South Pasadena teen to open at Levitt Pavilion summer concert

By CLAUDIA PALMA | cpalma@scng.com | Pasadena Star News

PUBLISHED: August 16, 2015 at 8:12 p.m. | UPDATED: August 28, 2017 at 3:08 a.m.

SOUTH PASADENA>> When Tomas Quiroz performs as an opening act for the summer concert series at Levitt Pavilion on Friday, he will probably be more relaxed than he’s been all week.

“I’m really excited for the concert,” said the 14-year-old. “I get to jam out.”

The 14-year-old will perform solo before joining his fellow youth musicians from the South Pasadena Music Center and Conservatory in a Beatles cover band. The group is opening for Natalia Clavier and Elsten Torres in the Aug. 21 concert festival at Memorial Park, 85 E. Holly St., Pasadena.

The South Pasadena resident sings and plays guitar, but music seems the least demanding of his extracurricular activities.

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Since he was 2 years old, Quiroz has taken ballet classes and has been with the Classical Ballet Academy in Altadena since fourth grade. He began soccer when he was 4, and has been playing with the Hollywood Soccer Club’s Silver team for years.

“(Soccer and ballet) are similar in that they both require a lot of mental and physical work,” he said. “Ballet helps with my accuracy in soccer, and soccer builds up my endurance for ballet.”

Quiroz balances hours-long ballet classes with soccer practices during the week and games or performances on the weekends.

Being a boy in ballet is rare, and although Quiroz is humble about his talent, he was invited to several summer intensives and took part in one at the Joffrey Ballet in Chicago this summer.

“At Joffrey, I could see where I’m at compared to other boys. I also get to work with other teachers,” he said.

Quiroz admits that before he came to the Academy, his instructors may have been a little too lax with him.

“All my ballet teachers before would coddle me,” he said. “They were afraid to scare me away from ballet.”

But his instructor at the Academy, Crystal Peterson, said she treats everyone she teaches the same, boy or girl.

“He’s come a long way, but there’s always room to learn,” she said.

“She cares about her dancers, and making them better dancers,” added Quiroz. “Working with Crystal made me realize how much more I could push myself.”

Tony Quiroz says he appreciates the experiences his son is exposed to in ballet and goes towards the goal he and his wife have for their son to be more well-rounded.

“You learn about different cultures, and then you get the discipline,” he said. “We think that’s just a great experience.”

As Quiroz starts a new school year, there are two more new adventures he’s begun — he started at St. Francis High School in La Canada last week, and playing football for the first time with the school team as a punt kicker.

“I look forward to working my hardest and reaching my full potential,” he said about starting high school.

Tony Quiroz said he knows it seems like a lot of activities for one kid but it’s all up to Tomas.

“He knows he has to manage his time, and he has to really want it,” he said. “I’m constantly checking in with him if he wants to keep doing it, because it’s a sacrifice and it’s work.”

Quiroz said he is most proud of his son for being dedicated.

“He understands that it’s not just about the talent, it’s about how hard you work at things,” he said.

To Tomas, staying nourished is also helpful in keeping up with his activities.

“Some days I forget to pack a snack (to eat in between practices), and I don’t do so well,” he said.

Although Tomas is willing to work hard at all his activities and school, he doesn’t yet know what he wants to do after high school.

“I like all the things I’m doing right now,” he said. “I’m waiting to discover a bigger passion, but right now I want to keep my options open. These are the things that I love to do.”

Tony said he knows there are many male dancers can go straight into professional ballet companies without going to college. But he hopes his son’s unique position in the ballet world, can help him get into a good college that also has a dance program in need of male dancers.

“We’re positioning Tomas to be a really good student, who happens to be a really good dancer,” he said.

For now, when Tomas finds time in between school and extracurricular activities, he enjoys reading and hopes to create another band to perform the math songs he’s written including one he will perform at Friday’s concert.

“I also like taking rap songs and turn them into acoustic songs, like ‘Homecoming’ by Kanye West,” he smiles.