We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Brian Glanville a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Brian , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

I have been so blessed to be able to earn a full-time living with my creative work. My journey started in 2014 when I made the move out to L.A. I had already been super vocal about my passion for dance and wanting to be a full time professional dancer with my Mom, so once we made the move, I hit the ground running. I was consistently in dance classes throughout the week, studying up on choreographers, artists and performances, while also developing my own artistry through movement. It definitely was not like that from day one lol. There were so many steps I had to take to get myself in a position to work consistently and make enough money to sustain dance full time. Alot of developing connections and trust in and out of the work space, as well as maintaining a standard of professionalism in and out of work spaces. Branding was something I learned was very important in the entertainment industry and this line of work. My first major step towards becoming a full time professional dancer was definitely signing to my agency Clear Talent Group in 2016. I had auditioned for numerous agencies before them and didn’t have much luck. But of course, everything works out the way it’s supposed to and I’ve been signed with them ever since. Another huge milestone after that was booking one of my first huge jobs which was Coachella with Beyonce. Being apart of that opportunity and moment in history definitely set the tone for my career in dance up until now. I think having a bit more mentorship would’ve helped me a bit in my journey. I do think one thing I pride myself on is that I always listen to my heart and what I think is right for me. And it hasn’t led me astray yet lol. And because of that, I also haven’t been apart of or left an opportunity feeling regretful. But all of that to say, I 100% could’ve sped up the process knowing what I know now. And if I had a piece of advice for my younger self, it would be to save a little bit of my energy for myself and my personal life, especially with how passionate and committed I was and am to my craft.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am Brian “Kebahb” Glanville, I am 26 years old and I am a professional dancer/model/creative out in Los Angeles, CA. I got into dance at a pretty young age (15) when I made the move out to LA. From there I hit the ground running with training, connections, etc. which lead to me signing with my current agency Clear Talent Group in 2016. From there, I’ve went on to dance with Beyonce, Rihanna, Ariana Grande, Mariah Carey, Doja Cat, Christina Aguilera, Gwen Stefani, etc. to name a few. I’ve had such a blessed and fruitful career thanks to hard work, dedication and God. I think what sets me apart from others is my passion and movement. I think I have such a unique way of approaching movement, because I pull from so many different places of inspiration when I approach choreography. I spend of lot of time studying dance, movies, set design, creative direction, etc. and I use alot of that inspiration in how I execute/create movement. I’m most proud of myself honestly. The last 10 years of being in LA have been such a rollercoaster, in the most beautiful and devastating ways. I’ve really learned and am still learning so much about myself, and who I want to be. So many curveballs were thrown my way in this industry and I haven’t had the easiest experience navigating commercial dance and being myself genuinely. Which has caused me to take a bit of a step back from dance full time, to figure out what I actually want aside from who people know me as. Which is tough, because it’s super humbling and a vulnerable position to be in. But I’ve had alot of support along the way and love is around me constantly. With this transition, I am excited to step into modeling and creative direction/choreography. I’ve definitely grown a passion for both of those things, with being in front of the camera and showing off my fashion & stylistic approach and seeing more black queer men like myself be the face of brands and beauty campaigns. As well as being behind the scenes and working with a team of people to create something so creative and innovative for people to see/celebrate. While my experience in those fields isn’t quite where I would love it to be, it will be soon and I’m so excited for the journey.

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

A huge lesson that I’m still learning till this day is not take things personal. Specifically in this industry. Growing up I took everything personal because I didn’t know that there was any other way lol. If someone spoke to me a certain way or treated me a certain way, I would majority of the time amount it to something I did. But as I’ve grown and experienced this industry, I’ve learned so many people make decisions solely based on themselves while still involving other people in the aftermath of that decision. And it’s something you have to really deep dive into yourself and develop such a strong relationship with you to fully master. But it’s provided me with so much emotional relief in certain areas of my personal & professional life, because I don’t look at myself based on other people’s decisions or treatment towards me. We all are going through our own things and learning how to deal with it ourselves before spreading the energy from whatever situation. Of course, we are all human and are going to make mistakes constantly, more than we would like to lol, but that’s really what it’s all about, and it’s important for us to give ourselves and the people around us grace.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I think non creatives probably wouldn’t or won’t understand the spontaneous energy of my journey as a creative. The want to explore & change is something I’m always thinking about. I’ve always enjoyed and embraced change, because it’s always happening. And since I was young, my childhood was full of change. Whether it was moving to a different state, different friends, different school, different routine, I was always changing. And I didn’t see it as an obstacle. I just embraced the new, because everything that was different was exciting and gave me a different perspective on life and people. And I loved that. So I do think that contributes to my want to explore and switch things up. I like to change my hair alot, or dye my brows, or switch up my style and I don’t see it as me not being myself, but just simply expressing myself in different ways. And I don’t think most non-creative people can relate to that lol. And that’s okay! I know where my people are at when I see them lol.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @kebahb
• Twitter: @kebahb

Image Credits

Christian Davis
Adam Rindy
Getty Images
Jakerris Williams