>> MY DANCE STARTED OUT IN CLEVELAND, OHIO.

IT STARTED WITH MY FATHER AND MY UNCLE TEACHING DANCE MOVEMENTS IN THE WORLD OF HIP-HOP.

I STARTED DIGGING INTO MY PASSION IN HIGH SCHOOL WHEN IT COMES TO DANCING.

I AM DOING HIP-HOP FIRST.

I GOT INTO THE WORLD OF CLOWN DANCING AND THAT GOT INTO THE WORD OF CRONK AND THAT STYLE COMES FROM CALIFORNIA.

AS TIME WENT BY, I STARTED TAKING SERIOUSLY THE WORLD OF POPPING, LOCKING, A LOT OF MOVEMENTS FROM THE 1970s AND 1980s.

THE STYLE AND THE CULTURE, I WAS DIVING INTO ALREADY BUT WHAT I WANTED TO DO AS AN ARTIST WAS THE BIGGEST CONVERSATION I HAD TO DEAL WITH AND COLUMBUS REALLY WAS A PLACE WHERE I WAS LIKE, I AM IN THIS BUT WHAT DO I DO AS AN ARTIST NOW AND THAT IS WHAT COLUMBUS MADE ME ASK MYSELF WHAT YOU WANT TO DO, DONALD, WITH THE DANCE?

I AM DIVING INTO BEING A CHOREOGRAPHER AND A DIRECTOR OF MY WORK ON THE THEATER STAGE.

I HAVE ALWAYS DONE DANCE COMPETITION, TALENT SHOWS BUT NOW, STORYTELLING AND NOT ME PERFORMING BUT ME BEING A DIRECTOR AND THAT IS THE WORLD I'M GETTING INTO.

AS A SOLO ARTIST, I STILL PERFORM BUT NOW, I AM DYING INTO THIS WORLD OF SEEING MY VISION COME TO LIFE ON A THEATRICAL STAGE LIGHTING, PRODUCTION, SOUND EFFECTS, AUDIO, AND THE COSTUMES.

THAT IS MY WORLD NOW AND I AM LIVING IN WHAT I ALREADY KNOW AS A STREET DANCER AND I AM LIKE, OKAY, NOW, PRODUCTION IS THE WORLD I AM GETTING INTO.

THAT IS MY NEXT STATE AS AN ARTIST, THAT WORLD.

THE ONE MAJOR THING THAT IS SO IMPORTANT FOR ME IS THAT I TAKE TIME TO MOVE MY BODY AND WHEN I MOVE MY BODY, I AM THINKING ABOUT WHAT I AM FEELING.

THAT IS WHAT IS HELPING ME DIRECT CHOREOGRAPHY, LIGHT, WHAT COLOR THEME I WOULD SEE IF I WAS ON STAGE AND THEN I WOULD SEE WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE ON ANOTHER ARTIST AND A CAST MEMBER.

THE PROCESS IS DANCING THROUGH THE MOVEMENT THAT IS UP HERE, FEELING THE MUSIC, MAKING SURE THAT IS CONNECTING AND SAYING WHAT DOES THE WORLD LOOK LIKE ON THE STAGE.

IS A DARK, LIGHT, BLUE, PURPLE?

NOW, IT TAKES ME TO THE STATE OF WRITING.

NOW I HAVE TO WRITE IT, DRAW IT UP, TRIED TO FIND WHAT IS WITHIN ME AND I LET MY MENTOR AND TEAM THAT I TRUST WITH MY VISION TO FIND A BALANCE TO MAKE IT A BEAUTIFUL PRODUCTION.

I AM DETERMINED IN NEVER CONCEALING ENERGY.

THAT PHILOSOPHY CAME FROM A END WHO WAS A PROFESSIONAL ARTIST, WRAPPER, POET.

DONALD, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT IT, IT MADE ME COME UP WITH THOSE WORDS.

I WILL ALWAYS SEE HIM AND SAY THANK YOU BECAUSE I NEEDED HIM TO FILTER WHAT I WAS FEELING IT AND IT TOOK ANOTHER ARTIST TO BE ABLE TO SAY, I CAN HELP YOU.

I AM DETERMINED TO NEVER FEEL THE ENERGY WITH BEING SOMEONE WHO DOESN'T CONCEAL THEMSELVES, ESPECIALLY AS A DANCER.

NEVER HOLD BACK WHAT YOU ACTUALLY FEEL.

ACKNOWLEDGE WHAT YOU FEEL AND GO THROUGH THE PANEL OF MOVEMENT TO REALLY GET IT OUT.

RIGHT NOW, THE FOCUS OF I AM DANCE IS WE ARE REBRANDING FOR OUR MOVEMENT SO WE CAN BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE WORLD AS CREATORS AND ESPECIALLY AS DANCERS, WE ARE TRYING TO UNDERSTAND.

IT IS A TIME FOR ME TO BE ABLE TO BE THANKFUL FOR THE PAST 14, 15 YEARS.

TO BE WITH PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY, THIS IS THE NEXT SPACE WE WANT TO GO TO MAKE SURE IT IS HEARD THROUGH OUR COMPANY AND THAT IS MY BIGGEST THING RIGHT NOW, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE RECOGNIZE, ACKNOWLEDGE WHAT HAS BEEN GOING ON AND WE WANT TO PUT THAT TO OUR BRAND.

>> MY FIRST TIME GOING TO CUBA WAS LIKE TIME TRAVELING.

AS SOON AS YOU GET OFF THE PLANE, IT IS LIKE I WENT BACK TO THE 1950s.

IT REALLY MADE ME BE IN A VERY INTERESTING PLACE THAT I THINK I HAVE NEVER BEEN.

GETTING THERE AND JUST SEEING THE PEOPLE, SEEING THE COMMUNITY AND SEEING THE OLD SCHOOL CARS DRIVE BY, IT WAS LIKE I AM TIME TRAVELING BUT I WAS TIME TRAVELING LEARNING ABOUT THEIR STORY ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED.

SO, IT DID TAKE ME THROUGH A VERY EMOTIONAL ROLLER COASTER BECAUSE I DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO TAKE IT.

I THINK THE COMMUNITY OF CUBA WAS TELLING ME THAT IT WAS LIKE, DONALD, NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENED HERE, WE ARE NOT GOING TO STOP LOVING EACH OTHER.

SO, I FELT FAMILY THERE.

I FELT A CONNECTION THERE BECAUSE I DID NOT FEEL DISCONNECTED.

I FELT LIKE I WAS CONNECTED WITH FAMILY I NEVER MET BEFORE BUT THAT WAS THE ONE THING IT WAS TEACHING ME.

NO MATTER WHAT WE ARE GOING THROUGH OR WHAT WE ARE STANDING FOR, WE STILL HAVE THIS LOVE.

THE MUSIC AND THE DANCE WAS LIKE EVEN MORE INTENSITY AND MEANING, MORE POWERFUL THAN I HAVE EVER WITNESSED.

SO, THE ONE THING THAT IS IMPORTANT TO ME THAT EVEN MY TEACHER IN MY LIFE IN ART WAS, NEVER FORGET WHY WE DO THIS, NO MATTER WHERE YOU ACT IN THIS WORLD.

DON'T FORGET WHY YOU TEACH.

DON'T FORGET WHY YOU LEARN WHAT YOU DO BECAUSE OUR JOB IS TO TAKE THIS ART AND DEDICATION AND PASS IT DOWN.

I FELT LIKE IT WAS MY DUTY TO MAKE SURE WHEN I SEE STUDENTS, TO KNOW THAT I AM NOT JUST HERE TO SHOW OFF MY SKILLS AND DANCING.

IT WAS FOR ME TO EXCHANGE WITH YOU, TO LEARN WHAT YOU ARE TEACHING ME BECAUSE TEACHERS CAN STILL LEARN FROM THE STUDENTS.

IT IS LIKE, WHEN ARE WE NOT A STUDENT IN LIFE?

THAT CONNECTION HAPPENED WHERE, EVEN WHEN THINGS WORKED OUT, EVEN WHEN WE WERE DONE, I ASKED QUESTIONS BECAUSE I WANTED TO LEARN.

I DIDN'T WANT TO ASSUME ANYTHING.

I WOULD ASK THEM.

WE WOULD LEARN EACH OTHER'S HUMOR, WHAT IS THE WEATHER IN THIS PLACE OF THE WORLD?

THEY WOULD TELL ME ALL OF THEIR STORIES AND THAT CONNECTION AND THAT BOND BECAME THROUGH THE YEARS, THAT I FELT IT WAS GOING TO KEEP GOING AND I THINK IT WAS IMPORTANT BECAUSE THE ONE THING THAT IS SO IMPORTANT TO ME THAT I WANT STUDENTS TO BE ABLE TO TRUST ME AS A TEACHER THAT I WILL DO THE BEST JOB THAT I CAN TO GIVE YOU WHAT I HAVE AND IF I DON'T HAVE IT, I WOULD DO MY BEST TO LEARN AND TO KNOW WHAT I NEED TO KNOW TO BE A BETTER TEACHER.

THAT WOULD MEAN A LOT TO ME.

>> WE SEE BASICS TALK ABOUT COMMUNITY, COMMUNITY BUT THAT LED TO, LIKE, YOU CANNOT FORGET THE Y.

EVEN IF SOME DAYS ARE NOT BRIGHT.

THEY ARE GOING TO BE DARK DAYS BUT YOU CANNOT FORGET THAT AND IT REALLY HIT ME HARD.

EVEN WHEN I MAKE WORK.

MY WORK CAN SHARE A MESSAGE FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE.

I DON'T JUST NEED TO MAKE WORK BECAUSE OF AN IDEA OR A PROJECT.

MY WORK AND HAVE A MISSION AND A STORY TO HELP GIVE THE REAL BROADCAST OF WHAT IS GOING ON IN THE WORLD OR IN MY LIFE.

IF I BECOME A DAD OR IF I AM GRIEVING, DON'T FORGET THE WHY.

WHEN YOU CREATE, CREATE THE WHY.

NO MATTER WHAT YOU ARE USING AS A TOOL FOR YOUR ART, THAT IS THE NUMBER ONE THING.

I THINK THE SECOND THING WAS UNDERSTANDING THE FIGHT THAT PEOPLE REALLY HAVE TO DO AND NOT BECAUSE IT IS ANYTHING SELFISH BUT AT LECTURE, WATCHING THAT TEACHER TEACH ME WAS LIKE, WOW.

THIS IS NOT ABOUT HIM.

THIS IS ABOUT, WHEN I AM GONE, I NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT MY PEOPLE ARE GOOD AND THAT IS WHAT TRIPS ME OUT.

MY GRANDPA HAS THAT SAME ATTITUDE TO THIS DAY.

IF I AM DOING THIS, I WILL MAKE SURE THAT I LEFT A PLATFORM FOR YOU ALL TO KEEP DOING WHAT YOU NEED TO DO SO I MAKE SURE THAT THAT WAS MY LESSON AND I KEEP IT IN MY MIND NOW WHEN I AM WORKING OUT HERE.

IT GAVE ME A MOMENT TO JUST BE QUIET AND TAKE IT IN FOR A SECOND AND I AM THANKFUL.