The competitive dance season just got underway at the University of St. Thomas, and this year marks the first time a male dancer tried out and made the team.

Meet 18-year-old Drew Thompson from Belgrade, Minnesota.

“Just knowing I am staying confident in who I am and what my abilities are was the biggest thing for me throughout this whole journey,” Thompson said.

Thompson will be the first male on the University of St. Thomas Dance Team. He earned one of only eight rookie spots on the team.

Co-ed dance teams are a new but growing trend at colleges and universities across the country. 

Julia Harris is the Head Dance Coach at the University of St. Thomas. She said they saw it as an opportunity to take the team in a new direction.

“We’ve never had a male dancer try out. This was a cool and unique opportunity for us,” she said.

“If you’ve seen him dance, his dancing speaks for itself,” she said.

Drew plans to study business at the University of St. Thomas. He hopes to use his degree to own and run his own dance studio someday.