We recently connected with Deion Williams and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Deion , thanks for joining us today. Do you feel you or your work has ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized? If so, tell us the story and how/why it happened and if there are any interesting learnings or insights you took from the experience?
Being a dancer in San Diego and trying to climb to the top is hard. And in this space, being a Black/African American dancer in a non Black/African American space that pulls from Black Culture is even harder. A lot of my upbringing and culture is what made me want to be a dancer. Music videos, concerts, functions, and more are all apart of my inner well being as a Black dancer. But when I first started dancing, I was in a predominantly Filipino dance space. It was hip hop and I was brand new and happy to be in the dance world. As I grew older and went through my experiences, I was hit with a lot of microaggressions and racism. I was in a community that was infatuated with Black culture but had little interest for the cultures residents and natives. The touching of my hair because it was different. Someone literally said my hair reminded them of carpet because of its texture. Constantly being called ghetto or ratchet because of my style or choice of artistry. It was bad if i did but it was okay if they did it. Assuming that other Black dancers knew each other because we were of the same skin. Most importantly, not being able to find a home that not only accepted me but also protected the making of my well being. Protecting the essence that would form into what i am today. Because of that, it made me very guarded. Very protective over my image, my career, my mental. It built up a confidence and armor that some people in this community don’t understand. Some of them have a family legacy, friends of friends, same kin, same skin. I didn’t have any of that, I did not have a safety that would protect whether I was right or wrong. I did not have the security to call someone something derogatory and have a whole community gaslight the wrong and malicious. But here I am, standing, laughing, smiling.. I make history as I currently host the largest black and brown San Diego adult hip hop dance company. People see my confidence and protection as an ego. They categorize me as cocky and full of myself. If they only understood what it was like to walk in my shoes as a black male dancer who did not know what they were going to embrace at 15, they would stand tall too.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Deion Williams and I am a professional Dancer and Choreographer. I started in high school coming from Chula vista, I attended Otay Ranch High School. I was an athlete first, i played basketball and ran track all four years. I saw the dance team perform and my mind exploded. I was always around dance related things like cheer competitions, concerts, etc. So when I heard the team was having auditions I tried out and didn’t make it. I did not give up and tried to find some coordination and ended up going for the team again. I cannot tell you how much my life changed when I saw my name on the team roster! Shoutout to my first Directors Amanda Alcantara and Allan Twiford! From then my passion flourished and I was doing everything I could to get to perform and go to practice. i moved on to a hip hop studio after high school as well as being housed by Southwestern Community College and their dance program. After awhile I got invited back to the college as a Guest Faculty Choreographer. I got to work with great teams that enhanced my career like Super Galactic Beat Manipulators, A1 Collective, Supremacy Dance Fam, and more. I have become very embedded in my community! I taught at the big stapple dance studios in our community, and I’ve also given back and got to donate my time to the many high schools in South Bay San Diego and teach. One of the things that makes my career so specific is there are not too many people that look like me and make it out as far as I did based off of where I come from. It creates a ripple effect and makes the youth say I can do this too. I kind of see it as laying a foundation to move through your culture freely and not being judged. It doesn’t always go so easily, but I was able to leave myself open as a safe space in case anyone needed support or guidance. I am proud of the community I have created in the itself! I run my own competitive dance company called Young Hustle, and it houses some the most diverse group of dancers visual and artistically. Young Hustle is meant to be a space where dancers safely grow. Whether you are of ethnic background, part of the LGBTIQ family, or just hanging around, this is space to for people and artist who do not fully have it figured out just yet. Come as you are and leave better than you walked in.
How did you build your audience on social media?
Branch out, network. Being an artist you need to network and meet people. People like people lol ,its doesn’t get more simple than that. The little things matter! Did you say hi back to the person that may look up to you? Are you okay with giving back to your community? Are you genuine about your part in your community? I grew up with quite a few people giving back to my team as a junior dancer. I feel it is my job to keep that sense of community alive and not be too money hungry. Although I understand people need to make a living I personally believe that you will be more rich when you have the support of a community versus the wallet of your success. My community has always kept me afloat and that because I show up. The more you correctly make yourself accessible the more people will be inspired and follow you on your path.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
A good lesson that I had to unlearn is that applying yourself is enough. Its just not true, and that’s the case for most careers. I tell my students all the time, there are a million dancers that look like you, dance like you, and possibly do it better than you. What are you going to do make sure your career becomes successful. I’ve gotten to train in various cities and states and the things some of these dancers to get to where they are at is somewhat insane but also inspiring. I went to my first convention about 8 years ago, I was able to drive and got a hotel and stayed up there for the weekend alone. I got registered and made my way into the convention. I told myself, “you came and that all that mattered”. I was so wrong, I walked in expecting the space to give me an experience that I wasn’t ready to give myself. Seeing all these big named dancers, and learning from top choreographers. Meeting people from around the world, and thinking that I had it hard because I drove two hours while people were taking 8+ hour flights. I mad the step in going to the convention but I wasn’t going tot actually learn, I was going to be given something that I was not willing to chase. That convention, all the friends that I made, the training that I got changed my life and i realized that what I thought I was doing was simply not enough. Maybe enough to be good, but not enough to be great, and I wanted to be great. Sometimes we forget that we can apply ourselves in the wrong ways with the wrong motive. Its not enough if you want to great. One of my mottos is “Why be good when you can be great, and why be great if you could be amazing”. Being a dancer at this level requires to you to eat, sleep, and breathe dance. It does not feel like a job to me, but a never ending passion.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @deeiion
- Other: Feel free to check out my company Young Hustle and the work we’ve done! https://linktr.ee/YoungHustleDance?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=cbe5bfc3-28e2-4d28-af23-6fad95912b53
Image Credits
Body Rock Dance Competition Rich Soublet Photography