His Dream: To Be a Dancer

    For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved to dance. I started out just dancing around my house, like many kids do. When I was 4, my mom signed me up for tap-dancing and jazz classes. After two years, I started ballet. 

    By eighth grade, I was dancing six hours a week. I already knew that I wanted to make dancing my job someday. When I dance, nothing else matters. I forget about homework and anything that may be stressing me out. 

    My parents and three older brothers have always been supportive of my dancing. But many kids at my school thought it was strange for a boy to love dance. Some of those kids even bullied me.

    To them, playing sports like football, soccer, and track is what boys are supposed to do. I always wanted them to understand that dance requires just as much physical strength as sports! 

    Male dancers like me do push-ups and sit-ups every day to make sure we can lift our female dance partners. It’s frustrating that most people don’t understand that side of dance.

    I’ve always loved to dance. When I was 4, I started taking tap-dancing and jazz classes. After two years, I started ballet.

    By eighth grade, I was dancing six hours a week. I knew that I wanted to make dancing my job someday. When I dance, nothing else matters. I forget about anything that may be stressing me out.

    My parents and three older brothers were supportive of my dancing. But many kids at my school thought it was strange for a boy to love dance. Some of those kids bullied me.

    To them, playing sports is what boys are supposed to do. But dance requires just as much strength as sports! 

    Male dancers like me do push-ups and sit-ups to make sure we can lift our female dance partners. I wish more people understood that side of dance.

    For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved to dance. I started out just dancing around my house, like many kids do. My mother enrolled me in tap-dancing and jazz classes when I was 4, and I started ballet two years later.

    By eighth grade, I was dancing six hours a week. I already knew that I wanted a career in dance someday. When I dance, nothing else matters: I forget about homework and anything that may be stressing me out.

    My parents and three older brothers have always been supportive of my dancing.  But many students at my school thought it was unnatural for a boy to love dance—and some of those kids even bullied me.

    To them, the appropriate activities for boys are sports like football, soccer, and track. I always wanted them to understand that dance requires just as much physical strength as sports!

    Male dancers like me do push-ups and sit-ups every day to ensure that we can lift our female dance partners. It’s frustrating that most people don’t understand that aspect of dance.

    I know my schedule sounds crazy. But it’s definitely worth it to me. At my school, I get to do what I love surrounded by people who understand me. 

    There are dancers and artists of all kinds who love their art. We all support each other. When I am feeling frustrated or nervous, my classmates encourage me. 

    At the end of the year, I’ll finally graduate. My dream is to dance for a major dance group in New York, Boston, Chicago, or London. 

    I am working toward a really big goal for my future. That can feel overwhelming sometimes! But I just try to think about getting through each class, one by one.

    It also helps me to remember that not every day will be perfect. Sometimes I may sleep through my alarm or struggle with a dance move. But I know I can always start over again—at 5 a.m. the next morning.

    I know my schedule sounds crazy. But it’s worth it to me. I get to do what I love. At my school, there are people who understand me.

    There are artists of all kinds who love their art. We all support each other.

    At the end of the year, I’ll graduate. My dream is to dance for a major dance group in New York, Boston, Chicago, or London.

    I am working toward a big goal for my future. That can feel overwhelming sometimes! But I just try to get through each class.

    I also try to remember that not every day will be perfect. I may sleep through my alarm. I may struggle with a dance move. But I know I can always start over again—at 5 a.m. the next morning.

    I know my schedule seems crazy, but it’s definitely worth it to me. At my school, I get to do what I love surrounded by people who understand me.

    There are dancers and artists of all kinds who are devoted to their art. We all support each other: When I’m feeling frustrated or anxious, my classmates encourage me.

    After I graduate at the end of this year, I hope to dance for a major dance company in New York, Boston, Chicago, or London.

    I’m working toward a really ambitious goal for my future, and that can feel overwhelming sometimes. But I try to focus on simply getting through each class, one by one.

    It’s also helpful to remember that not every day will be perfect. Sometimes I may oversleep in the morning or struggle with a difficult dance move. But I know I can always start over again—at 5 a.m. the next morning.