Former resident Kim “Marko” Germar has made it to the top 20 of the FOX show “So You Think You Can Dance” Season 8.
The 22-year-old who graduated from Father Duenas Memorial School moved to California in 2008 to pursue his dreams of becoming a professional dancer.
Germar began dancing at the age of 10, taking formal lessons from DanzJazz Entertainment Company, under the direction of C’zer Medina. While there, he learned various dance styles such as Jazz, Ballet, Tap, Hip-Hop, Ballroom and Gymnastics.
His biggest fan, who happens to be proud mother Mayette Germar, hopes he wins the dance competition since that’s been his ultimate goal when he was on Guam.
“When he was here and we were watching the show, he said, ‘One day I’m going to be in that show,’” said Mayette of her son.
With such conviction, Germar told his mother, “You’re going to watch me and I’m going to win.”
Now that Germar has made it to the top 20, his mother says finalists will be chosen by peoples’ votes.
According to the “So You Think You Can Dance” website, viewers can now vote for their favorite contestant. This can be done three ways — online voting, text messaging, or by calling a toll-free number.
Although talent, passion and drive have brought Germar far, the dancer faced tough challenges.
A year ago, Germar was shot in the arm by some robbers in Los Angeles.
“The bullet was stuck between two bones and the doctor said he can’t take the risk of operating because that would mean Marko could no longer dance,” said Mayette.
Opting out of surgery, Germar still has the bullet in his arm to this day. He had to undergo months of physical therapy before he could get back to training and dancing.
“He worked really hard to recover,” said Mayette tearfully.
She recalled telling her son that maybe it was a sign from God to stop dancing. However, Germar convinced her otherwise, replying: “No mom, I’m pursing my dream.”
With the support of his cousins and friends, Germar continued with his therapy even when he had no money, his mother said.
As he was on the road to recovery, he was taken in by Disneyland to work as a dancer for the musical “Aladdin.”
He also has film credit, playing a small role in the movie “No Strings Attached” starring Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman.
Mayette hopes that by spreading awareness about her son’s disposition, people around the world can appreciate the amount of talent coming from such a small island. In addition to that, she hopes her son gets as much votes as he can to remain a finalist.
Germar’s progress can be followed by tuning in to the FOX channel Friday nights at 8 p.m.
To see details on how to vote, visit www.fox.com/dance.
