Jun 26, 2015 4 min read

Weylin Gomez can be considered a late bloomer in the world of dance.

But he is one determined young man, and even though Gomez did not start formal training as a dancer until he was 17 years old, the 2013 Trinity High School graduate has landed himself a job with the Diavolo Dance Theatre in Los Angeles. His first rehearsal is today, and his first performance is Saturday.

“They gave me a video, and I’m learning the choreography on my own. I’m definitely hitting the ground running, not walking,” Gomez said during a telephone interview last week.

Diavolo is a touring company that performs both domestically and abroad. Gomez said the company spends about one-third of the year touring.

“They are promoting art for everyone. They evoke change in the world,” he said. “Diavolo has good balance, they’re marketable and very powerful.”

Gomez concedes that most of the other dancers are older with far more professional experience. Still, he’s not intimidated.

“Once I made the decision to audition, I trained my butt off,” said Gomez, who is a former martial artist and body builder. “I came in as the underdog. When I left the audition, I felt confident, but I was also nervous. When I ended up getting a callback, I was extremely ecstatic. Then I started questioning their choices. The fact I didn’t finish my degree and I was never with a professional dance company … it was not logical. I don’t know why I got picked.”

He does now, though, after speaking at length with the artistic director.

“He kept asking me, ‘How old are you again?'” Gomez said. “My maturity is on the level of the rest of the dancers.”

Plus, Gomez said, “I have the longest expiration date. My body can go four, five years longer.”

The road to Los Angeles has not been easy.

At 17, Gomez enrolled in Dance Extensions Performing Arts Center in Canonsburg.

“I was extremely cocky at that time, and I don’t know why,” he said. “After my first ballet class, I was extremely humbled. There were 8- and 10-year-olds laughing at me because I couldn’t point. I have not had the opportunity to be cocky again.

“I realize I’m not going to know it all. There’s always going to be somebody better than me.”

Gomez, son of Tracy Eiserman of Washington, decided shortly thereafter – rather naively, he might add – that he wanted to attend college to become a professional dancer.

“The first time was a mess,” he said, referring to a six-week intensive course. “My training did not prepare me for it.”

Regardless, he was accepted to Point Park University for the 2013-14 academic year. He received $8,000 in scholarships, but had to bear the financial burden of the remaining $16,000, plus conservatory fees. Since he was unable to get a loan, Gomez liquidated stocks and cashed in bonds to pay for his education.

After completing his freshman year, Gomez had little money left.

He spent the summer working 14- to 16-hour days at various jobs. One was selling cutlery. But since he couldn’t afford a car, he used his bike to lug the cutlery around the city of Pittsburgh.

“There were days where I was completely broke,” he said.

It didn’t help that his paycheck was initially sent to his mother’s home in Washington.

One day, Gomez ended up at the university library, where a security guard came to his rescue. He handed Gomez $5, and Gomez was on the next bus to Washington to retrieve his paycheck.

“I was happier than a pig in mud,” Gomez said. “I was at the plaza waiting for the bus. There were people around me from corporate talking about their lives. One guy was complaining because he did not get a promotion. I was thinking in that moment how much so little means a lot when you have so little to begin with.”

By the end of the summer, Gomez had saved $12,500. It got him through the first semester of his sophomore year at Point Park.

“I did not have the financial ability to get a degree,” he said. “I stopped going to university. I was leaving university with no degree and no job.”

Not exactly a good situation for a 20-year-old.

So, Gomez started searching online for dance auditions, and that’s how he discovered Diavolo.

“Everything has lined up so far,” he said.