He strolls down the hallway, music blasting through his buds. His leather jacket is draped over his right arm where the cord of his earphones disappears behind his jacket. He listens to his favorite Michael Jackson song, “You are not Alone.” He tips his black vintage hat to his classmates as they wave to him.

Lionel Taplin, a 27-year-old dance major, walks confidently down the hall of the South Physical Educational Building at El Camino. He gives a genuine smile wide enough to show off his laugh lines.

Down the stairs he goes, bobbing his head to the music. He slips on his sunglasses on as he swings the door wide open, jamming out of the Physical Educational Building.

Lionel has been a fan of Michael Jackson just as long as he can remember being old enough to want to dance for a career.

Not only is Lionel a big fan of Michael Jackson, he is also a Michael Jackson impersonator. During family events or just to keep his legacy alive, Lionel changes his persona to match the “King of pop,” performing for friends, family and even when he attends classes at El Camino.

With the help of his long-time friend Keenan Crawford, a 27-year-old photography and dance major, Lionel comes up with different dance moves when he’s getting ready to perform.

“Honestly, he’s an awesome guy, he’s pretty funny, [and] has fun with others,” Keenan says. “He’s really a chill and awesome dude.”

Before Lionel become interested in the “King of Pop,” he had his mind set on other physical activities, such as swimming, basketball as well as singing.

Lionel wasn’t always a fan of Michael Jackson. During the time Jackson was alive, Lionel made sure he kept his distance due to the rumors of child molestation that were circulating around Michael.

Then Lionel heard the song “You’re not Alone.” This song stole Lionel’s heart and he became hooked on the dance moves. Ever since, he devoted his dance career to Michael Jackson.

A recent documentary on HBO, “Leaving Neverland,” has put Michael back into the spotlight.

This new documentary is about Michael Jackson and his relationship between two boys, who were 7 and 10 at the time. Now, almost 20 years later, they say they were sexually abused by Michael Jackson.

Despite the reoccurring claims of child molestation and Jackson’s 2004 not guilty plea that had been presented in the documentary, Lionel hasn’t stopped impersonating his idol.

Lionel shakes his head viciously. “It’s all about money,” Lionel says. “That’s the only reason, they [the accusers] just want to put a name, a famous name, [in] their mouth and the world believes it.”

Despite the struggles that Lionel had gone through in his life, he’s still living it in a more positive way not letting himself think about that stuff that much, Lionel says.

As a child, Lionel struggled in school. He had a learning disability and is also autistic but that didn’t stop him from trying his hardest in school. But, Lionel still felt like something wasn’t right.

At 8-years-old, the truth he had felt finally spilled out. Life as he knew it was changing.

He had asked himself many times, “Wait, where is my mother?” He didn’t put the pieces together until the person he had called mother for eight years revealed herself to be his grandmother.

During the time Lionel’s father was in prison for unknown crime. Lionel’s grandmother adopted Lionel and took care of him as her own.

But even with his father’s absence, he still received letters from him, for as long as he could remember.

At the time it didn’t really affect him, Lionel says. but when he was 13 it started to affect him emotionally.

In 2009, his grandmother died. Lionel never learned the truth of how his birth mother passed away, not until a year after his grandmothers death.

Even now, Lionel refuses to talk about the death of his grandmother and his mother.

After Lionel’s grandmother died, he was then raised by his uncle, who is now the head of the household, Lionel says.

Lionel’s father was set to be release from prison in 2017, but died from a stroke and a heart attack, the same year he was supposed to be released, Lionel says.

Despite the struggles that Lionel had gone through he’s still living his life in a positive way not letting himself thing about that stuff that much, Lionel says.

Inspired by Michael Jackson years later, he continued to dance and enrolled in El Camino as a dance major. He has taken multiple dance classes such as modern, tap and ballet.

“They taught me, El Camino College taught me,” Lionel says.

One professor that Lionel speaks highly of is Elizabeth Adamis, known as Liz. Lionel says she is an incredible dance instructor.

“I know Lionel is a student in our dance program,” Assistant Professor, in the dance department, Elizabeth says.

As Lionel continues his dance career, he hopes to work for Disney as a dancer after leaving El Camino. He hopes it will challenge him and help with his learning disability.