Busy schedules and social taboos make the idea of male athletes in the performing arts nearly obsolete. In media, it’s rare to see such occurrences other than in characters such as High School Musical’s titular basketball star and esteemed drama actor Troy Bolton. Although the idea of a singing, dancing and stageloving male athlete sounds like a distant tale, it’s the genuine reality of Bonita Vista High (BVH) varsity football cornerback, track athlete, Music Machine performer and junior Dakarrai Roberson.
Prior to being a part of Music Machine, Roberson enjoyed being onstage as a member of BVH’s Theater program. It was through said program that Roberson’s vocal and instrumental talents were noticed by Music Machine performer and junior Lorenzo Malatag.
“He was in Theater and he was playing the piano and I noticed that he could sing, so I just thought to myself ‘I should definitely recruit him.’ All around, he’s a very talented person and I’m very glad that I could persuade him,” Malatag said.
Although Roberson’s extreme dedication to his litany of extracurriculars is strong, it’s continually challenged by his strenuous daily commute from the Spring Valley area in which he resides. This commute, which takes Roberson nearly two hours to complete by bus, heavily affects the amount of rest that he gets nightly. Despite these challenges, Roberson’s passion fuels his attentiveness to continue his lofty ambitions.
“A big challenge that I have with balancing all my [extracurriculars] is the commitment that comes with it. Sometimes, I barely get any sleep by doing this,” Roberson said. “But, Music Machine is what I love, playing sports is what I love and I’ve learned to love the challenges that come with those things.”
Along with his general enjoyment of the performing arts and sports, Roberson also cherishes the experience of being in front of a crowd. He goes on to share how both Music Machine and football give him an audience to entertain.
“I love seeing the people’s faces when I’m performing, or [my Music Machine team’s faces] when I’m with them. With football, I love being able to see people cheer when I make a play and be excited to watch me on [the] field,” Roberson said.
According to Roberson, the similarities between Music Machine and football doesn’t stop at just crowdwork. In fact, Roberson has noticed many ways to apply the skills that he trains in Music Machine to football, and vice versa.
“Music Machine’s lessons on footwork have helped me a lot with football, and football’s conditioning has really helped me with Music Machine,” Roberson said.
In part to his athleticism and endurance that he got from football and track, Roberson has exceeded in the cardio-heavy dancing element of Music Machine. Malatag would even go as far as to say that Roberson’s contribution to Music Machine’s onstage dancing identity is a crucial part of their performative flare.
“Roberson has brought us to another level because he’s a really good performer. He’s one of our best dancers, if not the best, so our team looks better and cleaner when he’s out there with us,” Lorenzo said.
An additional reason to Roberson’s continual success onstage and on the field is the inspiration that he finds in his mother, Sonfre Roberson. D. Roberson credits his early-age exposure and interest in music and football to S. Roberson, who is a musician as well as a professional football player for Cali War, a travel team for the Women’s Football Alliance (WFA).
“I see myself as a mini version of my mom,” Roberson said. “Everything that she does, I do, and I want to carry on her legacy in some type of way.”
One way that Roberson hopes to carry on his mother’s legacy is by playing professional football in the National Football League just as she plays in the WFA. Though his goals may seem lofty, BVH varsity football Head Coach and former Defensive Coordinator Jay Hernandez has confidence in Roberson’s desires.
“He has ambitions to be someone famous and [I really believe that] he’s going to be famous someday. Maybe it’ll be for athletics or maybe through drama and acting,” Hernandez said.
Hernandez coached Roberson as his Defensive Coordinator throughout the 2023 football season, slowly building a fortified bond with him as the season progressed. Hernandez saw more in Roberson than just his vigor on the gridiron, he saw the makings of a leader.
“He leads by example and although he can be quiet at times he’s vocal when he needs to be vocal and he can really rile up his troops. He’s going to be a leader [next year] in one way or another with his position group and the young guys joining the team, and I’ve seen him be a leader already, especially through his actions,” Hernandez said.
The respect that Hernandez has for Roberson is fully reciprocated by the young athlete. Just as Hernandez has confidence in Roberson’s leadership abilities, Roberson fully trusts Hernandez as a coach and mentor.
“Coach Hernandez and I have a great relationship. I’m proud that he’s head coach now. He’s a great coach and he’s gonna get us right this season. We have a strong bond and trust and it grew by my hard work on and off the field and his hard work being a great head coach,” Roberson said.
Hernandez specifically admires how reliable of a student to the game that Roberson is. He describes a specific time that him and Roberson’s trust grew, that being when he called upon the team for offseason training and got a response solely from Roberson.
“He’s a player that I can rely on when I need assistance. Not too long ago I needed help with some offseason training and he was the only one that responded during our spring break,” Hernandez said.
Roberson’s determination to achieve success in his various extracurricular activities makes his ongoing journey through high school all the more enthralling. Students far and wide can take a page from his book on his willingness to break down barriers and shatter oppressive stigmas around the hypermasculinity of football and the creative wonders of the performing arts.
“I’m the type of person that doesn’t worry about what other people think, because nobody can stop me from doing the things that I love. I’m always going to have supporters for what I do, and I’m always going to aim for success in what I do,” Roberson said.
