A lone spotlight shines down on the stage amidst the darkness of Alan Harvey Theater. People whisper and hastily look through their programs to find out who’s up next. Then, one lone dancer wearing all white and a pair of Converse save for a black, wide-brimmed snapback walks into the center. He grabs everyone’s attention. The music starts, his movements slow, then both pick up the pace as he executes a series of spins, handstands and stunts across the stage.

Senior Liam Carrington was unaware how much hip-hop dancing was going to change his life, but he has worked tirelessly toward mastering what he loves to do.

In ninth grade, Carrington had to take a dance class as part of PE, like all the other freshmen. In tenth grade, he would take the class again. In the fall rally that same year, he was able to perform in a routine with his classmates, and at the end of it all, something huge changed.

“I thought to myself immediately after, ‘Oh that was actually pretty cool. I would like to keep doing this,’” Carrington said.

Then, in the winter dance concert that year, that same feeling was even stronger, Carrington said.

Carrington said he realized that dance let him reveal what he could not through regular social interaction.

“Since I’m kind of a shy and less talkative guy, I express myself through dance,” Carrington said. “I really like music, too.”

Since that realization, he has worked countless hours at something he originally pushed away. It has now become what he does to put himself out there.

Stella Thorsen, another advanced dance student, recognized that Carrington’s dancing was not just a hobby anymore.

“It’s fun watching him dance,” Thorsen said. “You can tell he is very passionate about it.”

Even when it seemed like it was impractical, usually when there was not enough space to dance, he would still find a solution. Sometimes he would even go as far as moving all the furniture in his living room out of the way to open up a dance floor, Carrington said.

Once he reached junior year, Carrington began to choreograph solos. That spring, he went through many emotional struggles and hit mental walls. At that point, dance meant everything, and it allowed him to forget what originally held him back.

“At the end of 2014 and the beginning of 2015 I had been spending really long nights watching tutorials on how to choreograph and dance,” Carrington said.

James Carrington, Liam’s father, understands just how important dance is to his son.

“Dance has been an amazing way for Liam to get in touch with his artistic and expressive side,” James said. “He has really put his heart into it.”

Not much time had passed before Liam realized that his inspirations were giving him subtle hints that he might want to take his passion beyond high school. In addition to possibly entering in competitions, he wants to become a backup dancer in Los Angeles. It would be the perfect opportunity to further build his skill and then to someday be the lead dancer.

“What I’ve learned is you can’t think about the moves,” Carrington said. “You can’t force it, and the reason I dance is to show what I’m made of and bring out my emotions.”