BY JAMES COLLINS, Junior
BLYTHEWOOD- With the crowd on their feet, Zandrae Williams comes out and flashes a bright smile and begins dancing.
Dancing is commonly known as a female dominated art. But Williams breaks many barriers by being a male dancer. Not just any male dancer but the only male dancer at Blythewood High School.
Williams has been dancing since the 5th grade and has had no regrets about it ever since.
“Being the only male dancer is fun and exciting because the spotlight is always on you in every performance,” Williams said.
“I first learned I could dance in 5th grade when I audition for the middle school dance program. All my friends and teachers were blown away by my spectacular dancing,” Williams said.
“You can tell those people that were just born to dance and Zandrae is definitely one of those people,” says Williams cousin and sophomore at Blythewood High School, David Collins.
Being a male dancer also comes with many challenges.
“The teacher mainly focuses on the girls because that is mostly who is in the class,” Williams said. “I constantly have to remind the teacher that I am in the class as well.”
Life of a Dancer
Williams has also accomplished major heights so far as a dancer.
“My greatest accomplishment so far would be being accepted into the Dance Connect Program at the University of South Carolina for talented young dancers and also being accepted into the National Honors Society for dance at Blythewood,” Williams said.
As a dancer or any type of performer there will be many tough performances that will challenge your dancing abilities. Williams said his toughest performance so far would be dancing on stage at USC in front of hundreds of people.
Dancing also comes with many memories, good and bad.
“My favorite memory as a dancer would be in middle school, in 7th grade when I performed a michael jackson song for the school talent show,” Williams said.
“My first memory of Zandrae dancing was at home one day and one of Michael Jackson’s songs was playing and Zandrae got up and just started dancing out of nowhere,” Collins said.
Williams takes a lot of meaning through dancing.
“Dancing is like a way out for me. It helps me express my emotions and my feelings. Whenever I am having a bad day I just go and dance to relieve all the stress that I may have,” Williams said.
Being a dancer requires plenty of energy, and staying in shape is very key to being a good dancer. “Dancing a lot, running and just staying hydrated overall helps me stay in shape for dancing,” Williams said.
“Zandrae runs all the time and he always drinks lots and lots of water,” Collins said
Also, being a dancer requires hours of time and practice.
“I practice whenever and wherever I can. I may be in the store and hear a song and just start dancing. I dance whenever I get the opportunity,” Williams said
“Zandrae is always dancing around in the house. No matter what type of music or genre Zandrae just starts dancing instantly to the sound of music in the house,” Collins said.
Michael Jackson, Chris Brown, and his family are just some of the people that Zandrae listed as his influences to dance.
“We have been pushing Zandrae since he was a kid to just go out and give his all when it comes to dancing,” Collins said.
There are also many of misconceptions with being a male dancer.
“So many people automatically categorize men that dance as gay. But this statement is far from the truth because there are many successful men dancers who are married to women.
Also people make dancing as a racial thing and believe that just because you are caucasian male you can not dance. This statement is also invalid because the legendary Patrick Swayze was a caucasian male who made a living through acting, singing, and of course dancing,” Williams said.
Williams also made it very clear who his favorite and most influential dancer was.
“Definitely my favorite dancer hands down since I was a kid is Michael Jackson. He set the bar and the standard for all male dancers across the world.”
Williams wants all male dancers to know that they should not let anybody change them and just to simply be themselves.
Dancing for Williams is more than a sport but a way of life.
And now at the end of his dance, Williams takes his final bow.
