We recently connected with Deshawn Royale and have shared our conversation below.

Deshawn, 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?

Being a creative is definitely my greatest joy. I would not be the same person if I had not found my love and passion of dance. Through dance, I’ve been able to learn so much about myself. My strengths and weaknesses show in my dancing. My personality, my essence, my hopes, and my dreams are all intertwined into every step I do. Whether it be in a class I’m training in, a class I’m teaching, or a piece f work I’ve choreographed, I can always release and leave a piece of myself behind. Dancing has truly opened up an avenue of self-reflection and self-love that I don’t know I would’ve found through other means.

With that being said, there are so many things that I sacrifice to do what I do. I miss out on a lot of family/friend time and rarely have time for myself. A lot of my personal needs are put off in hopes that every minute I spend furthering my career, will be worth it in the long run. I highly value working hard to build a life I will be proud but am actively learning the balance between hard work, and living the life I work so hard to attain.

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

My name is Deshawn Royale and I am a dancer/choreographer/instructor based in the Denver Metro area. I’ve been teaching for about six years now, choreographing for eight, and dancing all my life. I was a self-taught dancer primarily until I started training in a studio at the age of 17. Since then, I’ve studied ballet, jazz, contemporary, lyrical, pom, and street-styles. Ever since I was exposed to the life of conventions, competitions, and studio training, I have been pouring everything I have into my craft.

I teach seven days a week and I am currently teaching at three different studios throughout the Denver area. I teach in Parker at Colorado School of Dance, in Centennial at Metropolitan Academy of Dance, and in Denver at EVQ Elite Studios. I am also the director of my own adult dance company called Team Royale. I teach all ages and levels, so feel free to contact me if you’re looking to get into some hip-hop dance! In lieu of my hectic schedule, I am always creating new pieces and strive to find fresh ways to keep my training methods relevant and effective.

In addition to teaching, I choreograph routines for just about anything you will need. I’ve worked with many local artists on music videos and live shows as well as an artist who traveled over seas to work with me. I’ve even been lucky enough to have an artist hire me from New York to do a few projects creating choreography for music videos, and a few live shows for their Summer tour as well. While I love to do show choreography, competition routines are my favorite to create. I love creating stunning visual pieces for the competition stage. I love seeing a team of dancers work together towards a common goal and putting all they have into it. I am inspired by lots of competition choreographers such as Parris Goebel, Melvin Timtim, Greg Chapkis, Kiel Tutin, among other amazing creatives. Competitive routines for studios and high school dance teams always allows me to push myself creatively and makes me feel comfortable. It’s what I’m most comfortable with and inspired by.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I strive to be a multi-millionaire. Growing up poor with five siblings, i decided early on that the family that comes from me, will never go through the same things me and my family went through. I will continue to make a name for and educate myself and eventually make the switch to owning businesses. I know that building a successful dance career will aid greatly in building my empire of businesses, real-estate, and wealth in general.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I think the most important part about growing your social media is to be consistent, find resources to learn from, and remember that you are the content. You don’t need to worry about making content. Allow others to be apart of your authentic journey and your people will follow you organically. Also, don’t be afraid to spend money to reach new prospects. It takes money to make money!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: _deshawndavis_
• Facebook: Deshawn Royale

Image Credits
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