It was Nov. 6, the day of the first men’s basketball game and the Trojan Dance Force’s first halftime performance of the season, and Hugo Miller did not have a uniform. 

Being the first man on the Trojan Dance Force came with plenty of challenges: The athletics department having no available men’s uniform’s was one of them. As a result, Miller and his team scrambled to find clothing from USC Bookstore, archived clothing that could work on a man’s body and even outfits from Miller’s personal wardrobe to ensure the dancer could make his debut.

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“I wanted to feel like I belonged, and part of me did, but when you step out on court and you don’t really look like you belong, it’s something you have to push past,” Miller said.

When he was first researching the Trojan Dance Force, Miller said he was immediately drawn to the group’s choice of music and style of dance, which its website describes as “hard hitting” with featured genres ranging from hip-hop to jazz. However, he soon noticed there had never been a man on the team; he worried about his chances of being accepted.

“When you don’t see any boys ever in their history, you question, ‘Am I going to be well received?’” Miller said. “The only available mindset I found in all of that was, ‘Well, you’re just gonna have to prove that you need to be on that team through the most important part of your abilities, which is dancing.’” 

Miller’s dancing skills proved more than enough to make the team last September. Chamine Tran, the group’s captain, said she was captivated by Miller’s dancing and energy during auditions and was ecstatic to see him join the team. 

“The Trojan Dance Force has always been a forefront of change,” Tran said, “and it was great because it’s another advancement towards what we see as equity and equality.” 

Jesus Fuentes, a lecturer of ballroom dance, said dance has a strong stigma for being only for women, dissuading men from trying out the art form. He said that was why role models like Miller were so important for encouraging younger men to dance. 

“Some guys are really amazing, and they just haven’t had the opportunity to explore or feel comfortable exploring dance,” Fuentes said. “My role models are Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire … [Gene Kelly] made it okay to dance, especially growing up in the ’70s.”

Miller said there’s been an ongoing conversation between him and his coaches regarding what he was comfortable doing on the team, such as if he wanted to hold pom-poms. He said he’s grateful to do the exact same choreography as the other dancers. 

“When I found out I made the team, a fear of mine was that I would be boxed into being the only male, meaning I was only going to be given certain choreography or certain movement direction. I made it really clear to coach on day one that I just wanted to be a part of the team,” Miller said. 

Miller said that, other than performing, one of his favorite parts of being on the team was connecting with the players, their parents and security guards at Galen Center who thought highly of the team. He said there were even younger fans who have approached him saying that they started taking dance lessons because of his presence on Trojan Dance Force. 

Amid a successful season, Miller said he has become immersed and welcomed into the athletic culture at USC, something he didn’t expect when he joined the team. Miller said that women’s basketball in particular is important to him, as he appreciates the unique opportunity for him to cheer on women’s sports. 

“It’s such an awesome reversal of traditional gender norms, me sitting on the sidelines, cheering on the women, it’s something that always strikes me as special,” Miller said. 

Tran said that although the majority of the responses to Miller being on the team have been positive, going against USC athletic tradition came with some pushback. 

“There have been occasions where we overheard things and stood up for [Miller], we did not hesitate one moment because [Miller] … is such a big asset to this team,” Tran said. “[He is] someone who will always show up for us, and we are not afraid to show up for him, ever.” 

Months after Miller’s first performance with the team, something happened that, to him, solidified that he truly belonged. It was Jan. 27 — the day of the men’s basketball team’s first game against UCLA and the team’s biggest game of the season so far — and Miller had finally received his official uniform. 

“That’s when you finally feel like you have been embraced into that community,” Miller said. “When I stepped out [onto] that game, I definitely had my chin higher … I just felt finally seen as a member of this team.” 

Miller said that growing up, having visible dancers who were men for role models meant everything to him: The men backup dancers he saw at concerts became his role models and inspiration to dance. With his acceptance onto the Trojan Dance Force, he hoped to inspire other men and anyone else who felt they might not belong on the dance floor to explore the art form. 

“When you’re the only boy … you walk into that audition with a different mindset, but the reality is what got me on the team was the same thing that got everyone else onto the team,” Miller said. “You belong as long as you want to. And it doesn’t take a miracle, it just takes hard work and dedication to your dream to make it on that court.”