Miami Living Magazine

The Art Issue: Martin Scorsese

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choreographed for other industry titans such as Beyoncé, Janet Jackson, Megan Thee Stallion, Missy Elliott, Katy Perry, Kelly Rowland, Billy Porter, and Tinashe. Do you have any memorable experiences or learning moments from those encounters? ONE THOUSAND PERCENT! One time I was choreographing a video for Tinashe and I planned all this crazy choreography with formation changes and transitions. I showed it to her, and she was like “nahhh”, so I literally had to create a whole new vision in rehearsal. It actually ended up working out perfectly and I love the project. Miami Living: Describe to us your favorite piece of choreography. Who was it for, and what makes it special? It’s actually a dance of mine that went viral, it was to Ariana Grande’s “West Side”. I love it because it makes people feel so good when they do it. That’s all I ever want, somebody to look at my stuff or do my stuff and smile or feel something. Miami Living: Can you tell us about the KĀOS Aftermath Summer Tour? How did you become involved with KĀOS, and how did you assume the role of tour director? I became involved with KĀOS first as a faculty member, and have now transitioned into the director position after multiple years with the company. It’s truly my baby, we’ve done so many tweaks to make it perfect and we’re still doing more. Miami Living: What kind of dancers would benefit from attending your conventions? Any dancer that wants to find their star quality; as a dancer, teacher, choreographer, director, WHATEVER. We want you to be the best at whatever you decide to be. Miami Living: Walk us through the thought process of the creation of your online platform OUTLET. What inspired it, and what’s the purpose behind it? I started it during the pandemic, because of course there were no dance classes to take. My partner Kalen also said we should create something that would bring together all of the people around the world who can’t make it to Playground [a dance studio in Los Angeles]. Let’s give them a community to be a part of. Since then we’ve grown into masterclasses over zoom, tutorials, podcasts, and more. Miami Living: How do you feel OUTLET has brought you closer to the dance community? I’ve actually met so many subscribers just from them coming up to me and telling me they’ve been doing my classes for years. To me that’s so important because they feel safe and vulnerable enough to train with me in the comfort of their own home, and support my brand. Miami Living: Playground is one of the most iconic dance studios in Los Angeles. What’s it like being a part of something so culturally significant in the dance world? It’s amazing! We didn’t know we’d be creating something so big when we started, we just wanted a space where we could kick it and dance and film some dope content. What it’s evolved into is far beyond our wildest dreams. Miami Living: On the reality show “Playground” you are known as “The MVP”. How do you feel you’ve earned this nickname on the show? Because I deal with all the crazies! Haha nah, I’ve put my time in at the studio and I don’t even think of it as a job, it’s my second home and the people there are my second family. Whatever they need or whatever the studio needs, I’m there. Miami Living: Working so closely with other dancers on a regular basis, it’s inevitable that a hefty amount of drama takes place. How do you feel about working in an environment that cultivates such a roller coaster of emotions? I’ve never been scared of a little confrontation, ha! Dancers are humans too, we have emotions, likes, dislikes, but the most important thing is that we exercise respect for each other and the studio...so just keep it cute ;) Haha.

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