Ryan Bucu knows how to make it pop.
The fourth-year sociology student made history as the second male member of the UCLA Dance Team at the start of his junior year. Bucu, who has been dancing since he was 10 years old, has also performed in music videos, commercials and movies. Online, he goes by the username Ryan Popo and has amassed more than 22,000 followers on Instagram and 18,000 followers on TikTok. On the verge of graduation, Bucu has joined the Los Angeles Rams Cheerleaders.
“Why I auditioned for the Rams is because I want to continue showing male visibility in spaces that may not be conventional,” Bucu said. “(I value) showing that male cheerleaders are a thing and pushing that agenda that males can be dancers and cheerleaders as well as females, too.”
Bucu’s origins in dance draw back to elementary school. After a solo talent show performance, he said its judges encouraged him to pursue dance professionally. Before that, he said he learned choreography from YouTube and television programs, such as Disney’s “High School Musical 2.” He had an agent by age 12. Bucu said he was fortunate to live in LA because of the city’s flourishing dance scene, where opportunities could be found in his immediate vicinity. As he grew up, Bucu came to perform at hallmark dance institutions in LA, including Millennium Dance Complex and The Playground LA.
Bucu said he did not make the UCLA Dance Team his first attempt. He had been the dance captain at John Burroughs High School as a senior and aspired to continue dancing, he added. After experiencing rejection his first year, Bucu said he honed his technique to match the caliber of UCLA’s team. He added that he taught himself contemporary dance skills such as leaps and built his flexibility to expand on his existing hip-hop background. His end goal, he said, was to prove how much he wanted the opportunity to the judges. He eventually made the team in 2024 and received the Rookie of the Year award.
Likewise, Bucu said he did not become an LA Rams Cheerleader on his initial try. He had originally auditioned for the professional team in between attempts to join the UCLA Dance Team and said rejection was a key aspect of his journey. UCLA Dance Team head coach Lizzy Rothstein said rejections are common among students seeking to join her collegiate team, and the decision to reaudition is indicative of a performer’s character. This season, Bucu was recognized as the UCLA Dance Team’s Performer of the Year.
“It (not making the LA Rams) was like a blessing in disguise, because then I would have never auditioned for the UCLA Dance Team,” Bucu said. “Being able to realize that everything happens for a reason is a really big part of my life.”
Several UCLA Dance Team alumni have gone on to join the LA Rams within the last five years. Before his second LA Rams audition, Bucu said he reached out to team alumni who had made the LA Rams squad for advice. The first skill he said they told him to prioritize was retaining choreography, as there are several combinations to memorize during the audition process. He said his time on the UCLA Dance Team taught him to linger on moves until the last second before snapping into the next to create a clean image. During a rehearsal for his next LA Rams audition, Bucu said he attracted the attention of an NFL choreographer.
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“She taught us a routine, and she asked me for my (audition) number,” Bucu said. “Then she was like, ‘Everyone needs to be dancing like him, because he’s holding out every single movement of his, and it looks really good.’”
Bucu also said the UCLA Dance Team alumni emphasized public speaking skills because professional dancers act as community ambassadors. Earlier this year, Bucu participated in an outreach event for the LA Rams, where he said he made a bracelet with an elementary school student. After they said goodbye, Bucu said he was grateful he was able to make the child smile. Third-year computer science student Hayleigh Liu said children often wanted to take photos with Bucu while the two participated in community engagement events as part of the UCLA Dance Team.
Bucu’s aspirations extend beyond dance. He said he plans to take a gap year before pursuing accreditation as a sonographer – a medical professional who conducts ultrasound imaging. At 2 years old, Bucu said physicians discovered he had a heart condition that required surgery. The care of the doctors and nursing staff inspired him to pursue pediatric healthcare – a feeling that was amplified by his outreach initiatives with UCLA and the LA Rams.
Before Bucu joined the UCLA Dance Team, Devin Mallory made history as UCLA’s first male dancer in 2019. Mallory’s story was covered by the LA Times, and the team was invited for a guest appearance on “The Kelly Clarkson Show.” In a 2021 interview with the Daily Bruin, Mallory said he hoped to inspire young male dancers despite the hate he received on social media. Bucu said reading about Mallory’s story in the media inspired him to achieve his goal of making the UCLA Dance Team.
After Mallory graduated, the dance team received a new coach. Bucu said he was unsure if Rothstein would be open to having a male dancer on the team, but he hoped to impress her while drawing inspiration from Mallory’s beloved legacy. Rothstein said she is proud to have Bucu as a barrier-breaking role model for the campus community. However, like Mallory, Bucu said he receives hate online and in person. He added that he challenges himself to convert those comments into a source of confidence, choosing to believe in the faith of his coach.
“I’m going to push through what these people are saying about me,” Bucu said. “I’m going to show people that I am the performer that I am, and I made this team for a reason.”
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Some professional NFL dance teams are notoriously all-female, including the Las Vegas Raiderettes and Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. The LA Rams were the first NFL team to formally introduce male cheerleaders in 2018, according to ABC News. Bucu said he seeks to push back against stigma toward male dancers with the added visibility of his role as a cheerleader in the NFL. Liu said she believes Bucu is at the forefront of a broader shift within the NBA and NFL. Still, Bucu said he believes this period of stigma will persist, and he is uncertain if the UCLA Dance Team will see a third male dancer. However, he added that one avenue to challenge this stigma is recognizing audience members who support male performers in athletic spaces.
“When he (a third male dancer) reaches out, (I plan on) showing him all the love that I received and making sure that he’s comfortable within the choreography and giving him instances of what I have experienced … and making sure that he makes sure to not let the hate get to him,” Bucu said.
Auditions for next year’s UCLA Dance Team took place in May. Once Bucu graduates, he said the team will return to all female dancers. Liu said Bucu has taken on the mantle of the team’s second male dancer in a way that makes him an inevitable role model to others. Rothstein, a former Cal Dance Team captain turned Golden State Warriors Dance Team member, said professional opportunities for dancers are rare, which emphasizes Bucu’s talent. Liu said Bucu’s story shows that stigmas around gender are depriving other professional dance teams of skilled performers.
“Being able to have that title as the second male member in history, I will forever carry that with me and within my dance legacy,” Bucu said. “I need to always be performing for everyone in the crowd and showing younger generations that if you want to grow up and dance as well, become a cheerleader for a major university, … that you can do it.”
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