Pretty much everybody has heard of Beyonce, but do you know about the only male dancers that are associated with her, Les Twins?
As a young African-American dancer. I look up to these two people for many reasons, but primarily because of how they grew up dancing.
Their family is a dancing musical family like mine, but I started off dancing a little different than them.
My dad, too, was a big dancer back in the day. His specialties were hip-hop, break dancing, step and crump —while mine today are hip-hop, jazz and ballet.
Dance has always been a part of my life.
I have always used dance as a way to get through things that stress me. It’s like a best friend because it has been there for everything in my life good or bad. If my mom stresses me out, I’ll go downstairs and dance. If I had a hectic day at school, I’ll go home, put on music and freestyle whatever comes to me comes to me.
There have been other activities that I have participated in and was good at, but dance is the only thing that makes me happy. There have been times when I tried to not dance anymore because it was getting in the way of schoolwork or extracurricular activities like football and baseball. I tried both sports when I was young — and even though I loved them, I always made my way back to dance.
This love has gotten me in trouble at times, like when I’m in class and hear a song in my head. I’ll start dancing to music that’s not even there.
I spend a lot of time at dance competitions and get in as many public shows as I possibly can. I’m not afraid to take a risk and this becomes handy when persistence and competitiveness is required. I have to stay in shape to dance competitively and sometimes I might dance for hours and just be beginning to warm up.
If that means I begin random dancing at the mall then I will.
If it means getting on a dance team of some type, I will do that, too.
For people wanting to get involved, there are many ways to get on a dance team. Sometimes you can just hang around dancing and the right people will find you. Other times, if you run across a dance troupe you can ask to join. Then there is the always-easy way — look online and contact a dance group.
A word of caution: you might have to watch out for what groups you consider. If you are a part of a dance group that does not align with your morals, discontinue your practices with them.
Another point: you should make any dance that you are doing your own. You can learn from other people’s styles, but you have to find a way to make your own. In many competitions, judges grade on originality.
For me, money and material things do not equate to happiness. But dance — it is life.