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

Chayle, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Do you wish you had started sooner?

I wish my dad would have enrolled me into some type of classes when I was a child. I’m self-taught in dance and voice! I learned how to sing my mimicking The Phantom of the Opera when I was little. I learned how to dance from watching music videos on VH1. While we didn’t have a ton of money growing up, the girls who were professionally trained at a studio definitely have a leg up (no pun intended) for those of us who didn’t have a technical background. However, I feel like my late start gave me a push to have a harder work ethic. I did it because I had the passion and drive to do it, not because my parents put me into it. So, that is a separate advantage in itself! Overall, I’m thankful I started when I did. I wouldn’t change my story!

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

I am a self-taught dancer and singer-songwriter born and raised in Phoenix! I was born drawn to creative outlets. I started drawing when I was 3, started writing poetry and singing opera when I was 7, I took my first real dance classes when I was a freshman in high school, and I began releasing my own music when I was 24. I’ve humbly been told by others in my field that by my never giving up (whether it was auditioning countless times or releasing countless single), I helped inspire them to be relentless in whatever field they are in. The life of an artist is usually not a financially sound one, most people are in this field for the love of it. That’s the most beautiful part of being an artist, we are driven solely by the passion. That passion keeps me creating and growing. I’m most proud of the fact I was one of the only dancers from my high school graduating class to pursue a professional dance career. I’ve danced for the Phoenix Suns, the Arizona Rattlers, ASU’s Hip-Hop Coalition, have done countless stage performances and music videos, etc. As a singer, the highlight of my career was taking main stage at Pride 2021 and hearing people in the crowd sing the lyrics to my songs!

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I have auditioned for the Phoenix Suns Dancers twice, Solar Squad twice, the Arizona Rattlers Sidewinders 4 times, the Arizona Cardinals Cheerleaders twice and the Miami Heat three times. That’s 13 pro team auditions, and I only made Solar Squad once and the AZ Sidewinders once. I was the only returning vet on the Sidewinders that the new director did not take back from the previous year because she wasn’t a fan of how I looked. Nothing ever stopped me from dancing. I spent a good chunk of time dancing back-up gigs for the LGBTQ community and made more money doing that than I ever did for any pro team. I also gained a family and a link into being able to sing live on stage. All the BS I went through for being judged by my appearance led me to an authentic, badass group of people that have given me countless opportunities to be exactly who I am. I am so thankful for them!

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding part of being an artist is the connections I build with others through my art. It means so much to me when people tell me they’re bumping my tracks or watch my dance videos to get inspired. I have so much love and support behind me, I am crazy lucky! Art connects everyone in the world, and I will never go a day in my life without it. I create something every day to hold myself accountable, but it’s never work to me. I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything in the world, I love being an artist!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @chayle
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChaylesCreations
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTXPa4p7n5LJOSlihhtoeHQ
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4kHOSTQgawH9QNZLk6CXzS?si=4TjjWGpvR9uERxcq9HoZTw

Image Credits
chayle