DOTHAN, Ala. — Impromptu dance moves by an Alabama sixth-grader were the highlight of a graduation ceremony last week.

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Trevor Bolling, 12, was more expressive than his classmates at Highlands Elementary School in Dothan, the Dothan Eagle reported. While the graduating class was reciting the song “I’m Good,” Bolling’s theatrical dance moves and facial expressions were the hit of the ceremony.

Bolling’s dance quickly went viral after his teacher, Tara Singley, posted a clip Friday on Facebook.

His mother, Gemma Bolling, said the video showcases her son’s theatrical personality. Trevor takes drama classes and has appeared in several theatrical productions, Gemma Bolling told the Eagle.

“He’s just really silly, really goofy,” Gemma Bolling told the newspaper. “But, I didn’t know he was going to do that. … He just completely improvised that dance routine.”

Singley said Trevor Bolling’s actions capture the awkwardness of the sixth grade.

“Some were embarrassed to be in front of people. One was shy while trying to sing and make their parents proud. Some were hiding behind a friend. One was doing exactly what their teacher told them to do,” Singley told the Eagle. “Then, there was Trevor... the one that we all look back on our middle school days and wish we had been courageous enough to be. We all wish we had his confidence and joy during one of the most awkward years of our lives.”

Another one of Trevor’s teachers, Erin Woodham, said her student is “always performing,”

“That truly is him. He’s such an independent and free spirit,” Woodham told the Eagle. “He was putting his heart into that performance.”

Woodham said many students heading into their teens tend to act the same.

“He’s one of those rare students that wants to be himself,” Woodham told the Eagle. “It didn’t matter if everyone else thought it was cool or funny. He simply wanted to be himself and that’s what we want for our students, to be themselves. They don’t have to be what they see on TikTok or other social media platforms.”

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