Send Cameron Fikes to Alonzo King LINES Ballet

Hola! My name is Cameron Fikes, I'm 15 years old, and I'm fundraising to attend Alonzo King LINES Ballet Summer Program in San Francisco, California.

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I first started dancing in Atlanta, Georgia when I was 8 years old. The studio I attended was fun! I danced with great dancers and choreographers and was introduced to the world of dance.

In 2017, I moved to California and attended the Debbie Allen Dance Academy Summer Intensive at the age of 10. The Debbie Allen Dance Academy Summer Intensive taught me a lot, but mentally, I was not ready. Shortly after that, I quit dancing.

In California, the diversity of artists was mind-blowing and intimidating! I was intimidated by the stars I was shooting for and everyone trying to reach their stars. I was comparing myself to someone else's journey instead of focusing on mines. I found myself sitting in my filth and immune to it. I stopped stretching, stopped dancing, stopped growing, stopped living, and stopped wanting to be an artist. I wanted to be a "normal" boy... tell people, Yes! I do play basketball. Yes! I do play football. Yes! I do run track and I don't dance because it's for girls. I wanted to be like everyone else, be someone I'm not, someone God didn't create me to be. Though, deep down, I knew I loved to express myself through my art. I knew that I wanted to dance. I wanted to be Cameron Ashton Fikes, the artist, which includes acting, dancing, singing, directing/choreographing, content creation, producing, and editing.

After a lot of fights with myself, I found myself at the local Dance, Acting, Singing/Piano, and Gymnastics class! Comparison was still there and with my skin tone, height, and body type I felt left out. Through this came fast maturing, seeing things from a different perspective. I no longer saw my art as a little activity but a way to release my frustrations and express myself.

In 2020, My mom registered me for our local Highschool in Temecula, California but she wasn't able to get any performing arts classes as electives. She took matters into her own hands and began to look for Performing Art Highschools instead. She stumbled upon Los Angles County High School for the Arts and figured if I got in we'd figure out the next steps which would essentially mean a move to Los Angles, California, 2 hours from where I called home. I didn't know how to feel about going to an art school, I didn't feel like I was good enough, I didn't want to leave my friends and "normal" life!

A hop skip and a jump away, "Congratulations! You've been accepted into Los Angeles County High School for the Arts." I was excited but shocked. I remember being sort of speechless. "Are we really going to move to LA?" "What's the next step?" As you may have guessed, we moved to Los Angeles to attend Los Angles County Highschool for the Arts, where I built a stronger foundation mentally and physically.

Fast forward to today, I'm on my way to Alonzo King LINES Ballet Summer Intensive Program! I plan to shock the world and break into the Artist Industry. To teach, learn, grow, fail, succeed, and inspire other artists to keep reaching for YOUR stars. I appreciate your support in creating a legacy. So, join my journey and be a part of the next chapter, please send me to Alonzo King LINES Ballet Summer Intensive. Thank you, and have a blessed day.