Vikas Arun

Vikas Arun gained notoriety during he summer of 2015 when he made it to the final 25 dancers for the famed show, So You Think You Can Dance. He beat out all of the other male tap dancers auditioning and a majority of the rest of the dancers in order to make it to the very end of Vegas week on the show's twelfth season. His facebook page has gained a large following with displays of encouragement and support from fans, including many Columbians.[1]

Vikas Arun, SEAS ’17, is a member of CATastrophe Dance Company (winner of the prestigious ACE Capezio Choreography Award) and will be touring six cities in the fall of 2015 with Celebrity Dance Conventions teaching tap dance. He is a guest member of the famed MUSE dance company based out of LA, and has received a contract offer from STOMP, one of the longest running and most profitable dance shows in the United States. His major is Operations Research and Computer Science. Vikas has also been profiled in a wonderful HerCampus article. [2]

Hometown: Seattle, WA Dream Job: No idea yet but when that dream job comes along, I'll know it’s right! Go-to App: Snapchat—It’s an easy way to keep in touch with my friends across the country. Favorite TV Show: Shark Tank and So You Think You Can Dance

Vikas offers a unique viewpoint on the importance of how dance and engineering work together. “Tap dancing is all about musical precision. The best tap dancers are amazing because they can ‘speak’ clearly with their tap shoes. In relationship to the music, they know when to make sounds and when to sit quiet,” explains Vikas. “My engineering background helps me with overlapping disparate rhythm patterns. Studies have pointed to the fact that math and music use similar parts of the brain, and I guess I’m another example supporting that theory!” [3]

Vikas is also a prominent member of the Undergraduate Recruitement Committee (URC), which gives tours throughout Columbia's campus. He was named most persuasive tour guide and is one of three students in charge of the engineering school's admissions presence.

Tags: Vikas Arun | URC