Studio dance is a popular class girls take to get their fine art credit. However, sophomores Tyler Le and Cannon Meyer decided to join the class and are the only two guys.

“It’s really not that strange being in a class full of girls,” Meyer said. “We treat each other equally and we all work hard to get our job done. Guys and girls definitely have their different strengths in dance, like girls are definitely more flexible but then guys are able to bring that strength and masculinity to to the dance routine.”

While the boys do dance with the girls, they also have the opportunity to choreograph all male pieces.

“We are currently practicing separate from the girls because we are working on our own choreography for our next show which will be May 7 and the guys get their own piece and the girls get their own piece and then we will be doing a couple pieces that have both girls and guys in the routine,” Myer said.

Taking studio dance wasn’t a difficult decision for Meyer.

“I’ve been dancing for three or four years now, so it was just a fun class to take,” Meyer said. “We are both primarily hip hop dancers so the other styles are more difficult for us to grasp.”

Having boys in the class changes the overall atmosphere of the class.

“I like having boys in studio dance because they add a different vibe,” senior Claire Becker said. “Most girls dance the same way so the boys bring a different style to the dance so it’s nice to have them shake things up a bit. The guys can do really cool tricks on the ground like breakdancing moves and those are moves that girls really can’t do so it’s cool to have that component added to our routines.”

Having the boys in the class opens up several opportunities for new choreography.

“It’s nice having the guys in this class,” studio dance teacher Jenny Willis said. “The girls are different because there are boys in the class and the boys are different because there are boys in here, but overall they have been really accepting of one another. These boys came in with limited experience outside of one certain style, so the girls have been really good about helping and teaching. It’s been interesting because it opens up some things choreographically that we didn’t get to do before like lifts and partnering.”