When it comes to extracurriculars, this year has been a mess. Typically, our kids would be enrolled in sports and musical programs. But 2020 has decided that's not a great idea right now.
While the virus may take away their venues, it will never take away their passion. Meet 8-year-old Maximus Turner. He's a dancer — and quite a good one, at that. Every year, his studio has a dance recital. That is, except for this year. Maximus didn't get the chance to dance as initially planned because the event was canceled.
Then he hit another roadblock. Since his dad is in the military, Maximus was unable to attend the rescheduled event because they had to move. The timing just wasn't right.
But that didn't stop him. Instead, he created his own recital at his house and was even kind enough to include his little sister, Liliana. They performed it in June and quickly went viral after his mom posted the videos on social media. Not only was it cute to see the siblings, but it was great that they were both so creative.
And it was about time for her son's star to shine a little brighter. Maximus has an incredible amount of talent, and it's amazing to see how good of a dancer he already is. Now his fan base only continues to grow.
He even got the chance to chat with Good Morning America, which asked him more about his passion for dance. "I love doing recitals," Maximus said. "I love when I get to learn new tricks and when I get to practice ballet." According to mom Michelle Turner, his love of dance started at the ripe old age of 2.
"He's always doing aerials and stuff in our living room," she said. "He dances nonstop. It's in his bones." Since they're prone to moving a lot due to being a military family, finding a dance studio for Maximus is always one of her top priorities. She even makes sure that their house will be close enough to the studio, as she knows her son will be spending a lot of time there.
She also knows that Maximus is a rarity. Typically, dance attracts white female students. As a black male, Maximus is a rarity for children's dance classes. But in having him be there, he proves that dance is for everyone, regardless of age, race, or gender. Since he's moved so much, he's already gotten to experience multiple studios.
It's important for people to know about Maximus. He might inspire other young Black boys to take up dance, if it's something they're passionate about yet scared to start. Dance is a beautiful form of expression, and it's also a great way for Maximus to meet new people and learn more about his town.
However, Maximus is now learning that everyone he meets may not necessarily share his passion. "Today we had to have 'the talk,'" Michelle wrote on Instagram. "The conversation that most people don't want to see Maximus' heel stretch when they first meet him — including doctors, grocery shoppers, new neighbors, your sister's friends, the movers and many boys. We talked about how to save his special move around other dance and color guard people."
But his Instagram account — which is monitored by Michelle — is a wonderful source for people who do want to see him dance. It's uplifting to watch, especially since Maximus really puts the time and effort into his craft. He takes it seriously because he's hoping to become a professional dancer one day.
While there are plenty of male professional dancers, there aren't too many young boys who sign up as young as Maximus. That's also something that Michelle has had to teach her son. Even though he's doing nothing wrong, there's still a chance that bullies will use dance as a way to try to bring him down.
"We then talked about how some boys may make fun of his heel stretch, say dancing is for girls and call him names," Michelle continued. "We talked about how those people could be bullies, how to respond and how those people didn't deserve to be his friends. Surround yourself with positive vibes, don't let negative people bring you down."
Australia's Dance Informa publication discusses why more boys aren't giving dance a shot. The magazine describes how, physically, dance is a wonderful sport for both boys and girls. "The athleticism of dancers equals, and often surpasses, sportspeople, but there is little recognition of this," DI adds.
The two reasons DI gives are, in fact, stigma and stereotyping: "In countries and cultures across the globe, males dancing is normal and part of the culture, and professional male dancers are often revered. Somewhere, at some stage in our society's development, stigma and stereotyping crept in and, while we have come a long way in breaking down those archaic attitudes, they still remain, often enduring in the collective opinions of families and cultures."
One important way to solve this? Visibility. Not only is Maximus talented, but he's also very confident. It's hard to tear someone down when they, themselves, know that this is what they were made for. With that confidence, Maximus can very well convince other young boys that it's OK to start dancing.
Maximus has already had several brushes with fame. He's also interested in acting, according to his Backstage profile. "I have been able to read since the age of 3 and memorize lines easily," he wrote. "I am a competitive dancer and very skilled in color guard (flag). At age 4, I was on Little Big Shots with Steve Harvey and look forward to more opportunities."
Yes — he's equally as talented in color guard. Maximus developed an interest at a young age, and his wonderful mom made it possible. "My mom didn't know anything about color guard until I talked about it with her," Maximus told ABC7. His mom added, "You can't learn color guard at 3, 4, 5, years-old so everywhere we've lived, we find a high school to adopt Maximus."
Regardless of the career path he'll end up taking, it's likely that Maximus is going to be incredibly successful. Dance requires a lot of practice and patience, both skills that will be important as he grows up. His Instagram is worthy of a follow, especially if you're having a bad day. Watching him dance like the young professional he is will lift anyone's spirits.
