FROGS.

>> SOMETIMES INSPIRATION CAN

COME FROM UNEXPECTED SOURCES.

THIS NEXT STORY IS ABOUT A

LONGTIME CHICAGO DANCER

CHOREOGRAPHER AND TEACHER.

HE FOUND EARLY MOTIVATION AND

TRAINING WATCHING A TV SHOW

FAMILIAR TO MANY CHICAGOANS.

HIS NAME IS RANDY DUNCAN AND HE

IS BEING HONORED NEXT MONTH BY

THE CHICAGO ACADEMY FOR THE ARTS

FOR HIS LONG CAREER IN DANCE.

HERE IS JAY SHEFSKY WITH HIS

STORY.

[♪♪♪]

>> AS THE THIRD OF SEVEN KIDS IN

A BLUE-COLLAR FAMILY ON THE WEST

SIDE, RANDY DUNCAN SAYS HE WAS

ALWAYS A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN

HIS SIBLINGS.

>> MY BROTHERS WERE ALL INVOLVED

IN SPORTS.

I WANTED TO TWIRL THE BATON.

AND I WANTED TO JUMP DOUBLE

DUTCH.

ANYTHING THAT HAD MOVEMENT IN IT

THAT WAS PRETTY.

I ENJOYED WATCHING MUSICALS ON

TELEVISION WHETHER IT WAS

SHIRLEY TEMPLE OR WHETHER IT'S

FRED AS ASTAIRE OR GINGER

ROGERS.

I REALLY LOVED IT.

I LOVED THE COSTUMING AND I

LOVED THE LIGHTS AND I LOVED

EVERYTHING ABOUT IT.

>> ONE MORE TIME AND A LIFT.

>> TAKING CLASSES WAS OUT OF THE

QUESTION.

SO HIS FIRST LESSONS CAME FROM A

SURPRISING PLACE.

LIKE MOST CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOL

KIDS IN THE 1960s, RANDY CAME

HOME FOR LUNCH.

>> YOU GOT AN HOUR FOR YOUR

LUNCH BREAK.

SO I WOULD RUSH HOME FROM SCHOOL

EVERYDAY.

AND AT THE 12:30 HOUR I KNEW

THEY WOULD HAVE THE GUEST ON AND

I WAS HOPING IT WAS THE

ACROBATS.

>> RANDY STUDIED THE ACROBATS.

EVERY FLIP, TWIST, AND BACK

BEND.

>> AND I WOULD GO OUTSIDE AND

TRY THE TRICKS.

EVERYTHING THAT THEY DID.

>> THEN CAME THE MOVIE THAT SET

THE COURSE FOR HIS CAREER.

>> WEST SIDE STORY CAME ON

TELEVISION.

SEEING THOSE GUYS DRESSED UP IN

REGULAR STREET CLOTHES AND

DANCING AND SYNCHRONIZATION AND

TELLING A STORY.

THAT IS WHAT I WANT TO DO.

>> RANDY WAS IN SEVENTH GRADE

AND BY CHANCE THE FOLLOWING YEAR

HE SAW A NOTICE ABOUT AUDITIONS

FOR AN ALL CITY HIGH SCHOOL WEST

SIDE STORY.

>> AND THE POSTER SAID THAT THEY

WERE LOOKING FOR ACROBATS.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT AN AUDITION

WAS I DIDN'T KNOW THE MEANING OF

IT.

>> MORE THAN A THOUSAND STUDENTS

TRIED OUT.

MANY WHO CLEARLY HAD A LOT OF

TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE.

RANDY WAS SURE HE DID NOT HAVE A

PRAYER.

BUT IN THAT HUGE AUDITORIUM HE

TOOK A CHANCE THAT CHANGED HIS

LIFE.

>> SOMETHING CAME OVER ME TO

RAISE MY HAND IN THE MIDDLE OF

ALL THESE THOUSAND FOLKS AND SAY

EXCUSE ME, I THOUGHT YOU SAID

YOU WANTED ACT ACROBATS AS WELL?

AND THEY SAID CAN YOU DO ANY?

AND I SAID WELL, YEAH.

AND THEY SAID COME ON UP AND

SHOW US.

SO HERE I AM WITH MY LITTLE

EIGHTH GRADE SELF GET UP ON

STAGE AND I STARTED DOING MY

ACROBATICS FROM BOZO'S CIRCUS

AND THE NEXT THING YOU KNOW I AM

A SHARK.

>> RANDY'S STAR ROSE QUICKLY.

THE CHOREOGRAPHER OF THAT SHOW

INVITED HIM TO TRAIN ON

SCHOLARSHIP.

HE BECAME A PROFESSIONAL DANCER

AT AGE 15 WHEN HE WAS INVITED TO

JOIN THE JOSEPH HOLMES DANCE

COMPANY.

19 YEARS WITH JOSEPH HOLMES THE

LAST SEVEN AS ARTISTIC DIRECTOR.

>> NOW HE IS CHAIR OF THE DANCE

DEPARTMENT AT CHICAGO ACADEMY

FOR THE ARTS WHERE HE HAS BEEN

TEACHING SINCE 1994.

>> OK GUYS.

PLACES FOR STAND BY ME.

[♪♪♪]

>> THEY HAVE A PASSION FOR DOING

WHAT THEY DO.

AND THEY ARE VERY GIFTED AND

TALENTED YOUNG ARTISTS.

ALL THEY WANT TO DO IS DANCE.

AND THAT'S REALLY WHERE I COME

FROM LOOKING INTO THOSE

BEAUTIFUL EYES AND SEEING MYSELF

IN THEIR EYES.

THEY REMIND ME OF MYSELF WHEN I

WAS THEIR AGE.

BECAUSE I WAS THERE AGE WHEN I

FIRST STARTED.

>> FOR "CHICAGO TONIGHT" THIS IS

JAY SHEFSKY.

>> RANDY DUNCAN WILL BE HONORED

AT THE CHICAGO ACADEMY OF THE

ARTS ALL SCHOOL SHOWCASE ON

FEBRUARY 9TH.

THE EVENT IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

AND YOU CAN FIND OUT MORE ON OUR

WEBSITE.

IN 1994 RANDY DUNCAN WAS