One pair of feet step onto stage and make its way to the center. Limbs start moving as practiced under the spotlight. A wave of exhilaration overwhelms every single nerve in the body. Then a smile. These motions are all too familiar for actress, speaker, and most famously known as, dancer, Kathryn McCormick.
Growing up in a local dance studio in Georgia, Step Up Revolution actress, Kathryn McCormick is no stranger to the intense competitive aspect of the dance community. While McCormick has turned her passion for dance into a professional career, she is mindful of the evolving negative atmosphere that constantly consumes the competing dancers. Wishing to inspire and help growing dancers discover “the artistry and the beauty” of dance, McCormick enthusiastically jumped at the opportunity to document and illustrate the reality of these dancer’s lives.
“Like Air,” the resulting documentary, produced by McCormick’s husband and starring McCormick herself, “follows a journey of three kids going through this competitive process. It is less about winning or losing, but more so about their mindset throughout the journey.” “Like Air” showcases the behind-the-scenes roller coaster ride of emotions and endless practices of a whole other world. This encouraging documentary highlights the reality– the good and bad of the competition world and tries to “take it back to what competition was intended to be, a space to inspire others and not to create more judgment.”
For McCormick, mentoring throughout the entirety of “Like Air” directly parallels into her current role as a mentor on the 13th season of “So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation.” This is the first season for the popular televised dance competition to be starring younger children. Placing in the top three as a contestant herself in season 6 was something far from what Kathryn could have ever imagined. “I never imagined I would be on the show. I never even let myself dream that big because I didn’t know it was possible for me,” she shares. As McCormick currently serves as a role model to not only Tate McCrae, her mentee and focus of the show, but also to many around the world both on and off-screen, she shares that this attention all the more makes her “want to be more authentic, to be better, to be closer to who [she] is so [she] can love on them.”
Kathryn McCormick’s exploding heart for dance and her dancers is indescribable. She refers to this “journey” as a “gift” given to her to speak and encourage the people around her through the vessel of dance. Creating a legacy with her bright lovable personality, Kathryn McCormick continues to be an overflowing fountain of motivation and inspiration to each person she encounters.
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