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" Dance for me was an escape from everything that was happening around me and still is" Darnell started at Phoenix as a shy 7-year-old and believe it or not (and most who know Darnell now will not believe it) he didn't even talk to us for the first year he was in class. He started competitions as an under 8 beginner and for this shy little boy he had the best personality on the floor and got through beginners and starters pretty quickly, then came the hard part once he got to Inters as he was dancing against very flexible little girls and flexibility took time with Darnell but he worked at it and made it to Champ Boy. By this time, he was the Darnell that we all know and love with the huge personality that lit up the floor every time he danced but it took time for the success to really start. Gordon, his teacher and mentor, and Darnell both have a love of choreography and that played a huge part in the success that was about to happen. Like most boys who dance, Darnell had his moments at school with other boys, but I would say that he always coped well with this and his love of dance was greater than the fear of the other boys and the comments they made. Darnell's dance journey will always be a highlight in both mine and Gordon's teaching career to see the progress from the early days to the Darnell that won all the major titles in Freestyle and go on to dance in college and have a professional career from dance makes all the struggles that he had on a personal level worthwhile. As most who know all of us Darnell is like a third child, and we were and are a Team and I am immensely proud of the Team we became.
Celia, Dance Teacher. |