Dancing Past Obstacles: A local instructor’s effort to pursue his dream

 It’s common for children to find joy, and even passion, in their hobbies and extracurricular activities. It’s also common for children to aspire to turn these passions into a career, such as professional football and acting. But as they grow older, these grand plans tend to fade. Often, this vanishing interest is due to the challenge of getting into the job of their dreams—not everyone who can play football or paint can do so professionally. Other times, the activities that once gave them great joy have become a chore to them, they’re afraid such a thing will happen if they do their hobby professionally. But there are some that, in spite of the challenges, pursue their dreams with gusto. Peyton Albrecht, a local dance instructor, is an example of this.
Peyton grew up surrounded by dance—both his mother and grandmother owned a dance studio—and it didn’t take long for him to love the craft himself. “Dance is my passion; I thrive in dance through the creativity, the athleticism, and not to mention the love and soul. Dance is its own language, so I can create my own conversation through it.” Peyton started dancing at an early age, and began participating in competitions at age seven. At eighteen, he auditioned for the hit television show So You Think You Can Dance, and advanced to just before the live shows. “Auditioning for So You Think You Can Dance was the first time I’ve ever auditioned for something of that magnitude.” Peyton recalled, “I remember being young, and not really knowing what to expect, and thinking that whatever happens is meant to be  and with even having all those fears, I was trying not to let them get the best of me.”
After the competition, he continued striving after his dream of dancing professionally. In October 2016, Peyton moved to Los Angeles to live out his childhood dream of becoming a professional dancer.
Since then, Peyton has become a part of the dance company “Royal Flux,” and has auditioned for multiple commercials. One of these commercials stands out in particular—in January 2017, Peyton had an audition for a huge artist that would be any dancer’s dream to work for and he put all of his energy into getting the job. Hours between auditions and callbacks for the job, Peyton had a casting for a commercial for Wienerschnitzel. After this very short, last minute casting, Peyton then proceeded to go back to the callback for the artist. Weeks later Peyton was offered to become the Wienerschnitzel mascot. This led to Peyton being in eight separate commercials over the span of eight months.
He also began substitute teaching at Studio 1 Dance Academy, a local dance studio. “Actually a year ago, one of my good friends asked me to help him out and to sub a class for him at night,” said Peyton, regarding how he first became an instructor. What he didn’t know was that this favor for a friend would lead to the job he has now. He teaches at Studio 1 Dance Academy every Monday night, and loves everyone he works with. “They are great students, that work so hard,” said Peyton, “No matter what the challenge is I’m asking for, they’re willing to commit and really go for it which is great as an instructor and choreographer.” This opportunity, along with the Wienerschnitzel commercials, taught him an important lesson, “Take every opportunity that comes your way, because you never know where it will take you.”
Pursuing one’s “dream job” isn’t for everyone. It can be a long, arduous, and unfruitful journey. But for those with the talent, determination, and willingness to take whatever chance they can get, such as Peyton, it’s a path worth taking.

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