Dancer Eighteen-year-old Brian Joel Hackett was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana. He credits his father with being the person who encouraged him to pursue dance and also with keeping him motivated to stick with it and to continually improve his skill. Brian first started dancing with Iibada Dance Company, where he trained in a variety of styles, including African, ballet, modern, hip hop and jazz. He continued his training at Lawrence Central High School, where he learned Graham and contemporary dance. Contemporary is by far his favorite style of dance, because it allows him the freedom to fully express himself. While in high school, he participated in the marching band, for which he played tenor and baritone sax. He also performed with the color guard for two seasons. He then took a year off from Lawrence Central to attend Broad Ripple Performing Arts Magnet High School, where he continued training in ballet, modern and hip hop dance. Brian has been dancing for eleven years and considers it his thank-you to God for endowing him with such a beautiful gift. He plans to continue dancing for as long as he is physically able. To Brian's great sadness, his father passed away, but he remains dedicated to reaching his fullest potential as a dancer and knows his father would be proud of this. Brian's next goal is to compete on So You Think You Can Dance. His ultimate goal is to be the best dancer he can.