As the fall semester at Oakland University comes into full swing, so is the dance program as students begin rehearsal this week in preparation for the Oakland Theatre Dance, or OTD, show at the end of the semester.

Sophomore Andrew Dettloff is one of those students.  But Dettloff is unique to the OU dance program.

He is the third member of his family to not only attend the university, but to be a dance major as well.

He is  also one of only six male dance majors at OU, which has roughly 60 overall students in the program.

Growing up with his two sisters, Justine, 24, and Nicole, 29, the three siblings danced at their mother’s Romeo-based studio The Dance Studio Inc.

Dettloff said he has been dancing since he could walk, participating in several competitions including tap, ballet, hip-hop and more over the years.

He began his OU dance career in 2009 after auditioning for the dance program, where he said Gregory Patterson, who is the director of the program, urged him to dance with the university.

Patterson said that with such a low male to female student ratio, this alone makes Andrew quite valuable to the program.

“Not only were we lucky to get Andrew because he is a man,” Patterson said, “but also lucky because he is a man that has great talent.”

Dance at OU has been fun, hard work, and has also pushed him to grow as an individual Dettloff said.

When he first began the program, he mentioned that he didn’t have the greatest ballet technique, but several different classes have assisted in sculpting his movement.

“They have helped me achieve many goals and many different things; so it’s really cool,” Dettloff said.

He credits the technique that he learned from the program, as a freshman, for helping him compete to become a company member of the traveling dance convention called L.A. DanceMagic, or LADM.

The sophomore dancer is in his second year with LADM, where he will travel several times a month to different dance competitions across the country, once the circuit begins.

Patterson, who is beginning his 19th year with the university, has instructed the Dettloff sisters in previous years and is currently working with Andrew.  He noted the incredible technique and beautiful movement of all three dancers.

But getting to the skill level of the three Dettloff dancers includes much work and time put into perfecting such technique.

A glimpse at the daily schedule of a sophomore dancer, such as Andrew, entails a morning technique class, followed by a ballet course at some point during the day as well as his stretch class, a choreography course and dance history on alternating weekdays.  But that is just his school schedule.

Dettloff also has ODT rehearsal for nearly 5 hours, a couple times a week as well as working with his mother’s dance studio too.

The dancer offered advice for interested high school students or those considering the dance program at OU, to not only be prepared, but to be ready to work hard as well.

“It’s not just about the teachers; it’s about yourself,” Dettloff said.  “You need to be able to push yourself to work harder to achieve your goals.”

Although it is still quite a long way off, Dettloff has several options that he is considering for his future after OU.

Being part of a modern dance company is not at the top of his list but still an option. He would prefer the industrial dance life, which would include moving to Los Angeles to perform in commercials or music videos.

“I would love to travel and do everything,” Dettloff said, but said, his main goal is to work with his mother’s dance studio, being the foremost teacher for some time and eventually running the business when she retires.

For now though, Dettloff and his dance program peers will work toward this semester’s ODT show. The performers will take the stage on Thursday, Dec. 2 and run until Saturday, Dec. 4.