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Teen dance star Austin is overcoming great challenges

He’s on the world stage after overcoming bullying and a stroke
Austin Taylor smiling from a stool in his living roomPhotos: Maree Wilkinson

He has more than three million followers on social media for his dance videos, filmed a Disney movie, promotes music and global brands, and one of his moves features in the popular Fortnite video game.

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But things could have turned out very differently for Austin Taylor, who’s battled bullying and suffered a stroke at age 16.

“I’ve always had a passion for sports,” explains Austin, 19, who divides his time between Auckland and his family home in Tauranga, with dad Mike, 45, mum Alisha, 48, and brothers Jordan, 17, and Rory, 14. “I loved moving and I was dancing pretty much before I could walk.

“When I was younger, I didn’t really think of dance as a career, but I’m super- competitive, so when I started getting offers, I realised it was something I could do well.”

Austin’s dance skills include hip-hop, jazz, contemporary, musical theatre and ballet, and many of his TikTok posts feature his own moves.

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“When I was younger, I’d copy other dancers and creators, posting videos of it online, but they weren’t getting much traction,” he recalls. “Then in November 2022, I had an idea for a dance move, so I filmed it in the kitchen and posted it before going to dance class.”

An hour later, the post had 20,000 views – it’s now up to 57 million.

Austin Taylor with his parents at home
Mike and Alisha couldn’t be prouder of their son.

While Alisha and Mike were initially sceptical Austin could make money from online dance videos, their son now does just that, as well as promotions for brands, including JD Sports, Nike and Adidas.

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“He started getting these emails, which he insisted were real job offers,” laughs Alisha. “We were like, ‘Yeah, sure.’ Then the money came through!”

But Austin’s road to success hasn’t been smooth. Bullies picked on him at school for being a dancer.

“They thought it was ballet – they didn’t really understand,” says Austin. “That was rough. I struggled. I was a pretty small kid and I bloomed pretty late, which made me an easy target.”

After Austin was crowned Australian National Champ in his age category at 13, representing New Zealand at the Follow Your Dreams competition, the bullying got so bad, he left school, moving to online education. He shares, “I’m naturally a high achiever, so that was really hard.”

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But with the help of supportive friends, Austin decided he didn’t want to let the bullies win. So, he returned to school at 15.

Austin Taylor doing a one-handed hand stand as a young teen

“I’m sweet about it now as I don’t hold onto negative things – they must have had their reasons. I just hope they learned something from what they did.”

But at 16, Austin’s bright future looked in doubt. Leaving the stage after a dance competition in Tauranga, the vision in his right eye started to flicker.

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“We thought it might be a retinal migraine, so I rested in a dark room for a while. But one of the other dance mums said we should see a doctor as my vision wasn’t returning,” he remembers.

Austin was diagnosed with an “eye stroke” – a blood clot had lodged behind his eye. Doctors told Austin to take a year off dancing to avoid further damage. “That didn’t go down well with me!” he laughs.

Two months later, the determined teen was back dancing. Being permanently blind in his right eye has meant he’s had to relearn how to move – but there’s certainly no sign of any disability in his form.

“My spatial awareness has completely changed, so I had to re-teach my body how to move,” he explains. “But I’m just very grateful it wasn’t any worse. I wasn’t paralysed – and we have two eyes, so I’m good!”

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Austin Taylor mid-air during a performance
Austin seems to defy gravity with his moves.

Last year produced some impressive opportunities for Austin. He scored a role in Disney’s sci-fi movie musical Zombie’s 4, which he filmed in Auckland from March.

“Disney was amazing,” he enthuses. “We don’t get many opportunities like that in New Zealand, so it was a bit of a personal dream.”

Then in July, video game giant Epic Games emailed to ask if they could include one of his dances in Fortnite.

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“Fortnite was my favourite game when I was growing up – I played it every night. I still play, and every now and again, I’ll see my own dance on screen!”

Austin has big plans, including moving to Los Angeles, where he now has an agent.

“I’d love to be a dancer with a music artist, and I want to learn acting,” he says. “New Zealand will always be home, but I want to take every opportunity I can.”

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