A large male dancer is changing the shape of ballet

Pittsburgh-based Erik Cavanaugh doesn't have the typical "lean, long" dancer's body, but that hasn't stopped him from spending the past six years perfecting his art.

The performer, who practices contemporary/modern and ballet, has been posting videos of himself dancing on Instagram, alongside the hashtags "#dancerscomeinallsizes" and #passionoverperception." He told INSIDER that his goal is to transform the idea of the "perfect" dancer's body.

"I want the world to see that dancers are capable of coming in any size," he said.

Cavanaugh practices dance for at least half an hour every day. He is planning to move to Los Angeles by the end of the summer, where he hopes to pursue dance full-time, either as a performer, teacher or a choreographer. "I just want to do anything and everything that I can," Cavanaugh said.

Written by Lisa Ryan and produced by A.C. Fowler

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