Erik Cavanaugh Will Make You Ugly Cry in This New Music Video About Bullying in Dance

Erik Cavanaugh first caught everyone’s attention when a video of his dancing went viral last year. It started a much-needed conversation about body image in dance, and today Cavanaugh is helping to further that dialogue thanks to a new music video by singer/songwriter Marc Richter.

Mirroring the song’s lyrics, “Dancing With U” follows a younger version of Cavanaugh who dreams of dancing but is bullied in school for his appearance. Cut to a grown-up Cavanaugh, who attends a dance audition, only to find that not much has changed. In a sequence of flashbacks from his childhood followed by Cavanaugh dancing through splashes of glitter and color, he keeps dancing despite the judgement from others.

Sharing his intentions behind the video on Facebook, Richter, who also produced the video, wrote, “It’s time we spread awareness in a cool way to encourage youth to be inspired on how to prevent [bullying], as well as how to tolerate others who are ‘different’.” Though the video obviously appeals to any dancer who has had to overcome criticism or doubts about their talent, it’s pretty safe to say its positive message will resonate with non-dancers as well.