By Izzy Green

Setting up the camera was the first step. Being cooped up in his home for months had become draining. The mind lingers out of boredom from one hobby to the next and for Thomas Williams it had become dancing.

Williams always had a passion for dancing. His love grew from the many years of Hip Hop training during his elementary years. Only recently has it become a recurring interest. 

 “I always loved to dance and I wanted to do something during the pandemic,” Williams said. “I was mid way through online schooling and I got bored of the routine.”

The try out process was something completely new to students and teachers. This process had to be done virtually for the 2020 school year which was nerve racking for everyone.

“We had to do all of our dancing with the camera on,” Williams said. “It was a little silly having to dance in our living rooms, but everyone had gotten used to the feeling.”

Soon the challenge had begun. Thomas had to use his little knowledge of dancing from elementary school to perfect the dance needed to make it into the All Male Team.

“The dance was crafted by the captain from the previous team,” Williams said. “I had to perform it in front of the coach and before I knew it, I had to play the waiting game to find out if I even made the team.”

The shift from online to in-person schooling allowed Thomas to actually feel like he was a part of the team. Finally being a part of the team meant a lot for Thomas’ future as he had learned complex skills and gained an important friendship with the entire team.

“Practices allowed us to form a complete brotherhood,” Williams said. “Because we all left at different times during the school day, we were able to all gather and hang out some more.”

From that moment, he knew that gaining this brotherhood was the key to each performance. Practices became more amusing, the moves got sharper, and the complexity of each dance had become even greater. 

“I think a lot about how different my life would have ended up if I had never gained the confidence to send in that application to join the All Male Dance Team. I know now how exhilarating the entire experience has been through and through,” Williams said. “I would never trade it for anything.”