LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Daniel Scofield hit the stage at age 12.
“Then I discovered that the dance part of the musical theater—the acting, singing, dancing and dance part—was probably my favorite,” says Scofield.
That’s when he intensified his focus on ballet, studied dance/arts administration at Butler University, and trained at local and national ballet companies before returning home and joining Louisville Ballet.
What You Need To Know
- Louisville Ballet is hosting its summer Boys, Books and Ballet workshop
- Male company dancers read dance books and teach dance moves to participants
- The workshop is open to all ages and gender identities
- There are two remaining workshops this summer
This summer, he is working with young dancers to erase the stigma that ballet is only for girls.
“The level of discipline and focus that a young boy can learn from ballet is something that he can take into every part of life, even if he doesn’t become a dancer as he grows up,” Scofield said.
Louisville Ballet’s Books, Boys and Ballet is a free series held at Louisville Free Public Library branches.
“As we read it, when you see a picture on the page, see if you can match the pose that he’s making and if there are a bunch of different poses, just pick one and try your best.,” Scofield said as he read a book about dancing to participants.
Scofield wants aspiring dancers to know that ballet is as much of a sport as it is art.
“When it comes to partnering, where men are doing lifts and supporting other dancers the amount of strength and coordination and trust that partners have to have for each other is again, so important to be able to carry into other parts of life,” Scofield explained.
4-year-old Malcolm Dakin was excited to put on his dancing shoes.
“I want to be a good ballet dancer,” said Dakin. “When I think I can’t do it, I just keep on going.”
The workshop swept him off his feet.
“I think it helped out. I was practicing at home. I don’t do very good on my dance move when I practice alone,” says Dakin.
Scofield wants to inspire dancers like Malcolm, the same way his main ballet teacher did when he was a young dancer.
“He really instilled that love for the art form for me from that early age and the crazy thing is now he’s my coworker. I get to dance with him every day, which is really, really cool,” Scofield said.
Second to Scofield’s love for dancing is helping others discover theirs.
“I love teaching. I love teaching so much. I’ve taught enough students to where I’ve seen them perform and seeing them get to enjoy what I enjoy when I’m on stage and seeing them have that same passion for it. it’s just amazing,” he said.
He says it’s another step towards shattering stigmas around male dancers.
The next Boys, Books and Ballet workshop will take place at the South Central Regional Library branch on July 21 at 6 p.m.
The final workshop will be held at the Main Library on Saturday, July 30 at 2 p.m. The workshop is open to families and children of all ages and gender identities.