed in the male division at the Hollywood Connection Dance Generation and was awarded the “Icon of the Year Award.”
Lique dances 20 hours or more each week just to maintain his talent and stamina. He also attends West Sound Technical Skills Center, where he is studying hospitality and tourism, all to better prepare him for a life in entertainment.
He said he wants to dance as much as he can while he can, as time is the thief of talent. “Dancing makes me feel free. I emote through the dance,” Lique said.
This summer, Lique has the opportunity to audition for a business called Stiletto Entertainment, known for staffing the entertainment on cruise ships.
In his spare time, Lique is teaching at the Gig Harbor Boys & Girls Club which had a recital on April 25.
This summer, Lique hopes to spend six weeks taking classes at the Oregon Ballet Theater. This experience will be expensive and Lique’s parents hope supporters will donate to his cause. They can be reached at liquefamily7@aol.com
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