We recently connected with Angelica Leontyne and have shared our conversation below.

Angelica, appreciate you joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

Currently I am working on a project entitled “In Her Feelings” Dance Project. I was born in Los Angeles, California & before moving to Atlanta, GA, I lived in Downtown Los Angeles in a one room apartment with a mother battling drug addiction & paranoid schizophrenia. I’ve been dealing with anxiety all of my life and later realized in my adult life, that my childhood truly had an affect on me. The anxiety comes through my skin, to where I break out in hives, I’ve always thought it was eczema. One thing that keeps me calm, is dance & music. Through my years of working with at risk youth while dealing with my own issues led me to starting my non-profit Life is an 8 Count Inc. and wanting to do a community dance project that will have a positive impact.

More than ever, there is a need for mental & emotional health resources for not only youth but for the adults that raise & teach them as well. It will take more than the four walls of the school to make this happen, it will take the community. Life is an 8 Count. Inc. is a non-profit organization that will use storytelling through expressive dance as a platform to increase mental health awareness & mindfulness skills in youth. Our summer project that we propose to create for the community is entitled the “In Her Feelings” Dance Project. This summer, Life is an 8 Count Inc. will create a synergy within the Mableton community that gives youth (ages 13 -18) the ability to express how they feel through telling a story through dance workshops, private sessions & an end of the quarter dance production.

The goal of the In Her Feelings project is to use storytelling through expressive dance as a platform to increase mental health awareness & mindfulness skills in youth, educate, empower, and encourage youth in the Mableton community using dance & the arts as our platform. “Dancing is one of the most liberating and open ways to express feelings. Communication is not limited to words only, as movement is an important factor in expressing ourselves.” says Dance psychologist, Peter Lovatt, of the University of Hertfordshire. What better way to not only use dance to express but to inform & entertain the community with the In Her Feelings project. My hope is that a movement will begin with the youth & residents to continue supporting healthy mental health practices & to support the arts in Mableton as well.

Angelica, 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?

After graduating from Georgia State University with a degree in Theater, I would not only perform as an actress and a lead or background dancer for Atlanta theatrical, screen and dance productions with companies such as ARCH Productions, Steel City Pictures, Black Voices of Clark Atlanta University, and TrebleMakers Dance Project but choreograph, teach and direct for Cobb County Schools, Fulton County Schools, Atlanta Public Schools, Future Foundation, Tinseltown Performing Arts Studio, Oasis Family Life Church and Word of Faith Family Cathedral’s Camp 212 & Elizabeth Baptist Church.

After years of performing I received an add on Bachelor’s Degree/Teaching Certification in Theater Education rom Columbus State University. I would then begin teaching theater and dance in Cobb County Schools and then onto Atlanta Public Schools, most recently teaching dance in South Atlanta High School for four years.

With over ten years of experience, I had the pleasure of working with Atlanta non- profit organizations such as NBAF & Communities in Schools. My responsibilities have ranged from teaching, leading the day to day programmatic operations, curriculum development, supervision of teaching artists & budget management. I has recently received my Master of Arts degree in Creative & Innovative Education (Non Profit Arts Leadership Concentration) from Georgia State University. My life experiences, passion for dance & community is my inspiration for creating Life is a 8 Count! Inc.

In addition to my role at Life is an 8 Count Inc. Me is the Development Manager for Dad’s Garage Theatre www.dadsgarage.com, an actress imdb.me/angelicaleontyne , a proud wife & mother of three sons.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

A lesson I had to unlearn is to stop putting everyone else first. As a creative we perform in our art and we are sensitive about our ish right. I am so blessed to be able to take care of home & work in a flexible work environment but I have to remind myself that it’s ok to do somethings for myself and that I don’t always have to be everything to everybody. I posted on my social media how although I am tired, I’m not as tired as I was this time last year or the year prior. I’m able to have a more flexible schedule, I don’t have to rush as much to be at practices, do house work etc., it still is a lot to do but the stress isn’t as much, I’m in a new chapter. I want you to think about what the true meaning of what peace of mind means this week. Out with the old in with the new, in any area of your life. I didn’t realize until recently that I manifested what is going on in my life right now. Even in this mercury retrograde going on right now! I asked God/the universe for this, I lowkey worked hard to believe in what I was saying. Everyone talks about Ciara’s prayer which is fine but I’m not talking about a man, I’m talking about how asking for peace of mind for YOU by yourself matters most of all! How good is it to say a Ciara prayer and you aren’t at peace with yourself? Everyone’s peace of mind is different for them. I had to go through soooo much to get here (divorce etc.) Peace of mind DOES NOT MEAN PERFECTION nor THAT YOU ARE ALWAYS SO POSITIVE OR IN NAMASTE MODE, Peace of mind is a PRACTICE! In the midst of the noise of life, what can you do to create a Peace of mind this week? Although I created this non profit to use dance as a platform to increase mindfulness and I’m learning more about it each day, with with or without dance. Here is your dance through the week practice, way before it becomes too much, TAKE a break, breathe, stop, reflect, go outside & turn off the noise. Last night I had the house to myself and I did something I hadn’t done in a long time, sounds silly, but I lit candles and took a bubble bath. That moment of warmth & music and darkness and stillness was everything. I realized that even though I’m in a better stress free environment personally & professionally, I still need those moments of just peace. Even when the house is full I’m going to do a better job at creating peaceful moments for myself. This week take inventory of what is causing alot of noise in your life and find something peaceful to replace it. Sitting at your desk & everyone is full of chatter, put in those headphones & listen to your music. Everyone is pulling on you in your house & you don’t have time to go anywhere, put some pretty flowers in a vase that you can always look at, take that bubble bath or sit outside by yourself with a drink. Get cute just because and go frolicking in Target or your favorite store with a latte in hand and lastly, if it gets super noisey go ahead and put a trip on the calendar in the near future & actually take it! Practice creating peace for yourself this week & watch how easy it is to do this often!!

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

If you think about it, Life really is like a series of eight counts in dance, right? You learn the steps as you go, you mess up, you try to keep up, you practice, you get the steps perfectly. No matter how slow or how fast the beat, we do our best to keep up with the rhythm. My goal is to help people learn to be mindful in their creative steps & life steps using dance as a platform.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lifeisan8count.org
• Instagram: @lifeisan8count
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/angelicaleontyne
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGlSp9ABZRmM7SC9rJ5vq2A

Image Credits
River West , Tamara D Photography, Dwayne Boyd