Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Cieon White. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Cieon thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

It truly is difficult to settle on just one experience that has been the most meaningful in my dance career thus far. So many things have been incredible and impactful. However, I can definitely recall an unforgettable experience that sealed the deal for me on fully pursuing my professional dance career.

Since I was 11 years old I consistently announced that I would move to LA and work as a professional dancer one day. Being born and raised in Washington meant that Los Angeles looked just as shiny and promising as it’s portrayed in every dreamer starter pack. So I trained for years at dance studios for competition teams and dance crews under the pivotal instruction of Kisha Vaughn (dopegirlmovemnet founder), through being a WNBA Seattle storm dancer for 3 years, through performing in local Seattle festivals, etc. all from the time I was from 11-22. I went to college and got a bachelor’s in English with a double minor in art history & dance, etc. Though, by the time I was 2 years post-grad/post-pandemic, I had really lost a lot of hope on whether I’d get to execute that childhood dream. Given the state of the world, I just didn’t see an in for myself into the industry I felt called to.
However, I was given the opportunity to audition & eventually get casted in Macklemore’s ‘Maniac’ music video and that reignited the star dust in my eyes. Long rehearsals, working with incredible artists, getting styled by professional stylists, the food!- seeing all that work put in was invigorating for me. So much so, that by the time the music video released, I was a bit melancholy because it felt like a sunset on a summer day. I could still feel the heat and excitement of what it was, but I knew it would all come to an end soon. Or so I thought!
About 2 weeks later, while I was restocking the janitor’s closet of the museum I worked at, I received an email to come and perform with Macklemore on Jimmy Kimmel Live! that following week. This was the experience I accredit to being incredibly meaningful for me. It was the first time I flew to LA to provide my service of dance-on television at that! The practices, the gorgeous rooftop hotel, the surrealness of filming the performance then watching it later on in the living room with my dad back in Seattle was all I needed to know it was time. How comfortable it all felt showed me that I could do the big, beautiful, scary dreams. That I was capable and deserving to take a real chance on myself, move to LA and really pursue this. And that’s exactly what I did 7 months later!

Cieon, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a professional dancer, choreographer and aspiring creative director! I have danced for 16 years and started working professionally at 13 years old as a WNBA Seattle Storm dance troupe member.

As an unsigned dancer navigating the industry, a lot of my career and work I booked in my hometown of Seattle was through great connections and relationships built overtime. Establishing and maintaining a reputation of professionalism, personability and dedication resulted in me getting to collaborate with some of the best artists and do great work.
The main service I provide as a professional dancer is to learn and execute a choreographer’s vision quickly, precisely and creatively in varying amounts of time. There have been jobs where I’ve learned an entire set the night before a performance, a week before or two days before. Along with that, being adaptable to deliver the same high quality product in a plethora of conditions is expected as well. When working as a back-up dancer on international tours, I may fly for 10+ hours, catch up on rest in a new time zone, and perform at full energy that same day or maybe the following one. So, ensuring I can be just as efficient and engaging if I’m performing down the street or across the world is a large part of this role.
As a choreographer, I’ve gotten to express my artistic visions and aid in encouraging someone else’s dance journey as well. Whether it’s when I taught kids at Day to Day Dance Studio, choreographed and created my own dance videos or taught college students as a faculty professor for Western Washington University’s dance department- I learned how to take artistic ideas and organize them into engaging and clearly conveyed products.
With all of this said, there are so many talented dancers who can pick up choreography quickly and slay it in their own way. There are also many choreographer’s who make impressive routines as well. However, I believe what sets me apart is truly the energy I bring to each and every job. I can bring the talent, but I will also bring the best attitude, sincere positivity, offer encouragement and ultimately be the person you still want to work with at 2am in a long rehearsal! What I emit and hope people see is that I am rooted in the gratitude/joy of dance and I strive to operate in the spirit of excellence. I am relatable in my pursuit of something more for myself, and open to the inevitable ebbs and flows of this work!

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson I recently decided to unlearn is that in order to be a successful dancer, I need to eat, sleep and breathe only dance. That my entire existence and worth must be consumed and defined by my success in this profession.

By design, an artist’s journey can be extremely unpredictable. So from a young age there were times I’d overhear the messaging of “you have to want this bad enough” or “you’re going to need to sacrifice a lot to get to where you want to be”. And truthfully, I agree with each of these statements to a healthy extent. Yes, there may be times when missing out on social events just to put extra time in to train will happen. Yes, there may be instances where spending a little more money on conventions/classes/workshops, etc. will happen to invest in this craft. These along with many other scenarios are real circumstances that myself and countless other dancers have been in. However, pushing and sacrificing one’s self in extreme ways can also lead to extreme burnout.

When I first moved to Los Angeles, I felt like I needed to go into overdrive, be in every studio and every class to make up for all the years I didn’t live here. However, that “go, go, go” mentality lead to a harsh burnout 4 months after I moved. There was no joy in the pursuit anymore and it became more difficult to remember my why. So, I took a brief break during the holiday season from classes, plugged into my community of family and friends, became a bit more rooted internally with my faith, and carved out time to make some intentional goals. That included researching instructors I genuinely wanted to learn from, discovering activities to explore outside of dance and ultimately gain a stronger sense of purpose and direction. By the time January came, I felt encouraged, uplifted and motivated to move forward.

Everyone’s artistic journey is their own, however I sincerely believe it is important to poor just as much into ourselves outside of our work as we do to our craft.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist; more specifically a professional dancer is the fact that I get to engage in the cycle of inspiration and ultimately fulfillment. Through me getting to produce work that hopefully conveys my true love and admiration of dance, I’ve gotten the most heartwarming of messages from people both familiar and unfamiliar. That some iota of what I’ve done has sparked something positive in someone else, and maybe even inspired them to go after their dreams? That’s the most rewarding gift I will never get tired of. It only inspires me deeply to keep doing this and keep taking new chances on myself within it.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: cieon_leshell
• Other: For all business Inquiries: [email protected]

Image Credits

Solo Picture: Tristan Nguyen @tristan_nguyentran
1st&2nd Picture: Jake Magraw @jake_magraw
3rd Picture: @thisdaym
4th Picture: Unknown
5th Picture: Joseph Alade @yemie_alade
6th picture : Unknown
7th picture: Grace Lindsey @gracelindseyphoto
8th Picture: Alex Bodi Hallett @sattvaphoto