by Anthony Bottan
Ryan Rankine, 20, of Baldwin is one of the final 12 competitors left on the show, in which the grand prize for the winner is $100,000, a car and a one year contract to dance in Celine Dion's show at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas.
However, his longevity on the hit series comes as no surprise to his mother, Sonia Jackson, owner of the La Diva Beauty Salon in Baldwin. Jackson said Ryan's determination and passion for dancing has been anything but ephemeral since he started dancing at age six.
"When he was younger, the kids weren't always accepting of Ryan's talent, but he just didn't care what people thought," Jackson said.
Ryan's love for dancing developed when he went to an African dance show in Hempstead at age six. The performance sparked a passion for the arts in Ryan, leading his mother to enroll him in dance classes at the On Stage Dance School under the tutelage of Timothy Bishop.
There he studied tap, jazz and ballet, as his budding potential for dance grew stronger. He seasoned his skills while attending the famous LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts in Manhattan, which have seen the likes of Alicia Keys, Liza Manelli and Al Pacino grace its hallways.
Ryan graduated from LaGuardia in 2003, and was later accepted to the dance program at SUNY Purchase. His mother, Sonia, didn't know what to think when Ryan proposed the idea of going to college for dance.
"I thought he was crazy. I didn't know you can go to college for dance," Jackson said.
Unfortunately, Ryan was forced to drop out of SUNY Purchase so he could travel out to California to pursue his dream of dancing, fame and stardom on "So You Think You Can Dance?" However, long time family friend Jeanie Gachett knows that an opportunity like this comes only once in a lifetime.
"He did the right thing," Gachett said.
Ryan's mother Sonia feels the same way. She decorated her Baldwin salon inside and out with posters of Ryan, asking for the community's support by voting for Ryan every Thursday when the show airs on FOX.
Among the awards on Ryan's dancing resume are the NAACP Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics Gold Medal (New York), the Silver Medal (National 2002-2003) and was a finalist in the 2003 in the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts Recognition and Talent Search.
Not only is Ryan a great dancer, but he's also an avid swimmer and an active participant in Baldwin's Second Baptist Church's choir and youth group.
The next few weeks of the FOX reality series will determine if this Baldwin star will get the opportunity to shine for the whole world to see.
