Being a part of the minority can be discouraging; however junior David Rodriguez’s strong passion for dance outweighs the challenges of being the only male on the Xcalibur dance team, Carlsbad High’s JV dance team.

Rodriguez started dancing at the end of eighth grade because of the inspiration he found from many different dancers.

“I saw my friends preform, and I saw how much fun they were having. So I said to myself, ‘I want to be on that stage one day,'” Rodriguez said.

Dance has always been a personal outlet for Rodriguez, and being able to share the experience with his team makes dancing even more worthwhile.

“Once I got into high school everything changed, it was super different because everyone was super welcoming,” Rodriguez said.

Not only has Xcalibur made a change in Rodriguez’s life, he has also brought many changes to the team. Senior Lauren Streicher, Xcalibur team captain, noticed the positive changes in the team dynamic.

“The main advantage that we have with David being on the team is just a different aspect that we didn’t have in the past,” Streicher said. “He brings a different vibe.”

Xcalibur has not only furthered his dancing, but encouraged him to stay motivated.

“My favorite thing would definitely be interacting with everyone during practices and working so hard, and putting so many hours into practice,” Rodriguez said. “And then at the end of the day finally seeing all your hard work pay off.”

Even though this is Rodriguez’s s first year on Xcalibur, he has the same vision as all the other girls who have been teammates for a while.

“David brings very positive energy, he is very motivated to be on Xcalibur,” Streicher said. “He is totally in it with us; we’re all in it to get the same goal at nationals.”

Dance has opened up Rodriguez to many new things and has made him stronger and more passionate about the goals he hopes to achieve.

“It’s definitely scary going out of your comfort zone, to interact with people who have been dancing for years,” Rodriguez said. “You have to stay motivated, no one is going to do it for you. Its all up to you; what you want to do and how far you want to go.”