TAMPA, Fla. - If you’ve seen any of the USF SunDolls performances this year, something looks different.

Freshman dancer Sean Agustin stands out. Not because he is the only male on the SunDolls dance team. It’s because he’s good.

“He just brings such contagious energy,” SunDolls head coach Jada Davis said.

Sean didn’t set out to make history when he tried out for the dance team. He was just searching for an outlet to continue doing what he loves to do more than anything else.

So yes, he’s a history maker, the first male to dance with the previous all-girl team. But really, he’s a USF Sun Dude who just happens to be a doll. 

“He’s always 110 percent full out,” Davis said. “You can see it in his face, in his movement. The team loves him, absolutely adores him.”

Sean started dancing at the age of five. And all those years of training and practice have fine tuned his dancing skills. He shows them off every time he sets foot on the floor.

“Whenever I’m having a stressful day, dance really is my remedy for that,” he said. “So I feel like with all my friends and we just dance to the music, I just tune all that out and I’m just having the best time of my life.”

That pure joy is all over Sean’s face. But there’s also a serious approach to his craft. In preparation for the upcoming national championships, Sean and his teammates are practicing every chance they get. 

They’ll have less than three minutes to dazzle the judges who will be scrutinizing every move.

“Pointed feet, high jumps, high kicks, attitude, everything,” he said. “It all goes into play.”

So much pressure, so much scrutiny. Yet, you don’t see it bothering Sean. He makes it look so effortless.

“Dance is my passion so whenever I go across the floor, I tune everything out,” Sean said.

That includes tuning out the haters. Not everyone is happy that Sean is a member of the USF dance team. He sees their nasty comments on social media and knows there are whispers behind his back. 

But when he’s performing, he can forget all of that and focus on the fact he is a role model. 

For some young boy sitting in the stands at USF games, now, thanks to Sean’s trailblazing path, because that young boy sees it, he can be it.

“I’m glad I can be that for someone now,” he said. “And I would tell that little boy just to keep going. 

“Ignore all the, if there is any hate, or if there is any negativity thrown at you, just keep going. Because you can become something big in the end.”