WESTWOOD, Calif. – Standing in front of the mirror, there is a big rush of adrenaline, until the music drops.

As the sounds of "five, six, seven, eight" boom from the front of the floor, a smile creeps its way onto University of California Los Angeles junior, Devin Mallory's face. It is easy to see he is right at home on the dance floor.

“As cheesy as it may sound, I’d say I feel free when I dance," Mallory said. "There’s something so natural to me when I’m dancing.”

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He naturally fits in with the group of about a dozen girls, but then again, he also naturally stands out.

Mallory is the only male dancer on the UCLA Dance Squad, and is the first ever to make the team. While men have auditioned for the talented group in the past, he was the first male to make the cut.

“When I saw Devin’s talent, I was inspired," his coach, Tiphanie McNiff said. "I thought this could be something amazing for us.”

With Mallory on its roster, UCLA joined the likes of the Los Angeles Rams, who made headlines in 2018 for adding two male cheerleaders to their team. As one of the only college teams to invite a male dancer, onto their traditionally all-female squad, the Bruins are helping to change the conversation surrounding men in the dance industry, who can sometimes face severe criticism.  

“Especially at a young age when you’re probably insecure and unaware of who you are as a person, there definitely was some second thoughts I had when wanting to pursue dance more," Mallory said. "But I knew this was a strong passion of mine and made me feel so good.”

Dancing on the Spirit Squad has allowed Mallory to pursue that passion and feel more completely himself.  

“As hard as these practices can be, as I’m out of breath," Mallory said, "it’s just fun being around such supportive, crazy, goofy members and doing what we love which is dance.”