Raymond Naval, a former Diamond Bar High School Dance Team student, recently made an appearance on the season four premiere of “Glee.” The young dancer attained this rare opportunity through a scholarship at a dance convention in New York.
“Glee” is an American musical comedy-drama television series that focuses on the high school glee club “New Directions.” The club members cope with competition, relationships, and many other social issues. In the season four premiere episode, “The New Rachel,” Naval plays a New York City dancer in one of Rachel Berry’s technique classes at her new school.
The DBHS dance program allowed him to grow in his technicality and creativity. Through his high school career, Naval acquired openness and freedom that enabled him to create his own choreography and pursue his goals.
“The experience on ‘Glee’was a very wonderful and unreal moment. The set, crew, cast, and everything that goes into the production were amazing to be a part of. I was excited to be around so many professionals in the industry,” Naval said.
Naval grew as a person as well as a dancer after being on the set of “Glee.” Meeting many dancers that have starred on “So You Think You Can Dance” and “Dancing with the Stars” during production, he was even more inspired to study dance as an occupation. Through his experience, Naval found role models who showed him how to follow his dreams as well as how to love and appreciate his career path.
Atending UC Irvine, Naval has learned that dance is more than just a few steps and movement. Believing that dance allows people to simply express themselves, he feels that dance is a passionate blend of art and emotion; it’s making a statement, expressing emotions, and using body language without words.
Determined to work hard and to take in every opportunity as a learning experience, dancers like Naval join together the musicality and rhythm they are born with to the tune of any song. These artists create visual images to capture the hearts of those who watch, instigating happiness, sadness, curiosity, or sometimes, just an overflowing pool of different emotions.
The former DB student dreams of becoming a professional dancer and going on a world tour to visit as many countries as possible. His goal is to live through life a day at a time with an optimistic outlook. Naval lives by the motto, “Rule your mind or it will rule you.” He believes that this quote is essential in the dance industry and in life as a whole.