When Tyler Mossman saw a sign that said "Boys Wanted" in the White Building, he did what most guys would never do -- he signed up for tights, pirouettes and splits.

Last fall, Mossman (junior-comparative literature) tried out for Volé, Penn State's ballet club, despite having no prior ballet experience.

"In high school I tried out for the spring musical, and because I'm a terrible singer, they cast me as a terrible dancer," he said. "But I had fun and met a lot of people, so when I saw the sign, I thought I'd give it a shot."

During tryouts, Mossman discovered that ballet is much different than any dancing he had ever done.

"I had no idea what I was doing," he said. "I told the girl standing near me on the bar, 'Look I don't mean to stare, but I have no idea what I'm doing so I'm trying to copy.' "

Mossman's "copying" was apparently good enough for him to be placed one step ahead in the advanced beginner's level. But he said in his first real class his "terrible-ness was a lot more evident."

"I didn't know the foot positions or anything like that," he said. "After the class I was dripping with sweat. ... There's a whole different set of muscles you have to use."

After class, Mossman asked the instructor to help him with the positions, and he has been doing ballet ever since. After four semesters, he has worked his way up to the intermediate level.

"I'm still pretty bad, but I've certainly improved a lot," he said. "It's hard to draw comparison. ... I've been doing it for 15 months, and some of the girls have been doing it for 15 years."

Although he originally tried out for fun, he said he has come to really enjoy ballet.

"At the risk of sounding new-agey, ... there's a joy in movement," he said. "Plus, the flexibility bonuses are pretty good."

The downside, he said, is the outfit.

"There's a dance belt strictly for men -- like a boy equivalent of a sports bra," he said. "That took some getting used to."

Also, Mossman said telling girls he's in ballet isn't always the best pick-up line.

"If you tell a girl, 'I'm in the ballet club,' it's like, 'Well, I'm in the walking away from you club,' " he said jokingly.

Mossman's friend, Nate Charny (sophomore-English), said that when Mossman joined the ballet club, it did not surprise him at all.

"Tyler is very outgoing, and he doesn't care about any sort of stereotypes people would have about boys doing ballet or anything like that," Charny said.

Mossman said his parents had a similar reaction.

"They just said, 'Well, nothing you do surprises us anymore,' " Mossman said, adding that they come to all of his performances.

"They wouldn't miss it for the world," he said. "They're more for the humor than the expertise of dance that I display."

Lisa Kolesar (senior-elementary education), who dances in Volé, said Mossman has improved dramatically.

"He's been so diligent about paying attention to all the corrections," Kolesar said. "He's always willing to learn whatever he can."

Last year, Volé selected Mossman for the lead role of Ebenezer Scrooge in its spring rendition of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.

"He steals the show -- that's why we cast him," Erin Meehan, Volé vice president and choreographer, said. "Every number he's in, everybody raves about it. He's an actor, so even if he can't do the ballet as well as the other people, he's really fun to watch."

Though Mossman said he will continue doing ballet through college, he has other plans for the future.

"I'm into filmmaking, which is what I'd like to do if my lucrative dance career doesn't pan out," he said.