Valeria Perez, junior Drama major at OCSA, recently created a new documentary film titled, “Boys Dance Too”. The film received over a thousand views on YouTube.

The film follows the lives of senior dancers Givanni Gotay, Immanuel Rodriguez, and Fernando Trinadad III on their journeys as dancers and how they’ve dealt with challenges along the way.

The film was directed, produced, and edited by Valeria Perez. The videos were captured by senior Band major, Yenesis Serrano.

Valeria says “Creating ‘Boys Dance, Too’ has been such an amazing experience. Not only do I feel immense gratitude getting to share the space with such wonderful dancers, but I also feel like I learned so many valuable lessons. My favorite lesson that I’ve relearned from this experience was one that Givi stated: a lot of growth happens behind closed doors & in quiet places. You don’t need to be seen to know that you are growing.”

I asked Valeria why she felt it was important to create this film and why she decided to share it with audiences on YouTube. She states, “What prompted me to make this film was both the hard work I see every day from my fellow peer dance majors and a lot of experiences I’ve shared in the dance community growing up. I’ve grown such a different kind of resilience & strength as an artist from being a dancer my whole life, and I’ve witnessed the different kinds of struggles artists face in certain communities. One thing that I noticed a lot was this gap that my male dancer friends faced growing up due to this persistent stereotype that ‘it was confusing if they weren’t gay’ or ‘if they didn’t express feminine behaviors’. They were judged differently than other dancers and it always angered me that there was a barrier at times in different dance studios/communities. But, I think just as our generation is growing, so is the arts community. I’ve seen everyday how today’s dancers are helping to shape this standard that old traditionalist America set. Every day I am inspired by these 3 dancers and the OCSA Dance department. Leading this documentary has taught me what art can mean to someone over what the outside world has to say.”

The film has impacted many including OCSA’s Dance Director, Dr. Austin, who said, “This film touched my heart. I absolutely love these boys and I am so proud of them.”

The documentary was truly beautiful with such amazing and talented artists showcased. It’s a pleasure to go to the same school with artists who are brave enough to share their story.

If you would like to see the film, check out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzVQUi8Luhg .