Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Perlizbeth De Leon. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Perlizbeth, thanks for joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?
Every creative outlet I have I first taught myself.
With dance, I started by being coerced into a church dance with my best friend Rebecca when I was in 2nd grade. I didn’t get back to dance until high school when I started copying moves from YouTube videos. Specifically, one dance for a whole year. It took me a while to get it right and I didn’t want to move onto another one until it was perfect. Or as close to perfect as I could get it. From there, I learned other dances on my own and would freestyle constantly. The first “formal” training I received was from recreational dance classes held by the collegiate Hip Hop dance crew I joined and an open Modern class my freshman year I signed up for on a whim. From there, it was a landslide of training. I added as many dance classes as I could while remaining in my major’s courses. I trained up and down the east coast at various workshops and conventions, even winning a scholarship to a week of unlimited classes at Millennium Dance Complex in LA.
With art, I started drawing on the school bus and in the extra time when I would finish my work. I hated doing nothing. So, I started sketching. I took my high school art classes and joined every art club I could. I even volunteered at the local art gallery to help teach kids just to be around it more. In college, I majored in Art Education and concentrated in Painting.
With music, I’d been singing my whole life. I, again, had been coerced to sing every Sunday for our little Filipino church in Raleigh, NC. I’d have practice with the pianist who I called Uncle Neal. I loved Disney songs and in high school my friends Rebecca and Shaun introduced me to musicals. I bought a ukulele and guitar with the money from my part-time jobs and would cover songs to post on YouTube. Again, I just looked at the chords online and would try to copy the melody after listening. I took the guitar back up this past October when I started songwriting. I’ve acquired a lot of tricks by attending different open mics in Atlanta. With music, I’ve still had no formal training. I took one hour long vocal lesson from a friend of mine in 2024 but that’s it!
Money was always the biggest obstacle for me. My parents couldn’t afford extra-curriculars for us. That’s why I’m the only one in my family who is in this field. I am the only one of my siblings who went to college and pushed myself in all these artistic endeavors. All my siblings are creative and talented. But I’m the only one who kept going despite financial limitations.
I think the biggest skills I’ve learned in these fields are consistency, persistence, passion, but all of these fall short if you lack in one area: a God-given gift.
You can be as consistent, persistent, and passionate as you want in anything but if God doesn’t want that for you, it won’t prosper. Being able to understand that and let go based on that wisdom has been the area I’ve had to work through in the past year. I think I’ve forced a lot of things to work in my career but now I’m letting things flow. That has changed everything.
Perlizbeth, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My work is meant to inspire others. I do believe art is meant to help people connect whatever the medium: dance, music, visual arts. Coming from different backgrounds, everyone is inspired by a variety of things.
My main goal is to provide a way for others to be catapulted into their own creativity and power. I seek to encourage others to find what is possible for them, or rather what they think is impossible but is completely within their reach.
I work with a wide range of dancers from absolute beginners to professional level. I do private lessons and teach group classes.
I also choreograph and dance for artists, music videos, and live performances. These are such exciting projects to work on because you’re part of a bigger vision and every team I work with create the most wonderful worlds.
In music, I write my own songs and perform at various venues. It’s a very cathartic process to write music and ultimately vulnerable when I perform them for others to connect with.
Visual art is what I find to be the most introverted art form. If I’m painting, it’s like I go into a little pod where it’s just me, the painting, and God. If I have a piece up in an exhibit or in a coffee shop, it feels like any person who interacts with it has it’s own personal conversation with it before it returns to me.
I’m exploring the world of commissions when it comes to art so if you’re interested in a personal piece just email me!
How did you build your audience on social media?
I started posting online via Tumblr when I was in high school. From there, I went to Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and now TikTok. I got hacked in 2024 and haven’t been able to rebuild the numbers but I do think I have a more interactive and intimate audience right now. I would say just be yourself and have fun posting. Don’t listen to anyone whether it’s positive or negative and just do what you do.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
Support is more than money. It’s sharing posts, interacting with content, and being a real person in the digital world. It may seem tedious but just liking someone’s post can help their creative work. What’s valuable is the soul behind the social media account.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://perlizbeth.com
- Instagram: @perlizbeth_
Image Credits
Christina Massad