Every dancer has a story about how they came to love their craft — whether it be a way to keep off the street or simply a way to express themselves, summer students at the National Dance Foundation of Bermuda are living a dream.

Roman Cruz, 17, was taught salsa and meringue from his mother as a child, and became more serious about classical dance four years ago.

Coming from Newark, New Jersey, Mr. Cruz has seen many young people, including his brother, exposed to negative peer pressures, such as gang activity, stealing cars and selling drugs.

"There's so much talent in Newark but no one does much because they tend to get peer pressured into doing negative things," he said.

He, however, was determined to make his own path — one that involved dance — and was encouraged by his mother and dance teacher to pursue his dream. "I see my dance teacher as my father because we are so close to each other and he has been teaching me since day one, he's always been there pushing me.

"He'll always tell me 'if I want to be somebody in life, I have to struggle for it'. I can't just be like some of these gangsters off the street selling drugs and all that."

According to Mr. Cruz, dance has been a positive outlet for him, it helped him to relieve stress and express his feelings, rather than keep them bottled up inside. "Everyday I get more into it and learn new things from these wonderful teachers," he said of the experience. "I came because I had really nothing (planned) in August and knew to keep my body in shape," said the aspiring professional dancer.

"As you get older you start to get into the craft more and pay attention to it. I love it for what it is."

This is his second year dancing with the National Dance Foundation of Bermuda (NDFB) summer intensive programme, DanceBermuda, a three-week camp running from August 5-24.

The programme has given local and international students the chance to study with renowned dance teachers from the National Dance Foundation, American Ballet Theatre, Juilliard and the Paul Taylor School.

According to NDFB Board Member Wendy Davis-Johnson the programme "was established to provide talented Bermudian dancers with the opportunity to receive superior training from a world-class faculty without the expense of travelling overseas.

"In three short years, DanceBermuda has gained a reputation as one of the best programmes available for dancers and there are students who have been accepted into other prestigious programmes who choose DanceBermuda because of the quality of faculty, the individual attention they receive and the warm and nurturing environment established by staff."

Nineteen-year-old Darius Barnes is an apprentice at the New York City Ballet and, like many others taking part in the summer programme, has a rigorous dance schedule from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., which includes everything from ballet, modern to Broadway jazz pieces.

As an African American, Mr. Barnes admits that there has been some challenges for him as a dancer, partly because there is a lack of awareness in the black community about the art.

When he tells people he is a dancer, they assume that he means a background dancer in the music videos, he said with a laugh. In the dance world, Mr. Barnes has not directly felt any prejudices towards him, but rather a silent pressure.

He said: "You always have to prove yourself, you feel even if there isn't any competition or anything, you just feel that you have to show how good you are."

"We train just as hard as a football or basketball player, but we wear tights and try to make it look easy."

When asked what advice he would give to aspiring young dancers, he said: "Don't let people deter you because they will just because they are ignorant — not in a mean way, but they just don't know."

Precious Adams, 12, is the youngest dancer in the advanced programme and grew up in Bermuda before moving to the United States with her family.

When she sat down with The Royal Gazette some of the pressures of the programme had set in, however, she admitted that she generally enjoys the challenge. "I like that it's challenging and there's a lot of classes and you get a lot out of it, but it can be tiring," she said.

"If you are serious about dance you have to really push yourself past your limit, to your maximum, and don't give up, don't be lazy."

While dance obviously requires some aches and pains and a bunch of dedication, Miss Adams admits that DanceBermuda has had it's rewards.

She said: "You get to be around a lot of people and make friends, and you are dancing and doing what you love.

In addition, she loves the wardrobe and culture of dance, as well as the femininity of the movements, and hopes to be able to pursue a career in dance when she is older.

You can see all their dancers put their skills to the test at a workshop performance on August 24th at the City Hall. Tickets go on sale for $8 and can be found at boxoffice.bm after August 21.