Jaiden Murphy has been taking a lot of risks this semester.

This amazing dancer recently started putting on dancing exhibitions during lunch time since the start of the fourth quarter. With the support of ASB and CHS administration, Jaiden brings out the music and the moves a couple times each week.

“It’s pretty calming,” he said.

Jaiden was born in Moreno Valley, California, but moved to Texas at 13 where he stayed for a year before coming to Colton last summer.

He started dancing at 10. Dancing to him is a calm place. When he’s mad or stressed, dancing is the decision. He was inspired by his father, who enrolled him in a dance program in Redlands. The first song he remembers dancing to was Pharrell Williams’s song “Happy.” His body just picked up the rhythm of the music as if it already knew what to do.

Jaiden always had a big feeling for music, but he also has aspirations to play professional basketball. He plays basketball in his free time. Before the opening of the Cafetorium, he played basketball during lunch with friends, but since the closure of the courts, he has been putting on a dance show instead.

Jaiden is well surrounded by a lot of people watching him. He’s used to it. He likes when people join him on the dance floor. When Jaiden dances alone, he feels like everything is about him. He prefers sharing the spotlight and would love to start a dance group during lunch.

As for accidents, Jaiden only recently had his first while dancing. He missed a step rushing to the top of a lunch table and fell face first on the concrete floor. After that other students started sharing videos of him falling.

Jaiden doesn’t really care about that, though. He was back at it the next day, learning from the experience and enjoying a laugh at his own expense.

“It’s the end of the year,” he said. “So why not?”