ROCHESTER, N.Y. — This is the story of a young Rochester man who turned a fourth-grade timeout into a life-changing dance career. Kyle Steins found his voice through the art and is now breaking boundaries and inspiring others along the way.  

The 24-year-old soon found that his excessive talking allowed him to express himself in a way that he needed the most. 

What You Need To Know

  • Kyle Steines' journey began in fourth grade when he discovered the power of dance as a means of self-expression

  • Facing personal struggles, Kyle turned to dance to navigate social interactions and cope with bottled-up emotions

  • Kyle's resilient journey serves as an inspiration for those facing difficulties expressing their emotions. He hopes that others, especially boys of color, will find their outlet for self-expression

"The music teacher just put on a hip-hop song and I just started dancing out of nowhere," said Steins. "And then all of a sudden everybody just turns around and looks back at me."

Little did they know, this impromptu dance marked the beginning of a life-changing journey. Winning the talent show with a backflip, Kyle became a crowd favorite for years to come.

"I didn't know what I was doing," he said. "I was moving my body and then I won."

In sixth grade, faced with a choice between dance and drumming, Kyle decided on dance at the School of the Arts to sharpen his skills, later allowing him to break into the competitive dance scene, on a full scholarship, building his competitive nature. 

"I like to do what I need to do better than everybody else," said Steins.

Personal struggles in the life of this once talkative fourth grader led Kyle to begin bottling up his true emotions, but dance provided a means of expression, helping Kyle to navigate social interactions.

"Dancing just lets me, like, forget that I'm doing this thing that's making me nervous and I can still talk, you know?" Steins said.

Facing challenges growing up in the city and the dance world, Kyle confronts stereotypes and pressures, admitting to battling an eating disorder to fit the dancer's physique. 

"I would Starve myself, you know, just to stay the figure that I think I need to be, that's trauma that I put myself through in the past that is still with me," said Steins.

Dancing through his emotions, echoing his journey of self-discovery and resilience. 

"If my life didn't go the way that it did, I wouldn't be where I am right now," he said. "Because living in the city, it's, you know, it's hard, especially boys of color, to be like doing something different, you go through being called names, it's a lot."

Kyle hopes that those who are struggling to express their emotions will find their outlet like he did.