AUSTIN, Texas — On Oct. 26 at 6:30 p.m., inspiration from poems of a late Texas boy who battled bullying will be unveiled in the pages of a children's book – and also in a showing on the big screen in a documentary.
The young man's name is Alexei Bauereis.
Bauereis was born in August 2001, but died tragically in a pedestrian traffic accident in June 2016.
"On June 7 of 2016, our son was walking his best friend home from our house," said Anna Bauereis, Alexei's mom. "He was struck by a car and killed. He was 14 years old."
From a young age, Bauereis was fascinated with ballet and became a talented and accomplished dancer with Austin Ballet. He inspired many with his courage to face bullying head-on while keeping his focus on achieving his personal goals in life in spite of society ridiculing him.
Bauereis wrote a poem about these struggles with bullying for a homework assignment, but the work was sadly never turned in due to his sudden death.
Bauereis' mother, Anna, found the poem in his Bible and from that day she was determined to have her son's voice heard. So, she wrote a children's book, titled "Things We Wish to Say," in his honor.
"This is the things we wish to say, this is the first page and it's about him leaving the reality of dance and going into a garden," explained Anna. "For quite a few males, being a ballet dancer is rather negative so it's kind of a dark place ... and he is going into the fantasy world, which is this beautiful garden."
Along the way, the young man meets partners who dance with him, as well as others who do not know how to dance or are uncomfortable with the idea of dance. In the story, readers learn dance as a form of expression, an art, and it's beautiful not only for the dancer but also for the audience too.
Alexei's inspiration will not only fill the pages of children's books, but he is also featured in a dance documentary film, "Danseur," which is centered around shedding light on the struggles male ballet dancers face with bullying and homophobia.
"But it hasn't been shown in Austin yet, I bought the rights to it, and so we're going to show it tomorrow night," said Anna about the Saturday night premiere
RELATED:
The book will be unveiled in an event on Saturday, Oct. 26, starting at 6:30 p.m. in the Austin Ventures Studio Theatre at Ballet Austin, located at 501 W. Third Street. The movie will also be shown at the event.
The event is open to the public and is for all ages, tickets are $15 each and may be purchased online here.
PEOPLE ARE ALSO READING: