(bright music) (dramatic cmusic) - I did apply to a couple of other dance colleges that I was interested in, but Juilliard was definitely the main one.

But it was obviously more kind of a dream because of the acceptance rate and the reality of getting in.

- There's no way they're gonna pick two boys from the same studio.

- Juilliard's Dance Program is tough to get into.

I always try to tell kids, that cannot be the only one that you wanna audition for, because throughout the whole world, they take 12 girls and 12 guys, so the odds of you getting in, is like slim to none.

- The hardest part was waiting.

(suspenseful music) That was the hardest part.

I was in the car, I look at my phone, and it says it's from New York, and I don't usually answer like random calls or whatever, but I was like, "Is this like, is this for real?"

So I answer it, and it's the Dean of Dance, and I screamed immediately.

They probably thought I was crazy.

They were laughing at me the whole time.

- I knew that a call could be coming.

I answered it and obviously I was so excited.

They were just laughing 'cause it's, we don't even know how to react, it's so shocking.

So I actually started dance at, what most would consider too late.

I was like 13.

(gentle music) I started out in gymnastics, and I've always loved to dance.

I'm a pretty shy person, so I was a little iffy about it, but I ended up loving it.

I came here 'cause I knew that Denise's training was advanced and could get me, if I want to do this for a living, where I need to be.

- When I was like three, I was watching "So You Think You Can Dance," obviously I was a little kid, jumping around, so then I forced my mother to put me in dance classes.

I've always looked up to Denise Wall's dance energy, like forever.

I came to a few of the intensives, so Denise knew who I was.

Like she knew my face, she knew how I danced, so she'd seen me before.

We'd talked to her and she decided that she was gonna let me in Company, and I was so excited.

Now we are where we are.

- I tell you, they're amazing students.

They're just hungry to learn, they're just very giving to other people, and just great team players.

What they bring into the space is very positive.

John is very quiet, and it took him a while really to open up.

John has amazing facility, he's got all this natural flexibility.

John had a lot of ballet, he didn't have a lot of movement quality, but he had trouble really getting grounded into the floor 'cause he's so tall and moving out from himself.

John trusted me right from the get-go.

We had a a good connection.

- It was kind of intimidating coming in here for the first time, 'cause this little studio in Virginia Beach is like nationally ranked, and pretty much every dancer all over the world knows about her.

So it was intimidating for sure, but she's not scary at all.

She's one of the most friendly people that I've met.

Denise prepares us for everything.

We're always learning new things every day, about how we should be and act as dancers.

She definitely keeps us stern and disciplined.

We're all good kids because of her.

It's a lot of hard work and it's definitely hard sometimes, but at the end of the day, it's what we all love doing, and our hard work definitely pays off.

- Caden is amazing in class.

(soft, intense music) He will do well because he's engaged.

Right when you start teaching it, he's so connected to the teacher, and he's got great musicality, and he just gives 200%.

- We're literally a huge family.

It's been a good experience, really good.

It's helped me, it's matured me, and I think it's prepared me.

That's the big point.

It's prepared me for the future and it's prepared me to move to the city, and it's prepared me to be a professional dancer.

(gentle classical music) It's 90% mental and 10% physical, which I didn't really comprehend at first.

But now, since I've grown into my body, and my form and my physique, that I'm figuring out that being a smart dancer is better than being a physical dancer.

- I've been teaching for over 40 years.

We try to train these kids mentally all the way.

I don't sugarcoat it for them, I wanna be honest with them, but I do it in a nurturing way because it is very mental.

If you prepare them that way mentally, even if they don't do this for a living, we teach so much more than dance.

You've gotta be a leader, you can't be the one that's causing drama.

You gotta get along with people, you gotta be able to motivate people, and they make it in the corporate world because they know how to lead people.

(dramatic music) - The whole experience is really unbelievable.

Like I don't even think it's really set in.

To go from a little southern town, to New York City, is definitely a lot to think about, and there's a lot that I don't know, but all I know is that I'm really excited and happy about the whole thing.

- I think being here was a big, big factor, getting me to be able to do my dream.

I'm so excited and I'm excited to learn.

(inspirational music) That's what I'm most excited: I'm excited to learn from the crazy faculty that's at Juilliard.

I'm nervous 'cause there's a lot that could happen, but I'm more excited than nervous.

- When they leave us, it's heartbreaking.

Dance teachers go through this every year.

Every time they leave, it's like my heart breaks.

(dramatic music) (gentle music) (music fades)