"I've Got A New Way To Dance!"

By Roger Lee




After a long day of school, kids would enter the freshly scrubbed shimmering floors of their favorite studio. The floors were soon shimmering with sweat as it flew off the faces of young dancers working hard to perfect their technique. “5-6-7-8!” yelled the well-loved instructor. They served as a parental figure for the hundreds of students enrolled at their studio. The waist-high ballet bar came alive as kids tried to emulate the instructor’s grace and precision. The room was filled with the sweet sounds of classical music and concentration coming from the wannabe ballerinas. There would be a few young men hiding in the back, dreading to dance in tights for fear that their friends would find out. Little did they know that their friends would die to be in a class filled with such promising young ladies.

These dedicated young dancers devoted nearly six days a week to the rigorous stylings of ballet, modern, jazz, and tap. They traveled far and wide to get to their dance studios. Cars jammed up I-95 and city streets as families rushed their kids to dance class in the early evening traffic. While they raced to the popular dance studios, my parents were driving me to art school. The quiet Philadelphia streets were home to many historic art schools. On Saturday mornings I’d go to Fleischer Art Memorial for their free Saturday morning classes. I received undivided attention from my passionate art instructors while saving a ton of money. On the contrary, dance students were spending tons of money as they signed up for Saturday morning classes.

After years of training, costumes, and recitals, the “studio dancer” graduated and left behind a legacy while the art student was expected to spread their colorful creativity to the world. Although the art and dance student seemed worlds apart, both shared a love for creativity and discipline in their respective fields. While the dancers were learning ballet technique I was painting my heart out. While they were performing in recitals and showcases I was proudly presenting my art work on display. While they were perfecting years of technique and training I was putting the finishing touches on my portfolio. But as I grew in my art training, I also developed a love and appreciation for dance. I took a new and exciting road to the world of dance, a road far different from that of the studio dancer. It was as if I hit a detour and had to form my own path to reach dance.

Who knew that many years of art training would lead me on the path towards dance? I had no idea that my creativity could be expressed on paper and through my body. Thinking back to the yesteryears of grade school, I vividly remember career day. Our teacher would ask what we wanted to be when we grew up. In a room full of potential doctors, scientists, and archeologists, I was the brave soul that stated “I want to be an artist!” It was all laid out in the plans. I was blessed with parents who supported the arts and noticed my knack for drawing at a young age. They sent me to art school and supported me one-hundred percent. My art career was becoming more than just a pipe dream, but it was turning into a full fledge reality. I was taking the necessary steps towards my creative career goal. Then out of no where I was wisped off into the dance world without warning. Dance came at a random time in my life when I wasn’t expecting it.

The dance bug bit ten years ago during my grandmother’s 50th birthday celebration. I was wearing a tuxedo and feeling uncomfortable hanging around so many adults. When my mom told me to loosen up, she took me from my seat and said “dance with me!” I was nervous because I had never danced before. Sure I had danced along to my favorite music videos in the privacy of my bedroom, but that was a lot different than dancing in public. My mom led me in a simple two step and I began to catch the rhythm. Before I knew it my nervousness had passed and I was in the center of the dance floor dancing by myself. This led to people cheering and throwing money at me. I couldn’t believe the reaction I got. The thrill of dancing before an audience made me see that dance wasn’t entirely out of my reach. But I saw this as mere partying. I was imitating Michael Jackson and other dance greats who owned the MTV scene. I didn't consider myself a dancer by any means.

However, my parents saw me as a dancer from that day forward. Once my parents noticed a specific interest or potential in me and my brother, they ran with it. One morning my mom was watching FOX morning news and saw that they were looking for 12 teenaged dancers to make up their Good Day Philadelphia hip-hop dance team. She decided to take me to the audition that Saturday morning to give it a shot. “It’s worth a try,” I recall her saying. I also remember taking off from my weekly art class just to try out for this TV show I barely even watched.

My nervousness and objections did not stop my mom from taking me to the audition. After waiting in a long registration line, I went inside and couldn’t believe my eyes. There were studio dancers everywhere. They practiced their pirouettes, splits, and leg extensions. They came by the dozen, meeting up with their “studio mates” and rekindling old dance school friendships. I stuck out like a soar thumb…I was obviously the “artist” wearing a creative self-made outfit. I was the artist pretending to be a dancer. I felt entirely out of my league while imitating the painful stretches that the ballerinas made look effortless. I felt out of my league when listening to conversations of the dancers’ previous training and recitals. I really felt out of my element when the choreographer ran through the short combination that seemed to last an eternity. I had no confidence and it showed on my flushed face. I was sweating and exhausted after auditioning with five dancers in my group. We were one group out of 50 to audition in the first round.

By the end of the first round the studio dancers had leaped over to the call board to see if they had survived the first cut. Tears began to flow like the Niagara Falls as the dancers learned their fate. After consoling a few heartbroken dancers I knew that my time was near. I scanned the board and couldn’t believe my eyes… I had made it into the top 50 and was in the final round of the day! I thought there was some type of mistake. Trained ballerinas, tappers, jazzers, and even hip-hop studio dancers were being sent home in place of me. This gave me a much needed boost in confidence to finish out the audition. I was ready to go until the new routine was taught and the judging began at warp speed. I wasn’t prepared and ran to tell my mom that I couldn’t do it. She replied, “We came all this way! Pray and try your best. While the Lord works on it you need to get yourself together!” I smiled and took a deep breath as my group was called.

I took the stage and gave it everything I had. While I fumbled through the second half of the choreography, I smiled and performed for the judges. I pulled out all the stops, envisioning myself dancing at my grandmom’s party a few years back. I imagined that the judging table was my bedroom where I danced like there was no tomorrow. Before I knew it the round was over and the final cuts were being made. After the longest deliberation hour of my life the judges had finally reached a decision. “And introducing the FOX GDP Hip-Hop Dance Team…” I smiled as the first seven names were called and the parents shouted with tears of joy. I also smiled because I was proud of myself for coming this far. I knew that I had tried my best while overcoming my fear of auditions. I was already thinking of more auditions I could go for, ones that I could actually pass when suddenly...“Number 91, Roger Lee!” was called. Time stood still as I walked up to join my new dance team members. My mom was beaming with joy and I was in a state of utter disbelief. I had passed my first dance audition and was a dancer for the FOX broadcast company! This was a dream come true…A dream I never knew that I had.

Since that fateful day, I remained with FOX for two full seasons. I became co-captain of the dance company, performed on live television and danced at countless venues across the tri-state area. All the while I kept up with my Saturday art classes until auditioning for Philadelphia’s High School for Creative and Performing Arts. I was admitted as an art major where I received all the art training I needed. But on my way to the art studio, I couldn’t help but sneak a peak down to the dance studio. I watched and learned from some of the best dancers I have ever met. I became involved in the hip-hop dance scene. My peers welcomed me and did not judge me for missing out on the life of a studio dancer. They embraced my creativity and love for hip-hop. I joined a hip-hop dance squad and became an official dance minor. It was as if I was living a double life. I was sneaking down to the dance studio and running back upstairs to the art department. I had a newfound love for dance that I shared with my art.

This double life of dance and art finally reached a climax as I applied for the prestigious Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Arts. My high school encouraged students to submit an application in one or two art areas. I sent in my portfolio with confidence. I sent in my dance audition video worried that the competition would smother my attempt at dance forms outside of hip-hop. “At least I can rely on my art,” I said as I mailed my applications.

Two months later I received two letters from the Governor’s School. One was a rejection notice from the art department and one was an acceptance letter into the dance department. I was shocked at what I was seeing. Aside from an acceptance into the prestigious program, I saw my years of art taking a back seat to my “premature” dancing!



That summer I attended the program in Erie Pennsylvania and fell in love with dance. It was at Governor’s School that I learned the true meaning of dance and studied forms other than hip-hop. As a modern dance major I gained an appreciation for the hardworking studio dancers. I also appreciated the path that God had granted me towards discovering dance. It was a path outside of the traditional dance studio.

Not many dancers started out auditioning for television programs and summer intensives, but I did. It eventually took me to the same location as the studio dancer. We all became dancers in our own right. If I had just followed the cookie-cutter path of the studio dancer, I would never have discovered dance on an extreme personal level. I wouldn’t have had time to practice my art on Saturday mornings. I would never be the painting dancer that I am today. I am blessed to have a visual art side and dance side that work together to form one very creative side. Finding dance later in life allowed me to explore art earlier in life. I wouldn’t have it any other way.