Bright lights shine down on the stage as dancers showcase hard work and talent for the crowd with a breathtaking performance.
Senior Tiernan Doran-Fisher has danced for the majority of his life. Upon joining dance 12 years ago, he immediately fell in love with the sport. Fisher continues to practice and perform throughout the ups and downs of a life on the stage.
“I’ve been dancing all over my house since I was really small,” Doran-Fisher said. “I always loved moving and dancing, so my parents took me to try out different kinds of dances and I ended up liking ballet.”
From the time he was young, ballet helped Doran-Fisher in many aspects of life, one being emotionally. The expressive aspect of ballet is one of the reasons he fell in love with the artform.
“[Dance] makes me feel free and alive,” Doran-Fisher said. “It’s a way for me to get out my emotions because I don’t express things really well through talking, so I do it through dancing instead.”
However, dance hasn’t always been easy for Doran-Fisher. There have been many challenges throughout his time engaging in the arts.
“It’s been a long journey, especially being a trans guy. I have [had] female roles and then male roles, so switching was a point where I was [wondering] if I was going to quit dance or not,” Doran-Fisher said. “What kept me going was determination. I want to keep dancing because it’s something that I love so much.”
Doran Fisher has done a variety of shows with the dance studio, Care Ballet. Some of his recent ones being Twas the Night Before Christmas which he performed over Thanksgiving break, and Swan Lake in the beginning of October. With each of these recent performances, Doran-Fisher receives more challenging roles which, in turn, helps him grow as a dancer.
“I played Von Rothbart, so I was the male lead [in Swan Lake],” Doran-Fisher said. “It was one of the biggest acting roles I think I’ve had in any show. Being able to get that opportunity makes me feel better for upcoming [performances].
Science teacher Erin Berryhill watched her former physics student perform in a production of Cinderella. Berryhill observed Doran-Fisher’s talent and passion.
“I could tell how skilled he was at dance and how it’s something that he’s been working on his whole life,” Berryhill said. “It was a show where they had to act a bit too and I felt like he was really good at that and a beautiful dancer.”
Art teacher Nathan Kukla also recognizes Doran-Fisher’s success. He believes that Doran-Fisher’s skill in the graphic design classroom translates to his ability in dance.
“Dance is obviously a creative and expressive outlet,” Kukla said. “I can definitely see how [his] creativity could express itself in performance arts just as well as in the visual arts.”
Not only does Doran-Fisher bring dedication to his dance career, but he also brings his positive attitude to the classroom environment.
“[He] was really good at working with anybody,” Berryhill said. “I think it’s obvious that he’s his own unique individual. Other kids see that and feel comfortable being themselves.”
