I was 14 years old when I started dance in high school and I auditioned for the ‘Mega Schools Crew’. At this point in time there were already so many boys in the team which made me a lot more comfortable joining something that was female dominated. I had grown up with only female friends so being around so many girls didn’t bother me but, I was definitely anxious about what others would think of me joining something that mostly girls did. The fact there were at least 10 boys already involved in the Mega Schools Crew pushed me that little bit further to give dance a go and I haven’t looked back since!
When I was 16 I started to choreograph for the same Mega Schools group I had joined two years beforehand. Having to lead and choreograph a team of 40 kids who were either the same age as you or older was TERRIFYING! However it was definitely something that I was born to do! By this time there were a lot less males in the team than when I had first joined, I’d say there were only about five boys all together and 35 girls… the number of boys in the group had halved! But by this time I was already confident enough dancing to not need anyone to give me that extra push to keep going. I had become a role model that other young year 9’s were looking up to and, without knowing it, I was an influence to a lot of male new comers wanting to join!
Khaos
At the age of 19 I began to teach crews at Neverland! Last year I helped lead Khaos, Tribe, Frenzy, Midas & Neverland Nation. In my first year of taking crews I had helped Khaos qualify for the World Hip Hop Dance Championships!! Some boys may find it awkward to work with females but since I’ve grown up around them I have no problems at all! I always have a great, humorous working relationship with all my students and the girls at Neverland are such kind and hard working students to work with! 2019 was an amazing year but out of 76 dancers, only three of them were boys!
I’m now 20 years old and leading Tribe, Khaos & Neverland Nation. This year only two of my students are boys, I am also one of only two male teachers at Neverland! Don’t get me wrong, I love working with all of the amazing women at Neverland but it would be amazing to see just as many boys involved at Neverland/in the industry as well! I know there are younger boys out there who are so eager to get into dance and just need a male dance role model to give them an extra boost to get involved in dancing!
My top three tips for boys who are keen to get into dancing would be:
- There is no such thing as dance being “just for girls”.
- Have no fear, be confident in yourself and your abilities.
- Be your authentic self, always!
