If you’re a fan of the television show So You Think You Can Dance? then you may very well know of season four contestant Stephen Boss, who is more commonly known by his stage name, “tWitch.” Ever since he was young, tWitch has been performing.
“I went to school for dance. I learned the basics of ballet, modern, jazz, a little ballroom, a little tap, but I’ve been doing hip hop and freestyle ever since I started.”
It wasn’t until his senior year of high school that he realized he wanted to be a professional dancer. “It was the first time I knew you could actually do something as far as a career with dance. It never registered to me that maybe some of the people I saw in music videos were some of the same people dancing in live performances and things like that. I joined the dance team at my high school in my senior year where I learned about dance classes and dance workshops, which I knew nothing about, and that’s when it all kind of clicked for me, not necessarily that I was going to be a professional dancer but it was definitely the path that I wanted to take. I just wanted to dance so whether it became a profession or not I just knew that that’s what I wanted to do.”
There are many dancers who want to make it as professionals. Many people have a misconception however that once you “make it” as a professional that you’ll be making a lot of money. “The reality of the situation is that dancers can definitely make a living. You can definitely survive on dancing, but it takes money management and really careful thinking. Dancers, as artists, are still fighting their way up the totem pole. We’re still fighting for decent pay and for compensated pay. I think we’re getting closer every day with that battle, but it’s definitely a misconception that once you’ve done a couple of videos or maybe a tour or two that you’re absolutely swimming in the dough. It’s not that at all, especially if you’re living in L.A. or New York. The cost of living there is ridiculous, so that takes up a huge part of it. But we’re still fighting to do that though, absolutely.”
After auditioning for a few seasons, tWitch finally made it to the top 20 dancers selected for Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance? season four, where he finished in second place! “There are so many things I learned from the show but above all the biggest thing I learned is that hard work is a way of life, it’s not an elective. You really realize the full potential of your work ethic being on a show like that. They push you. It’s very rewarding, not just the accolades of the show but just in terms of your potential and getting through things that I didn’t think that I could get through. Had I come back from the future and told myself in the 12th grade some of the things that I would have been enduring I would have been like ‘nah.’ If anything my work ethic is just exponentially expanding.”
Since his time on So You Think You Can Dance? tWitch has appeared in movies like Step Up 3D and television shows such as Bones, showing his acting skills. “I’m from Montgomery, Alabama and there’s a college there called Alabama State University. They had a theater program that they let the kids come to every year in June. We would study dancing, acting, singing and different technical aspects of the theater. I really liked being on the stage and becoming what I thought was another character at the time. Acting has always been a love of mine.”
On weekends you can catch tWitch teaching on dance conventions, such as Xtreme Dance Convention, where I met up with him for this interview. “I’m on my teaching circuit. I’m going out to different places every weekend teaching classes around the country. It feels good to look around the room at the end of the class when groups are going and everyone is just dancing and having a good time and people are sneaking into groups because they want to go again. Everyone can come here and get away from all of their problems for a little bit. Whatever they have going on outside, whatever they may be stressed about, when they come here they don’t worry about it, they just have a good time, they just dance. If anything I just hope people take away fun and the lightheartedness of life after taking my class. Life is supposed to be fun and mad adventures.”
When tWitch is not teaching on conventions he is continually working on his skills. “During the week, I’m in L.A. training in the studio, taking acting classes and auditioning. What’s immediately next for me is skill sharpening, making sure that I’m holding up my half of the opportunity when it presents itself. Right now hopefully the acting will build up its momentum and the dancing will too.”
Want to stay up to date with tWitch? Follow him on twitter at @Official_tWitch.
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