This Amputee Dancer Is About to Make His Debut in "Step Up: High Water"

When you think of a dancer, a double leg amputee may not be the first thing that comes to mind. But Eric Graise, who’s one of the stars of the upcoming “Step Up: High Water” YouTube Red series, hopes to change that. Graise, whose legs were amputated as a child due to missing fibula bones, will play a character named King in the new dance series, set to debut early next year.

Though Graise has always had a passion for movement, he initially shied away from dance because of the limitations his amputations posed. Things changed when one of his theater professors showed him a video of a performance that featured an amputee dancing without prosthetics. The video inspired him to audition for Full Radius Dance, a company that includes dancers with disabilities. Graise earned a spot in the company, and attributes his acceptance of his disability to his participation in the dance company and the things he’s learned on the dance floor.

Checkout Graise’s moving story in the video below, exclusive to Dance Spirit, and let it inspire you to make your own “impossible” dreams possible.