Growing up in a family of football and baseball players, dance was never what Max’s family expected him to gravitate toward. But after discovering the dancer “Nonstop” on YouTube and developing an obsession with the Xbox game “Dance Central,” he decided to teach himself to dance. He had always felt a deep connection to music, and watching other dancers perform inspired him to learn about this newfound hobby.  Max’s parents noticed the effort and threw him into his first dance class at age 10. He lucked out with an incredible dance teacher, Malachi Durant, who fed his passion by giving him private lessons and writing him a note with names like Ian Eastwood, Brian Puspos, and Keone and Mari to look up online, which not only exposed him to the broader dance community but also other creative people pushing choreography.  This gave him a vision of what dance could be for him at a very early age.

After moving to Madison, Max began training with his mentor and friend AJ Juarez. He also began teaching regularly at Madison Dance Academy and training in Chicago and occasionally Los Angeles. The skills he gained led to an audition and a spot on the “Chicago Young Lions,” where he trained under Ian Eastwood.

We are fortunate to have Max as an instructor at Synergy, where he can share his love for dance, music, creativity, and art weekly. Fun Fact: “Star Wars” is his jam.