Xavier “Flywalker” Drayton has been a dancer his entire life, and for almost half that time, Shane “Bboy Depree” Fry has been a part of his journey.When Flywalker was a baby he used to bop to the beat in his car seat. He didn’t just flail around or jerk like other babies. We noticed his head moving in perfect sync with the beat! We couldn’t believe his rhythm.
As he grew, his talent became more evident, and we knew that he needed instruction to take him further.
This is when we met Shane. Shane was an instructor at the Clark Dance
Academy in Buffalo. Xavier was only six at the time, but we asked if Shane would
make an exception and allow him to enroll in the class. Xavier auditioned for Shane,
and he saw what we did, a very talented, driven little boy. Xavier enrolled in the
class, and worked on bboying, however he enjoyed top rocking the most, and
eventually decided to focus on funk styles as his preferred style.
Fast forward four years, and at the ripe old age of 10, Xavier “Flywalker”
premiered his skills at Verve Dance Studio during the January 2008 Battle@Buffalo.
He also enrolled in the “kids class”, and began attending open circles. This is where
he learned foundational dance moves that he excels in today. DFC crew member T-
Money taught him how to tut, other Verve dancers like Solomon Dixon encouraged
him to define his own style, and of course Shane was always there, supporting him
at every turn. It took him almost a year to win a round, but he was persistent! Now,
at aged 13, he has been a permanent fixture at Battle@Buffalo, winning consecutive
titles, and even judging.
Verve Dance Studio is a part of the Drayton family. It will always be
considered Flywalker’s dance home. We are honored to be a part of the Verve
family, and will always support its vision and mission. So, when Xavier decided to host his own dance
competition we knew it needed to be at Verve. Happening Friday, October 21st from 7-11pm, CREEZ- BEYOND THE CRAFT is open to all ages and dance styles. In support of Verve and the local dance community we hope you will join us.
The Drayton Family
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