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

Daniel , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

I am extremely grateful to be able to wake up every day and express my identity with little to no restrictions through dance. However, when your craft is heavily determined by your physical capabilities it can be extremely daunting and draining at times. I am constantly in negotiation with myself. Having to understand there will always be room for growth and not letting that turn into self deprecating talk; “You are not good enough.” Most Dance environments condition us to determine our worth as individuals based on our success and physical beauty. It can be hard to re-condition my mindset out of that. On top of the mental testing, the income of professional dancers never equates to the physical labor we put in. Like most creatives, we are not in this for the money. However, I think we can continue to educate the general public about dancers, especially individuals in authoritative positions to recognize us as any other elite athlete. I am always curious about what it would be like to have a regular job. I am very envious of individuals who are able to dissociate themselves from their job once they leave their work environment. I am always thinking about what or how I can improve as a dancer, and where I will be going next. I look at people who have careers that are economically enriching. Seeing friends and family members go on trips whenever or just haveing more liberty to do what they want is extremely intriguing to me.

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

I somehow just fell into dance. I grew up in a household who valued music, family, and parties. Ever since I was little I was dancing in my living room with all my cousins and family members watching. A family friend suggested to put me in dance lessons and since the age of 9, I have been dancing. I started to develop such a strong passion for dance. Each year adding more lessons and genres of dance. My parents knew nothing about dance but were extremely supportive and just happy to see me doing something positive with my time. I started to invest so much of my time and energy into dance. Choosing to attend a performing arts school called Victoria School of the Arts, and going to more serious training dance studios in the city. By the time I was 18, most of my identity surrounded dance. Attending Victoria School of the Arts was the first pivotal moments in my dance training as I was introduced to so many facets in the dance community. I had mentors at the school who saw me as one of their own children, nurturing me into the artist I am today. I was granted the privilege to attend The University of the Arts in Philadelphia on a full tuition scholarship; making it a reality for me to move to the states to further enrich my craft. Those four years were an extremely pivotal part of my training and the artist I am today is due to many of the professors, artists, and friends I had met there. One artist in particular, Tommie-Waheed Evans helped me land my first professional contract with Dallas Black Dance theatre. Dance provided me with some of the most enriching and beautiful friendships; People I am still in contact with today. Throughout the chaos and politics of this art form, I always reflect on how dance has granted me such nourishing individuals in my life. I care less nowadays about being successful but being more grounded in the choices I make as dancer and artist. It is fair to say that I still seek some form of approval or validation as I think its inevitable to not in this industry. One of the most impactful individuals in my life would be my sister. She taught me at a young age that putting in the work shows results, maybe not as fast as we hope but there will eventually be positive outcomes. In our older years she reminded me that life is extremely fragile. Resulting in my work and artistry being rooted in longevity. I want to educate young dancers on how to care and properly condition the body so when we are done with the physicality of dance, we can still be fully mobile humans at what ever age. I am an artist that wears my heart on my sleeve and bring that into my dancing. I am interested in choreography that’s a reflection of my current state of mind. I am still so interested in expanding my understanding of dance and what it mean to me. I have the desire to work in environments that combine fashion and dance more. I am interested in authenticity and leaders who are rooted in their artistry.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

I would like non-creatives, specifically non dancers, to understand that the amount of work, time, and energy we put in equates to any other athlete. For many facets in dance, the amount of cross training and discipline it takes to reach a certain professional calibre is tremendous. I think there still seems to be a lack of knowledge of dancers and their daily regimens within non-creatives. Perhaps it has to due with a lack of visibility in mass media. The majority of dance that is accessible to the general public is heavily based competitive reality tv shows. These shows definitely showcase the athleticism of dance, however, there are so many other facets of dance that are not being displayed in mass media. It is no ones fault for not understanding the craftsman’s ship behind a professional dancers life when those individuals have never needed to be immersed in the environment. I think if non-creatives were introduced to dance or art in general from a younger age there might be a better understanding of the work and craftsmanship behind dance. The lack of understanding directly correlates the financial support in the arts community, specifically government funded support. Why do other countries have such strong support form the government? Art, dance especially, seems to be more valued in other countries. This lack of financial support forces my collogues and I to work multiple jobs to live a comfortable life. Perhaps if western society shifted its ideologies from suppressing emotions and valuing competition to confronting and honouring emotions and sharing our gifts through an interdependent view point, we might get closer to valuing art as a whole.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

One of the most rewarding aspects of being an artist is inspiring in the younger generation of artists. I remember being young, naive, and extremely inexperienced and watching the high school dancers at my perming arts school for the first time. I was mesmerized. There was something intangible in the air that took over my body. I was so inspired that I think about that moment often. I think the gift of inspiration is invaluable, you can not put a price on it. When I have younger artists come up to me and express gratitude in any form, it brings me back to that moment when I was inspired. Dance in many ways helped me stay on track. I could have easily been somewhere where I shouldn’t be. It continues to fuel me and remind me that there’s a greater purpose to what I am doing. I am not only dancing for myself but I am also dancing in hopes to inspire the younger generation, whether that helps them from resorting to the temptations that are so easily available to turn to or just helps them understand themselves a little better. It is extremely rewarding.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: d_palladino

Image Credits
Kent Barker (Black and White photos) Sofia Opel (Outdoor photos) Nick Glover (Orange Background)