Sumter's Next Generation, presented by TheLINK: Catching up with Quinton Dais as he balances college, line dance virality

Before the cameras, before the bookings, before the viral clips and fraternity letters stitched in crimson and cream — Quinton Dais was just a boy in Sumter dancing at family functions and singing with his brothers in church. The shy one. The one who smiled when he was nervous. The one who never imagined that one day, people would be asking for his choreography, his story, his light.

From the bleachers of Lakewood High School as the quiet yet optimistic cheerleader — which is how he was introduced to Sumter's Next Generation — he came to don the uniform of a South Carolina State University cheerleader. When it came time for his first homecoming game, the only rookie male on the squad and having braved his first semester of college, he had just found his rhythm, balancing classes, practice and college life overall. But all it took was one song, the very song he and his family line danced to several times, to change everything.

"Once he played that song, it was like 10 different camera angles from this dance [people recorded], and that blew me up even more, and that is where my trail ride and line dancing journey started."

Trail riding — as the name suggests — is where cowboys and cowgirls saddle up their horses for a slow ride through trails, bridle paths or forest roads. While serene, it's the field parties that follow that have taken social media by storm, and Quinton, known to the public as 2ExclusiveQ, is front and center.

His cheerleader background has allowed him to pick up line dance routines in a matter of minutes. Whether it's at a field party or under the florescent lights at Columbia's S-Bar, Quinton can learn routines in real time, fumbling through a few steps before mastering it on the third try.

Now, with his pristine time management skills, Quinton completes his coursework by day and spends weekends traveling, his mother in tow, performing at field parties, birthdays and special events from Beaufort to Athens and beyond. He leads a crowd of hundreds in choreographed steps. His energy is magnetic, his smile ever-present as he moves like someone born to lead — but let him tell it, "Line dancing and cheer definitely brought me out of my shell."

"Life throws you curves. They open up doors for you that you don't know that are open. It taught me just to keep your eyes open. You never know what can happen."

Case in point, growing up with two brothers, Quinton was exhausted with brotherhood. But joining Alpha Lambda Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. at SC State deepened not only his understanding of brotherhood, but also his sense of responsibility. Whether it's stepping out on stage or visiting schools in the Orangeburg or Sumter communities, he's reminded that visibility matters, that being seen can change everything.

The notoriety is not always easy. It can be draining. But what fuels him, what keeps him humble, grateful and devoted to dance, is the smile folks mirror when they see him flick his fan or hype up crowds at sports games.

"Some people tell me, 'I have a bad day, but when I come out here and I see you dance, I see you smile, it just makes me forget about all my troubles at home,'" he shared. "That, for me, makes everything more enjoyable and makes me keep going."