An autistic pre-teen with a big heart and even bigger dance moves is causing a stir at school.
Cash Malobicky, a sixth-grader at Kiski Area Upper Elementary School, is a featured dancer each week during the schoolwide video announcements broadcast.
“My parents named me after the singer Johnny Cash,” said Cash, 12. “I’ve been dancing since I was a little kid.”
His music choice is rap, and his hip-hop dancing and stage name, “Big Sauce,” are well-known on campus.
His segment, dubbed “Ca$h Me Out Friday,” wraps up the school week on Fridays. It features Cash’s original hip-hop choreography to various songs.
The name is a play on a similar saying that went viral online after teenager Danielle Bregoli’s appearance on the “Dr. Phil” show.
Cash mixes his dancing with fancy footwork and often holds a microphone.
He said taping his video segments makes him happy.
“That (dancing) was always my thing as a young child,” Cash said.
Sixth-grade English and reading teacher Susan Feudale directs the show and decided to feature Cash dancing after another teacher suggested it.
She said the response has been positive and encouraging for Cash.
“We decided to focus on that every Friday to make people happy,” Feudale said. “We thought of the saying, “Ca$h Me Out Friday,” and it’s just evolved. He gets stopped in the hallways, and he gets asked for his autograph.”
Cash lives in Washington Township with his parents, Evan and Rochelle Malobicky.
“It means a lot to me,” Rochelle said. “I’ve always worried about Cash’s social life at school, and it makes me feel so good that he has an outlet.”
She added Cash has been dancing since he was 2, has no-formal dance training and his old stage name was “Cash Money.”
“He’s pretty low-key at home,” Rochelle said, “but he loves dancing at school, and he talks about it at home.”
Assistant Principal Dan Smith said the video morning announcements are new this year, and the student body response to Cash’s dancing has been “overwhelming.”
“I think it shows them that school is a lot more things than just math facts and reading and writing,” Smith said. “There’s the social component, and we try to make sure our kids are having some fun.”
Sixth-grader Jonah Endlich keeps an autograph from Cash in his math notebook.
“He’s just awesome, and he’s really good at dancing,” Endlich said, “and it’s cool to see him in the morning dancing.”
