Living for dance

As a child, Moore’s first exposure to dance came from his sister. When she was a young dancer, his family frequented the dance studio which she attended. Despite this regularity, Moore admitted he considered dancing to be feminine.

“I [assumed] that’s what girls do,” he told the Cord.

Instead, Moore immersed himself in sports like hockey, soccer, football and rugby. It was not until Moore’s mother decided to register him in an all-boys dance class at the studio his sister was enrolled in that he began to dance on his own. Eventually, breakdancing became a pivotal activity in his life.

“[Soon] I did not have time for hockey, I didn’t have time for soccer. It slowly started to transition over to dancing,” Moore explained.

On his journey into dancing, Moore was fortunate enough to be the student of two incredibly inspirational dancers, such as Snapp, who is a well-known street-dancer in Toronto with a crew called The Moon Runners.

“Snapp was very fluid with waving and movement,” Moore described as his hands move effortlessly to demonstrate.

Alternatively, another motivating figure was Jesse Catibog, who made an appearance on So You Think You Can Dance Canada in 2008. It was these two dancers who shaped Moore’s direction and dancing preferences. Moore noted that his present style “is a mix between [breakdancing and hip hop].”

Coming to Laurier meant leaving these inspirations behind and beginning a new chapter. Kyle discovered the club Fashion in Motion, an outlet for dance on campus. Fashion in Motion challenged Kyle with “different styles like jazz and contemporary because [he] had never tried this type of dance before.” His passion for dance only expanded with this new knowledge.

“It’s why I decided to become a choreographer for Fashion in Motion this year,” he said.

Moore dedicates every Sunday to instructing his fellow peers. As if his co-curricular record was not impressive enough, Moore became part of ALIAS, a dance crew on the Laurier campus. He now draws inspiration from his fellow dancers.

Although his love for dance has not subsided, Moore acknowledges challenges in maintaining his devotion to dance. Because of this, “the biggest challenge is finding time to practice, train and get better. It’s hard to improve with school, clubs, other commitments and work. You kind of have to give something up to keep doing it at your full potential.”