Teen dance star AUSTIN'S HAPPY FEET

He's on the world stage after overcoming bullying and a stroke

- Catherine Milford

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.

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.

“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.