We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Torey Robinson . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Torey below.

Torey , appreciate you joining us today. What do you think it takes to be successful?

To be successful you have to outlast the pain. All pain is temporary and pain can be struggles in life situations, aches/deterioration in the body or even unlearning to relearning. The way we deal with that discomfort determines how far we are able to advance forward. One of the most significant pains or challenge I faced was dealing with sciatic nerve pain late in 2023 while in the midst of a nationwide tour and other performance gigs. I had very limited mobility in my left leg, barely walking and doubted if I would be able to dance after 2 weeks of enduring this. Throughout this process I was taking ice baths with epsom salt twice a day or at least once. Visiting my chiropractor three times a week, massage/stretch therapist twice a month, gym six days a week and meditating daily. During this time I repeatedly told myself “all I have to do is outlast this pain and I’ll be back stronger , healthier and ready to perform again.” I would even just visualize myself in a better physical state. With dedication, hard work and consistency i was able to perform with the R&B group “Xscape” finishing out 2023, be in a opening act for Jacquees on his “Sincerely For You Tour” with Juicy2x in Atlanta, dance in J Howell “I’m Lyin” musics video , and be apart of a dance short film called “I.O.T.B” entering 2024. In hindsight if I would if gave up and let the pain take me out I wouldn’t have accomplished any of this, let alone still be performing now.  I say all that to say that we all face painful situations but on the other side of that pain is a reward if you continue to push through.

Torey , 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?

Okay, well I was born in Suffolk, VA and later raised in a small town called Ansonia in Connecticut. I am the oldest of 5 siblings and grew with both parents until around my teenage years when they divorced. I always loved the arts especially dance but I really started to pursue it more when my parents split as an outlet to express. This lead to me eventually joining a nonprofit after school program in middle school called Daedream which is a performing arts program in the City of New Haven, Connecticut. While in the program I was mentored by the Owner Kim Francis and I stayed there  7 plus years eventually becoming head choreographer, mentor and co-director. Wanting to take my talents to the next level I attend Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School to further pursue professional training in dance. Fast forward afterward graduating college with a major in IDS and minor in business management I felt like stuck where I was and decided to move to Atlanta late 2019 pre-COVID. This was a life changing move for me, before I knew it found myself performing my first SAG job at the 2022 BET Awards with Joey Bada$$ and working with Karon Lynn. This is also when I knew it was possible for me to be successful as a professional dancer in the Entertainment Industry. Taking that momentum I trained more and stayed dedicated to my craft. 2023 came and I booked my first major tour with the R&B group “Xscape” and the 2023 BET awards show with the artist Offset. This tour however was  definitely one of my most proudest moments because It was my first time experiencing the lifestyle of a professional dancer traveling the country.

Some of the main things I want my potential fans/followers to know about me is that every room I walk into I bring a light force with me. And with that light I’m either telling a story or inspiring someone to turn or keep theirs on.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

The Alchemist
The Secret
The compound effect
The go-giver
The emerald tablet Alchemy for personal transformation

These are all books that had an impact on my journey. I also would say that journaling from time to time significantly impacted me as well.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

As I mentioned earlier Before moving to Atlanta,GA I was living in Connecticut. Midway In the year of 2019 I stopped working corporate jobs and pursued dance fully which I learned and experienced quickly what it felt like being a struggle artist pursing your craft. This throw me into a depression state where I actually gave up on pursing dance and moved to Atlanta for corporate work and a new environment. After about 6 months of living in Atlanta working from 6am-4pm I knew I just couldn’t only do this and that I need to make move/pivot back into the arts. And I did, finding myself in my first dance class with Jblaze, Ysabelle , and FeFe who were dancing on the Indigo Tour with Chris Brown. From then on a flame was lit inside of me and I decided to purse dance professional again. That pivot was major for me because I probably wouldn’t have experienced all that I have now.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @toreyrobinson
• Youtube: @toreytr

Image Credits
@masterbluesama