Imagine a middle school student who is equipped with his iTunes, earbuds, and sometimes a mirror; almost every available moment of the day. Your first perception may be that he merely enjoys listening to music, or perhaps it's just a teenage fad. Only to discover that it was a daily demonstration of his undiscovered passion for dance and creative body movement. .
At the age of thirteen I was accepted into The Baltimore School for the Arts TWIGS program for dance, where I studied the basics techniques of ballet, health, and fitness. Although I was much older than most of the participants in my class, I never considered myself to be at a disadvantage. Grateful for the challenging opportunity, I remained diligent, enthusiastic, and open to creativity. My unpretentious dedication bared fruit in 2010. The Baltimore School for the Arts High School as a dance department offered to me a slot as a freshman, where I have continued to increase my skill, create, and discover my artistic uniqueness as a dancer for the past 4 years. .
During a summer intensive program at the American Ballet Theater, Detroit in 2011, I declared a new artistic goal. It was to obtaining the role of "Prince" in our school performance of the Nutcracker. I quickly came to the realization that it was not going to be an easy feat. But, how would I get there? Technique and perseverance is always important, however a transformation was essential. I had to become one with sound, movement, and air in order to connect with the observers. Transformation was made possible through various opportunities to study in diverse instructional environments, which fostered continuous aspirations to grow as artist. In 2011, Christopher d'Amboise offered a platform as a featured dancer. In 2012, I was accepted into the Dance Theater of Harlem's Summer Intensive Program (DTH). There I had an opportunity to work with Robert Garland and collaborate with fellow students and instructors, which reinforced my confidence.
