At only six years old, Dean Martin Camacho learned to play the organ in his family’s home in Mexico. His grandfather had bought the organ years earlier with the hope that one day one of his sons would learn to play, but it was his grandson who took an interest in the instrument.
In the short time since Christian Ruiz (MFA, 2021) graduated from the Texas Tech University School of Theatre & Dance, he has accomplished more than he could ever have anticipated. Though plenty of our graduates have gone on to develop fruitful artistic careers, it is rare that they do so in such an explosive manner.
In December, the School of Theatre & Dance will celebrate the graduation of nine students from across all of its undergraduate and graduate programs. We caught up with a few of them to learn more about their time at Texas Tech and what they are up to next!
Dance runs in Melissa Brading’s family. Her mother was a dancer and introduced her daughter to the art form at an early age. With this family history plus a little inspiration from the “cool” dancers at the local mall, by age seven, Brading was enrolled in classes at a competition dance studio in her hometown of Topeka, Kansas.