Meet the Inlet Company

Kevin’s Story:

“I discovered Inlet the summer of my sophomore year at Shaker Heights High School through a friend. He had participated in Inlet’s Summer Dance Intensive and told me that it was absolutely something that I had to try out as well. I was a little unsure because when I heard the word “dance” it made me feel like it wasn’t something that I should do because, although I have always loved dancing, I had never taken a dance class before. The only kind of dancing I had done at that point was in my living room or school dances. However, my friend encouraged me to do it anyway and even told me that Inlet does a lot of the things that we were doing in the Shaker Ensemble Program which I later found out was called Non-Traditional Partnering. I was sold after he told me that because I love the athleticism of Non-Traditional Partnering. When I showed up to the camp, one of the first pieces I saw Inlet perform was “Doppelgänger” and it blew my mind. I had also realized that there was a lot more to this Non-Traditional Partnering technique and it made me eager to learn more.

I took all the knowledge I learned with Inlet and shared it all with my classmates in the Shaker Ensemble Program and made sure I went back to Inlet every summer, not just because I loved it, but to also learn more and to continue to give to my classmates. While I was in school, I remember working on Non-Traditional Partnering and thinking to myself, “I wish there was a way for me to do this after I graduate high school.” I was so wrapped in the pressures of college and getting there that I totally missed that Inlet is the outlet for me being able to continue Non-Traditional Partnering. 

It wasn’t until the day before Move In at The Ohio State University that I realized that school is not where I wanted or needed to be. It had been brought to my attention that I was quite gifted with not only Non-Traditional Partnering, but also just dancing, which was encouraging to hear—I love it so much. Going to OSU to study Criminal Law Enforcement is something I would not have loved doing. So, I got in touch with Bill Wade and got into the Inlet Trainee and Apprentice Program. Being with Inlet has not only helped me grow as a dancer, but also as a person. It is the continued learning in both of those things that keeps me here and the fact that I can do that while reaching out and connecting with our audiences that makes everything that much sweeter.”