AJ is a Pittsburgh native exploring everything that dance has to offer and enjoying himself in the process.
Learning the many ways dance can enrich the body and soul, AJ’s understanding of his own relationship with dance and masculinity has changed since he first started. As he explains, “I grew up doing strictly ballet and at that time I was thinking that I had to be a manly man and present women on stage. Now, I know that I can be myself and I don’t have to be masculine, I don’t have to be feminine. I can just be me.”
Deciding to be himself, unapologetically, is both a life- and game-changing realization that wasn’t easy. Cole had a life-changing epiphany that inspired him to choose dance.
“[Back] in school, I always had people ask me, ‘Why do you dance? That’s such a girly thing. Why do you want to wear tights all day?’ There was always a lot of, “Why do you do the things you do?” But eventually, AJ found the answer, and it was incredibly simple: he danced simply because he could. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Few people would disagree that arts have the power to transcend and mend. But what AJ knows firsthand is that the only way to unlock such power and begin your own “hero’s journey” is to commit fully to being the best you can be. And that’s exactly what he wants to share with the world.
He reveals, “I want people to know that you should never apologize for being yourself. You should do what makes you happy, as well as move the way you want to. You are your best self when you are happy, and you should always strive to be your best self, and to be happy.”
AJ’S FULL STORY
When I was little, one of my moms put me in dance when I was three. She thought I’d love to move, and she was right. But in school I always had people ask me, “Why do you dance? That’s such a girly thing. Why do you want to wear tights all day?” There was always a lot of, “Why do you do the things you do?”
I kept asking those questions to myself as well. And I realized that I just wanted to dance because I could, and that is all I need and want to do. I think it’s important to let other people know they can dance just because they want.
I dance because it is when I feel the most free. It just feels like it’s just me, myself. It’s calming and it feels relaxing. It’s all the good things that you want.
– AJ LIBERT
When you first start dancing, you don’t really know how many rules there are but don’t have to be. I grew up doing strictly ballet, and I thought that was all there really was. And now I know there is so much more and that almost everything, every movement, is considered dance.
[Dance] brings people together, it tells stories, it connects people. It’s just a way to create a community. It’s just a message that everyone needs to hear around the world about something that is so important to me and a lot of other people. Dance has taught me how to relax and just be open to new experiences, and discover more about myself.
[Through dance] I learned that I have a lot of curiosity. I have a lot of built up energy that always needs to be released. Like I said earlier, I grew up doing strictly ballet and at that time I was thinking that I had to be a manly man and present women on stage. Now, I know that I can be myself and I don’t have to be masculine, I don’t have to be feminine. I can just be me.
I was told once that I was a human first and a dancer second. That has stuck with me ever since I first heard it. Me as a person is also me as a dancer. From talking to me or watching me dance, you’ll be able to know who I am. I’m a happy, adventurous, laid back guy who just loves to move. And I’m going to dance for myself in hopes that someone will be able to see me dance, connect with me, and see what dance can do for a person.
What we need today in the world is more forms of communication, and dance is definitely that for myself and a lot of people. It’s not easy to always just open your mouth and say what you feel. But it is very easy to emote that through your movement.
I have a lot of male students that are comfortable in the classroom and on stage but in their everyday lives, they don’t really feel like they have a chance just because they’re so privy to want to prove themselves to the outside world and society has deemed masculine or a man. And I feel like that’s not necessarily true. Being a man is a self-defined thing and it’s different for each guy. I feel like you yourself define who you are. “You can only be yourself because everyone else is already taken.”
I’ve realized over the years people are different and I can’t allow myself to be responsible for what somebody else thinks and/or feels about who I am as a man. That’s not my job or my concern. Dance has helped me love the man that I am. Whether it be a day where I have to be super strong or proud or a protector or a lover. It has allowed me to be free with my inner self and love every part of me. There’s no right or wrong to being who you are.
I feel like sometimes, especially coming from a strict ballet background, [men] get labeled as a tool a lot of the times just to show off the girl; you’re there to look nice in your tights and costume and make sure the girl stays on her “box.” But a lot of the times, we have to diminish our art so that we are an asset to someone else.
Dance is the only form of communication where there is no limit to how far I can communicate and who else I can reach. It is universal. It’s the same in every language, country. It is beyond this world.
– DWAYNE COOK, JR.
