A lot of the activities I do at Tufts have pushed me way out of my comfort zone. One thing I'd never expected to do but which has built up my confidence the most is BlackOut, the men’s step team.

Step is a form of African American percussionist dance originating from historically Black fraternities and sororities. You use your whole body for an energetic, explosive performance style. Before Tufts, I had never danced at all; the idea of performing with a group like this was so alien to me. Even after two years on the team, I’m still not busting dance moves like crazy, generally speaking. 

But I joined the team my sophomore fall, and by the first week of November that year, I was at BSU’s Break the Stage in Cohen Auditorium, performing in front of over 500 people. It felt unreal.

We do skits as part of the show, and it was so cool getting into our performance and hearing encouragement from the crowd. We had worked so hard for so long, and it was very rewarding to finally get to show off what we had learned. I might not have done it perfectly, which is fine, but in the moment, it was magical.

When I first started dancing, I was scared, like, ‘Oh, I don't think I'm good enough.’ But along the way, my confidence has grown. Now, if I’m concerned about not being good enough, it’s from a perfectionist point of view: I just want to push myself to be better.

We have practices on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Sundays. Then, the week before a performance is Hell Week, with a minimum of two hours each day, and very late nights. It’s demanding, but the regimen has also required discipline from me that really helps with time management.

Right now, as we get ready for this year's Break the Stage, I’m working with our rookies, teaching them the steps and refining our core mechanics. I remember being in their shoes, with those “I don’t think I got it” kind of vibes. But this year’s team is so high-energy, so excited to just express themselves, it encourages me to push myself too. The other captains and I have put a fun set together. I can’t wait; it’s going to be so good.

—Trey Lawrence, Class of 2026, biology major and co-captain, BlackOut. This year’s Break the Stage event is Sat., Nov. 1

Our Tufts is a series of personal stories shared by members of the Tufts community and featured on both Tufts Now and Instagram.