He pumps gas by day and dances by night ? student Tyler Barker is well on his way to realising a career as a professional dancer after receiving scholarship money this week.

The dedicated dance student has received a scholarship from the Department of Cultural Affairs and the Bermuda Ballet Association to help fund his studies at New World School of the Arts in Miami, Florida.

Mr. Barker, age 20, received a check of $1,500 from each organisation to help fund his studies.

Barker, currently a local student of dancer Lizz Pimental at the In Motion School of dance aspires to travel with a touring company for ten years and return to the Island to share his talents as a dance and theatre teacher.

He is currently pursuing a degree in Fine Arts specialising in dance and dance education and will go into his second year of study in September.

Mr. Barker is so committed to fulfilling his dream that he puts in full eight hour days, seven days a week at the Esso Tigermart at Collector?s Hill, owned by his cousin, earning tips from passing motorists and sharing his aspirations.

?It?s not the most glamorous, but then I tell everyone, it?s the life of a dancer. It?s not going to be the most glamorous,? he said.

Mr. Barker loves his hectic school schedule which gets him up as early as 8 a.m. to begin dancing, ending classes for the day with a rigorous two-hour rehearsal session.

?I love it because it?s an opportunity to travel. It?s a hard lifestyle but you?re paid to travel and stay in shape and you get to meet some very diverse people all of the time,? he said.

He is one of the few Bermudian students to pursue a career in the performing arts.

Recently Mr. Barker participated in the summer intensive programme at the North Carolina School of the Arts with fellow students from the In Motion School of Dance.

In the final show, his artistic ability earned him a spot right in the front during the contemporary piece.

?I?ve always danced, my family helps a lot ? I was never too good at it until I met Lizz,? he said. ?I don?t think people realise what the day of an average dance student is like.

?I think as an art form dance is under appreciated. People just think as a dance major I just dance around, but this isn?t something you can just fly through. You have to be fully committed.?

Dancers can?t hide away in the back of a lecture hall like their academic counterparts, and missing more than three classes can result in the loss of a letter grade.

In a company, Mr. Barker said his career will only become more hectic and he will put in six hours a day of dancing.

Mr. Barker said commitment, energy, dedication to following a proper diet and maintaining your fitness level are all part of the day in the life of a dancer. And while the beach is heating up for the Miami spring break, Mr. Barker and his classmates will not be joining in the partying as the school?s strict performance schedule does not allow for a two-week break.

He said being a male dancer also opens more doors during auditions.

?I love being up there and performing, it?s a real rush to feel the crowd and hear them behind you,? he said.

?I know that when I see a performance if there?s a masculine element on stage I?m drawn to that. It makes you want to strive to be this object of perfection.?

Mr. Barker is also calling for more support of the arts in Bermuda.

He is greatly appreciative of the scholarship money he has received, but calls for more public support of young men and women like himself with a love for dancing and the arts.

?I wish anyone going into the arts could get the help that I?ve got,? said Mr. Barker. ?A big thing I think is that it?s a hard life, you?re not guaranteed money but if you?re not going to get anything to help you through the learning process a lot of people are scared away.

?Every little bit helps but if people can?t even get those little bits it?s going to be a throw away.?

He also said that people ask him about the money aspect of being a dancer.

?There may be or there may not be, I look at it as a chance to perform, to be on the stage doing what I love to do, and an opportunity to get around the world.?