Dustin True’s path as a professional dancer has taken him all over the world, but the journey hasn’t been easy.
“As a young person, there is a necessary drive and passion that will help carry you,” says True, a graduate of Miller-South Visual Performing Arts here in Akron. “It also requires a certain maturity that has to come prematurely, and if the reward of dancing doesn’t give you back all that you are putting in to it, I would not recommend pursuing dance to young people.”
The last five years of his career were spent working as a soloist for the Los Angeles Ballet. Now he’s working in musical theatre for a production of “Oklahoma!” as Dream Curly, and this fall, he’ll venture to Germany where he is contracted to dance for the Ballett Dortmund.
Not only did Miller South afford him the principles of visual art, theatre and music, but a chance to spend countless hours honing his skills in a space that was set apart from the normal competition and cliques that most adolescents have to deal with, including bullying.
He attributes his time at the performing arts school to his success in a professional ballet company. And, he says, dance is not just for those who study it. True also believes that everyone should dance in some capacity as much as possible.