Junior Colin Quill amazed homecoming attendees in September with his distinctive dance moves, but that is not the only place where he makes an impression.
Quill actively practices dance at a studio and participates in competitions in Indiana and surrounding states.
“Outside of Homecoming, I do breakdance. I attend a breaking and hip-hop-based studio up North called 31svn SDA (Street Dance Academy). With this, I have taken my skills to many battles both in Indy and outside areas, such as Dayton Ohio, and Chicago Illinois,” Quill said.
Quill’s main style of dance is called breaking, a style associated with complex footwork and athletic stamina.
“I’ve been dancing for about six years now, but I have explored breaking as my primary style for about three years now. The thing that captivated me with the art of breaking was its extreme athletic demand and the culture behind it,” Quill said.
Quill enjoys performing in competitions called battles.
“My favorite memory from competing is just performing alongside my Indy brothers and sisters at the fairgrounds battle this past year. It was a great way to spend my birthday and my weekend. I also got to also meet a ton of other people,” Quill said.
Before he pursued breaking, he trained in other fields of dance.
“What made me want to pursue breaking primarily was my desire to be different from the people at my studio. No one else pursued breaking, and with the help of my current coach, I could learn base moves,” Quill said.
His enthusiasm for breaking drove him to deepen his understanding of the style and to immerse himself in it further.
“Once my current coach could not help me anymore, I took to YouTube and spent months learning and exploring the culture and trying to perfect skills,” Quill said.
Quill applied his skills in the dance circle at Homecoming, impressing himself and those around him.
“I am not the most known kid, and everyone around me knew that I danced, but no one ever saw what I could do; or in some people’s minds, did not think I was serious. When I got in the circle the first time and the other kid stepped out to try and act like a breaker, I did a classic callout, and we battled back and forth,” Quill said.
Quill enjoyed the attention and praise he received after homecoming.
“After Homecoming, people definitely knew who I was, and a lot of people know me as the dancer from Homecoming, which is pretty cool. In the moment, I was in my element both as an average high schooler having their moment and as a performer for everyone else to see,” Quill said.
