Feet glide across the scuffed studio floor. Feet that imitate his older sister’s. Feet that take their first creative steps toward a visionary future.

“How about you start taking dance classes?” his mother asked boldly to her 8-year-old son.

Just like that, junior Michael Arellano was hooked.

Fast-forward eight years to an empty room in Suzette’s dance studio. There’s a 16-year-old boy whose body effortlessly leaps and flows along to the melody of “Wash” by Bon Iver.

“The opportunity to have a creative, expressive outlet and to be with my friends has kept me dancing all of these years,” Arellano said.

The inviting smile that appears on his face when he describes his passion parallels the dancing itself: fresh and fervent.

Watching him dance is like walking through a museum and observing a painting; it’s an art. He moves as if the music traveled through the speakers, into his body to share a message that exceeds the auditory senses.

“He’s really amazing; his motions are so fluid and precise with the music and he conveys emotion whenever I watch him,” friend Brooke James said. “He’s a lot better than he thinks he is and I couldn’t be more proud of him.”

With a range of styles from contemporary to jazz and hip-hop to acrobatic, Arellano performed it all.

With up to 35 performances, he has much to boast about; but he seldom does because of his humble nature.

With so much personal achievement already he’s not stopping yet.

“I think it’s awesome that Michael has dedicated his time to a sport that not many guys his age do,” senior friend Ross Fender said. “Doing something unique like that really makes him stand out, in a good way.”

Arellano’s participation in a gender atypical sport may raise eyebrows, but out of astoundment in his talent.

Michael brings more than just a performance, he serves a reminder that straying from the norm is opportune. He serves a reminder that art isn’t just a painting on a canvas, it can also be a boy on the stage.

“It was definitely hard for me to be proud of what I do because dance is such a predominantly female sport,” Arellano said. “I didn’t want to be called ‘girly’ or made fun of because I didn’t play football or basketball; through it all I’ve found that at the end of the day, I would still choose it over everything.”