From football players in the afternoon to dancers during the school day, seniors Rickie Williams and Nate Hatcher and junior Walter Nelson have changed the face of dance for Mt. Hebron. While they are not the first male dancers to be in the Mt. Hebron dance program, they are some of the most passionate. After scoring a touchdown or making a great play, it is normal to see players doing their signature dance move, but that is not the case here.

“It was ideal during football because dance would help with flexibility and athletic ability, so joining helped us be able to use dance into another thing that we are passionate about,” Williams said. “It was also a good stress reliever before practices.”

This is Williams’ first year in dance class, and it has helped his footwork on the field and on the track. Williams, along with Nelson and Hatcher, auditioned and qualified to join Dance IV. Since then, they have performed during every dance recital along with the girls in the class.

According to Nelson, while it was weird being the only guys in dance, the girls were welcoming, and it was a fun environment to be a part of.

The boys had been asked to dance in the recital with Dance Company for the last two years. After taking part in the dance practices, they were hooked on dancing.

“Auditions became more of a separate activity instead of dancing for football. It was dancing to dance,” Williams stated.

While the boys had a small role in the 2015 dance recital, they had a much bigger role this year’s performance on Dec. 22. They closed the performance with a Star Wars piece, which was met with great applause for its outstanding light effects and cool dance moves.

“At first, some of [our friends] laughed at the fact that we wanted to join dance, but they’ve grown to accept it. Some of them even would have liked to have given it a try,” said Nelson.

Nelson, Williams, and Hatcher’s willingness to break social norms have allowed them to enjoy a new experience while giving the student body a performance to remember.