Acro has helped Michaela Beck rise above — literally — the hate she's faced as a young trans dancer
She's shaken off the 'low-vibers' with the help of her mom, coach, and unconditionally supportive teammates
As a child, Michaela Beck would watch shows like Hannah Montana and The Next Step and dream about becoming a dancer. But growing up in Brockville, Ont. — a beautiful small town in the Thousand Islands region — she had access to only four dance studios. She trained, excelled, and started dancing competitively, but soon found most of those local studios closing their doors to her.
The reason? Michaela is trans.
Facing that kind of discrimination while trying to pursue her passion was extremely difficult, but with the support of her dance teacher Grace Villanueva — who she calls her biggest hero — and her teammates at Brockville's Thrill Dancers studio, she's able to brush off the haters now.
"There's obviously those people who are low-vibers and they're not going to accept you for who you are, but then you have these amazing dance teammates that love you for who you are, and they want to be with you every step of the way. They're amazing — even if you have to go to four dance studios to find that out."
In this emotional episode of The Move 3: Kids, Michaela performs a deeply personal dance about transition and tolerance to the song "Define Me" by Ryan Amador featuring Jo Lampert. The anthemic ballad calls for equity and tolerance, and Ryan Amador has donated proceeds of the track to a variety of LGBTQ causes.
Dance saved Michaela's life. As a competitive acro dancer, she could handle the harsh critiques onstage, but it was the judgment she faced off the stage that almost forced her out of dance forever. She credits her mother Liz for helping her navigate these barriers and has found a dance home with the Thrill Dancers, who have been incredibly supportive allies.
"Every kid wants to know they have a safe place to go to. And every kid also wants to know that they have people around them that will love them endlessly."
The Move 3: Kids features performances from nine of the most incredible young dancers in Canada. Find out more and stream the full series now on CBC Gem.
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