She found out that the boy would often walk part or all of the ten miles (16 km) home after dance class, had little adult supervision outside of the studio, and, at one point, had not been registered in school for months.
[7] In his early teens, Tidwell met several outstanding young dancers, including his favorite - Rasta Thomas,[8] and it motivated him to take his dance to a new height.
As summer approached, he prepared for and participated in the Shanghai International Ballet Competition and took home a silver medal (no gold was awarded that year).
[7] Mistress of Ceremonies of the USA IBC, Anna-Marie Holmes, passed Tidwell's application videotape to Kevin McKenzie, artistic director of the elite American Ballet Theatre (ABT).
Just two months later, Tidwell joined the Studio Company - without an audition - and soon after, in May 2003, he was promoted into their corps de ballet just before the ABT's 2003 season began at the Metropolitan Opera House.
Tidwell was a company member of the ABT's 2003 production of the Swan Lake that was later broadcast on the program Great Performances: Dance in America and released on DVD.
He performed contemporary works by choreographers Nacho Duato,[13] Jiri Killian, William Forsythe, Kirk Peterson and Robert Hill.
That August, Tidwell taught in the National Dance Foundation of Bermuda's International Summer Intensive program, run in partnership with American Ballet Theatre.
Continuing to work in dance education, Tidwell was on the faculty of JUMP and was invited to guest teach at many schools and studios across the country.
[14] Also in 2005, Tidwell, along with publisher David Benaym, photographer Roger Moenks, and choreographer Lauren Adams, co-created Moving Still, a "life performance" in the format of a combination of a live show and a photography art/fashion book.
[15] Moving Still led to the creation of movmnt magazine in June 2006, a quarterly with a focus on fashion, dance, emerging music artists, and social issues that Tidwell co-founded with Benaym.
[16] Tidwell served as the magazine's Artistic Advisor,[17] and he eventually posed for the cover in the Spring 2008 issue along with former SYTYCD contestant Sabra Johnson.
Nigel Lythgoe (head judge and executive producer) for his part found the accusations tiresome, responding to choreographer Adam Shankman's comment on Tidwell's arrogance with, "I think you're talking crap.
"[23] The New York Times, in an article titled "So He Knows He Can Dance: A Prince Among Paupers", praised the technically talented Tidwell, and noted that "his unflinching poise and his chiseled, determined jaw" can be misread on television.
The article continued, "If Mr. Tidwell is different from the other dancers on the show, the distinction has as much to do with his dignity as with his impeccable line and his ability to infuse slight choreography with authority...He never mugs for the camera.
After being in the bottom three for the third time in a row, Garnis was asked to leave the competition, while Tidwell made it into the top ten, earning him a spot in the planned 2007 So You Think You Can Dance Tour.
During the finale, Danny performed a solo to "We are the Champions", as sung by Gavin DeGraw, that received effusive praise and the only standing ovation from the judges, with Lythgoe saying that "every young man watching this show should aspire to be as good as you".
[33] He performed in April 2010 on Dancing with the Stars with New York City Ballet principal, Tiler Peck, on a piece choreographed by Travis Wall.