Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Nico Rubio. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Nico, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

This past weekend, me and my Tap company 333 (Three Thirty Three) performed at Navy Pier’s third annual arts festival, Chicago Live. Hittin’ some of our classics is always a vibe, but without announcing it that way, we also premiered some new to the public material in that set that felt special to finally share. I’ve had a whole show in my back pocket since we had to cancel and shelve it back in 2020 when Covid hit, but I’m breaking it out of the vaults now. Even though we only performed a few pieces from the show this weekend, I’m looking forward to when we can share it in its entirety with the world.

Nico, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Well, as an artist, though I do and am into many things in this world, I am a Tap Dancer, first and foremost. I’ve told my origin story as such countless times, but what I haven’t shared as much of is my journey to illuminating my own voice and visions, as well as others. I started dancing and performing decently young, and was always apart of a team or company or something. It was after my college years that I realized from high school till then, I had a lot of input in other people’s visions and projects, and should maybe take a crack at starting my own. I was happy to collaborate and still love to do so, but it was when I started my own Tap company and classes downtown that I saw how fueling my fire can provide a source for others to do the same and shine with theirs too. Not long after that, I started Shuffle Liiife Productions, where those three i’s stand for the iNFINITE iNDIVIDUAL iNCANDESCENCE we highlight within ourselves and others. With this production company being an umbrella for many things, we have a podcast, host free tap jams, produce an annual end of the year workshop, and much more. There have been legendary Tap organizations before us, and there are some great ones now, but I feel one of our main values that sets us apart is our endless drive to always keep it straight, no chaser with the community and our audiences.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

In my view, I think society can best support artists when they intentionally support artists they truly dig, and not just them, but their actual art and artistry. Just in terms of music, we went from being sold on someone before we maybe even knew what they looked like, to now being sold on their image and likability before we’ve really experience what they actually do artistically. With that being said, if we’re to look at the creative process for artists these days as well, we even sometimes consider the roll out and how we’re gonna sell the art before we’ve even started making it. But, my main sentiment is that we all need to focus more on the art itself sometimes, and not just who got marketed or marketed themselves best. We can also go to more shows and purchase more art from up and coming artists too.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Honestly, yes, the world of grants, funding, and residencies. I feel like most of my career I’ve had endless ideas, concepts, and even starts to projects that still haven’t or took too long to see the light of day because of lack of funding, access, and support. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve done plenty that I’m proud of, but my artistry went to the next level exponentially each time I received a grant or had a residency where I had a home to create in. I’ve found there are more people willing to help than I would’ve thought, and those beautiful people only continue to share even more resources once you step into that orbit. Getting in that world and those worlds sooner is definitely something I would’ve told my younger self about.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.shuffleliiife.com
• Instagram: @ChiTappin @SHUFFLELiiiFE
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@shuffleliiife
• Other: https://shuffleliiife.myshopify.com/

Image Credits
Michelle Reid KbevPhoto Angela Mejia