Many people view dancing as exclusively for girls. However, those people are wrong.
I am a guy. I play football. I wrestle. AND I like to dance. Dancing is cool.
Girl/Guy Dance – Me with my partner.
Me (#30) during a timeout.
Making a tackle!
I dance for fun and have no problem saying I do. Taking dance lessons and learning to perform are tools that have changed my confidence level. I took hip-hop lessons, and yes, at 13 years old, I even took private ballet lessons for a short period of time. Why? I went to see the musical Billy Elliott downtown and it was about a boy my age that loved to dance. He was REALLY good at it! I could not believe how good he was. He did about 20 turns in a row without stopping. (I have since learned those turns are called fouette turns.) It was so cool and I told my Mom, “I want to learn how to do that!”
She got me started in private lessons. I did not last very long when I realized how really difficult it was. I stuck to hip-hop and joined my high school’s Orchesis dance team.
Hip-Hop routine to 8 Mile (Yup, that’s me in the front lookin’ tough!)
My Mom, my sister and I after the Orchesis show last year.
Performing on a stage in front of thousands of people at a time is outside of my comfort zone, but doing so gives me a sense of achievement. I’m always nervous before I perform at school with Orchesis, especially because it’s in front of thousands of my schoolmates. I always complained to my Mom about taking dance at her studio, but I secretly enjoyed it. (Sorry Mom!)
However, it IS more fun with dozens of my friends. Dancing is an enjoyable activity for me and it continuously forces me to get outside of my comfort zone. And believe me, we do go outside our comfort zone: I’ve looked like a goofball in short shorts with my pale white legs for Old Time Rock & Roll…
Risky Business Costume!
Here I am with my sister, Jessie, who was President of Orchesis last year.
…and I’ve dressed like a girl in a glittery skirt and black wig for Hey Mickey.
Yup, that’s me in the black wig…
There were 40 guys in this routine dressed in wigs and dresses.
I have a fairly high confidence level: I generally don’t care what other people think. I do the things that make me happy. Everyone should try it and not be so judge-y.
I know my confidence came from what I learned with dance.
Getting teased for dancing can be annoying but… I like it and that’s that. Some of my friends who teased me for dancing in the past now do Orchesis too because they see how much fun we have.
And THAT is cool.
Read Part 2 of Conrad’s Story: A Guy in a Girl’s World – Not a Bad World!
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