A young boy sits in front of the TV mesmerized as he watches “America’s Got Talent,” dreaming of one day being the dancers he sees on the screen. At the age of twelve, sophomore Mark Auger woke up with a passion to dance and has since spent nearly six hours a day, six days a week training to perfect his technique and master his craft.

Auger lives the life of a typical teenager.  Every morning he wakes up at 7 a.m. and goes through the motions of high school until the final bell rings, only what he does next is something quite unique. Auger is a dancer for Juliana’s Senior Line Dance Team, a team that has recently won several awards.

Auger started dancing after years of wanting to be who he is now.

“I started making videos of myself singing. I wanted to choreograph to the songs I would sing,” Auger said. “I asked my mom to enroll me in classes with my cousin and that is how it all started.”

Everyday he trains to reach new heights and achieve new strengths. He works to the extremes to be a well trained dancer. His first class consists of 30 minutes of cardio, 30 minutes of warmups and several exercises to get his and his teammates warmed up and hearts racing.

Though he puts all efforts into his abilities, he still has to work hard to be a good student as well as a good dancer.

“I have a really tough schedule. I go to school from 7 to 2 and dance from 4 to 9:30 Monday through Saturday. I am still able to get homework done and get good grades because I love what I do and staying in school will push me to be a better person,” Auger said. “I really want people to realize that dance is a sport. Most people do not realize how much and how long we work out. People do not understand the time it takes and the money it costs.”

Auger’s dedication has allowed him to go after bigger things. After only dancing for three years, Auger has accomplished things most young dancers can only dream of. His most recent accomplishment was receiving a scholarship to West Coast Dance Explosion, where he won Best Male Dancer Of The Year 2015. His hip hop dance crew “Mission Accomplished” had the opportunity to dance with the Pistons Mob Squad. He also made it through four rounds of “America’s Got Talent.”

Although he has had great achievements in his dance career, he faces difficulties with that fact that he is a male dancer. Men in dance, especially young men, face sexism and judgment for being dancers. Auger talks about how names get thrown at him so easily, even though they are not true.

“People always want to apply the word gay to someone who dances,” Auger said. “ I believe a title should never be placed upon someone just from what they do. Personally, I know for a fact that I like girls even though I am in styles like ballet. Sexism just applies stereotypes toward male dancers, and it never should. I experience sexism all the time and stereotypes are constantly placed upon me for what I do. What I do is what I love and people should not be concerned about me.”

He hopes that he can overcome sexism in dance and wants to make a difference in the fight against discrimination as a male dancer. Auger plans to continue dancing and believes he can go far with his career.

“My dream is to teach kids around the world who want to dance but cannot afford it. I want to teach at dance conventions and travel around the world teaching kids,” Auger said. “After college I want to go straight into teaching at a dance studio and make my way to teaching at conventions.”

Auger is known for being a strong and passionate dancer who wants to share that with the world. He wants to show kids that they can accomplish their dreams, just as has. Auger loves dance and creating art with his body. Dance for him is a form of expression, a release of stress. It is something that makes him happy, something that he loves to do.
“What I love about dance is the passion and the movement. Dance makes me happy and I never want to miss out on it. It shows how unique people move and tell stories with their bodies. I love what I do,” Auger said.