We were lucky to catch up with Chezale Rodriguez recently and have shared our conversation below.
Chezale, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.
I knew I wanted to be a participant in the performing arts and entertainment as a dancer, singer, musician and all around creative person from very early on. Performing and expressing myself came very naturally to me as a young person and my family encouraged my talents in those areas. I began my journey as a student of the Arts in grade school being enrolled in orchestra, choir and dance classes; and continued on that path continuously throughout all my schooling into adulthood. Being able to communicate effectively to my peers whether it was creating choreography in groups, leading performances and communicating with an audience allowed me to be comfortable with the idea of also taking up leadership roles in those areas. What began as a genuine love for these different avenues of expression peaked my interest in later becoming a teacher and educator of the Arts, specifically in the area of dance. After years of commitment in the Arts through belonging to dance companies, songwriting and performing in and out of school… it became more and more clear to me that this is something that I wanted to continue professionally. The path essentially carved its way for me. I chose it and it chose me.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?
I began my relationship with performing and creating since a very early age. My introduction and dedication to the Performing Arts have been integral in my professional trajectory. While like many young people navigating, I’ve worked several jobs in different Industries to help gain experience and polish my skills in the areas of customer service and communications (retail, receptionist, you name it). But I always carved out time and dedication to the Arts as a budding artist and performer, which is where my heart lives. I attended Performing Arts Magnet Schools in middle school and high school. This is where I honed my craft; learning the ins and outs of performance, collaboration, auditioning, organizing, creating, getting more and more comfortable performing in front of my student body, taking up leadership in multiple areas… truly laid the foundation for my future in the Arts and the “professional world”. A girl was building up her resume!
I found that the more I shared my talents and pushed myself in these areas, the more I began to be recognized and trusted for those very things. After six years of playing the violin, I put it down so that I could focus more as a dance and choir student. My foundations in dance were in Jazz and Hip-Hop, while exploring other contemporary styles in between. I was a dance student throughout high school and some college, while interning in the dance program at the University of Arizona my senior year. I led my own dance group for about four years while balancing belonging to an urban dance theater company for six years post high school.
While with my dance company, I traveled as a stage performer (with many solo ventures), auditioning for major TV shows far and wide, learning under top choreographers, being signed by a top agency in Los Angeles, while building a positive reputation and also making a solid local impact in Tucson, Arizona. I began teaching consistently by offering my first community dance classes through the city to all ages by the age of twenty-one and continuing to build my own dance and fitness brands over the years while teaching in multiple facilities. This experience later led me to working as a dance educator and mentor for underserved youth at a charter high school for almost six years in east Tucson. I’ve also been collaborating with the Africana Studies department and pioneering Hip Hop Minor at the University of Arizona by teaching practical instruction for the Introduction to Hip Hop dance course, since 2016.
In the meantime, I was (and still) also pursuing my love for music. I got my feet wet while collaborating with some local artists and gaining experience in studio recording post high school. I wrote my first songs at the age of twelve and recorded my first album MY STORY…The Making of a Maverick (2007). I now have two full length studio albums with multiple collaborations and compilations in between, both nationally and internationally.
Since the age of fourteen, I explored some modeling for local designers doing runway and print. As a young adult, I pursued acting more seriously starting with community theater, musical theater, touring as a vocal Doo Wop quartet, and more recently pursuing commercial, film and voiceover work over the past five years. My more recent experience collaborating with local arts and cultural nonprofits led me to my latest profession as an Arts Administrator in Arizona’s west valley.
I found the time to complete my undergraduate degree from GCU in Communications during the height of the pandemic and am wrapping up my MA in Dance Education from the University of Northern Colorado.
I’ve been blessed over the years to find creative and often times unconventional ways to utilize my talents and to build relationships while being a lifelong learner. Whether I was performing on stages, leading workshops and classes, teaching private lessons for special events, writing and recording music, organizing and connecting with other artists and creatives… these experiences all helped me to realize how much I value the Arts and how necessary the Arts is to our economy, to our educational system, to our wellness and holistic existence as creative, living beings in this world.
I’ve always believed that the Arts is an incredible and transformative conduit for human connection and experience, communication, expression, culture and a giant source for infinite inspiration. We all are blessed with many talents, and just need a little push and guidance to get familiar with them and be bold enough to share them. To share our stories. I hope that my own multifacetedness, multi-dimension and interdisciplinary way of showing up in the world can inspire others to be themselves and not put themselves into a box. Find what makes you unique and put in the work to amplify that!
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
After ending my time as a teacher and mentor at the charter school I was working at, I found myself diving back into school to complete my degree program at the time and being self-employed for a couple of years. During that time, I used a lot of my downtime to self-reflect, journal, meditate and network. I felt like I was starting all over again professionally. I had to be resourceful, mindful and responsible around my finances and step back into my entrepreneurial bag of creating multiple streams of income. I didn’t really have a game plan. It just happened and with a lot of prayer. This was also during the height of the pandemic in 2020, so my creativity had to be at an all-time high and I had the time to do it.
I got organized in creating a schedule for myself which included wellness activities like logging yoga, nature walks, exercising, seeking business coaching, resume-building, grant-writing etc. It was during this time that I was introduced to a new arts and cultural nonprofit Unlock Creative and the Sister Circle, whose aim was to uplift and connect Black women and women of color in the arts sector. This experience opened my eyes to a network of professionals on different sides of the art sector and created a space of support where we could share our experiences with one another. This helped educate me and organize my thoughts around how I wanted to pivot professionally, what value I bring and to create a Life Map to aspire to and work to manifest. I now serve on their board as Vice President. It’s all a learning process!
This experience helped me to redirect my approach in my job search and to realize that the culmination of my life’s work made me eligible for roles that I may not have otherwise gone out for, under a new title (which can be intimidating) and in a “new” industry. My goal was to still stay involved in the Arts even if it was the outside of being the artist. My experience as an interdisciplinary artist brings a special skill set and energy to the field, a special understanding and compassion from the artist’s perspective. I’ve now worked as a Program Director at an established arts and cultural nonprofit for two and a half years. It has grown me professionally and I’m still learning so much. The reward is being able to make an impact in a new community and contribute to a healthy ecosystem for artists and those who are willing to support and fund the arts so that it can sustain itself and enrich its communities in return. This is done through providing arts education programming, professional development for local school districts, public art apprenticeships for high school students, performance & exhibition opportunities, festivals, building relationships and more. The work is never easy but supporting the arts is necessary and imperative in keeping the arts alive, diverse, inclusive and thriving!
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Being an artist comes with it’s share of challenges and I’ve always found creative ways to jump those hurdles. But the first thing that comes to mind in terms of resilience in my journey is that I’ve recently experienced a life-altering event that I have not yet spoken about publicly. I’ve been in a major life transition that I have been maneuvering through and a testimony that I am in hopes to share once the dust settles a bit more and I can create the space to organize and share as I see fit. While working through this journey, I’ve somehow managed to still show up in the name of art. My love and dedication to the arts has helped heal me, motivate and inspire me to dig deep and remind myself of my own spiritual magic. In turn, I hope that my story can also do something similar for those who are paying attention. And for that, I am forever grateful.
Please be sure to follow me to learn more and join me on my journey!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://chezalepresents.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chezalepresents/
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/chezalepresents
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@ChezaleMusic
Image Credits
Christopher Scott, Dances with Tech LLC, Freddy Jay Walker, Avai D’Amico, Eric Brown, Dominique See