“We can overcome our fears and insecurities through life principles in dance, painting stories with our bodies, and through hard work.”
When did you realize you wanted to become a professional dancer?
I realized I wanted to become a performer after seeing an episode of Making the Band, an MTV television show, where singer/dancer/performers competed for a spot in the band (later known as Danity Kane). The power of Laurieann Gibson’s choreography resonated with me. It was a fight. It was free. It was something I really needed at the time.
What role did dance play in your life at a young age?
As a child I did praise-dancing in the church. My mother gave me permission to do it so long as I “didn’t do any girly moves.” I called my movement dramatic interpretation. To me, dramatic interpretation was simply whatever the music made me feel and I could imagine in my mind. I didn’t create names for all the moves. They came to me as I was creating a storyline to the songs in my mind. Hehe. That allowed me to continue dancing while trying hard to keep the gay stigma off me at the time. My parents didn’t want me to be gay. They grew up in the church— Baptist, I believe—where their theology and perception of who they were as people was seemingly more valued. Honestly, I just wanted to make them happy, even if that meant not getting to understand why these feelings I was having towards men remained suppressed. I also didn’t want them to take away the thing that made me feel seen and alive, which was dance, so I just played by the rules and ignored all of those feelings that were coming up and pretended they were not there. I really didn’t want to intentionally dive into, or come out as gay/bi/or whatever I called it then. I was just trying to cope with, or even explore, that side of me until I was a junior in College. l truly loved dance so much that I was willing to say or do anything to keep myself happy. I didn’t even know it would be something that would play such a big part in me becoming the man I am today.
Was there anyone who influenced your decision to become a dancer?
My Uncle Jr., Adell Henderson, believed in me from the start. He flew me to LA my freshman year of high school to take my first EVER dance classes with Wade Robson and Shane Sparks and showed me a world I had never dreamed existed. I believe they were two of the most sought-after choreographers in the early 2000s. My uncle has continued to support me since. He was a well-established editor of KING Magazine. Seeing how he was able to meet and shake hands with celebrities, like Snoop Dog, Meagan Good, and Ludacris, to name a few, changed me and my belief of what was possible in life.
Who are your favorite musical artists to dance to?
I really enjoy dancing to Beyoncé and Lady Gaga. They are so passionate and hardworking and their music comes from a place deep within. I can really connect with their frequencies and paint pictures when I move to their music. Lots of variety as well. Lady Gaga, to me, represented a freedom that I wanted so desperately. She would be “weird” in public, wearing meat dresses, using prosthetics, and wild in her choreography. Gibson was also her main choreographer at the time, so I, of course, was in love with anything she touched. She was for the people who were different and not trying to fit in with the status quo. There was so much power in her lyrics. So much conviction. I was a “little monster” (what her fans are called). I didn’t shout it out, really but I do have some old videos where I just let loose and felt every beat and lyric with crazy intensity. Her music gave me a sense of belonging.
Do you have any influences outside of dance?
So many! Will Smith is huge for me. His ability to be both fearless and vulnerable are mind-blowing to me. He is the embodiment of a well-rounded intellectual and down to earth human. So freaking fearless and humble, empathetic, and hard working. He is the epitome of a role model. What was beautiful to me was, even in one of his worst career moments, when he slapped Chris Rock during the Oscars, he took the time to apologize, reflect, and take all the heat. He denounced his behavior. He is human. That truly made me fall in love with the human he is even more. We all fall. We all mess up. We are human. Celebrity or not, we all bleed and are not impervious to life. I will meet him and work with him. I put that into the universe a while ago.
Gary Vaynerchuk (aka Gary Vee) is someone else that changed my perspective on life. Gary Vee is an entrepreneur, author, speaker, and internet personality. First known as a wine critic who expanded his family’s wine business, I found him through his YouTube videos on kindness and business. He is now more known for his work in digital marketing and social media as the chairman of New York-based communications company VaynerX, and as CEO of the VaynerX subsidiary, VaynerMedia.
I was going through an extremely hard time when I moved to Texas. I left the comfort of my previous work to try to make it out and do something bigger [than what was possible] in Oklahoma, where I was depressed, despite teaching everywhere and gaining recognition for my work. While it may have seemed as though everything was going right—I’m extremely good at playing a character I’m not, a role perhaps, as I’ve done since my childhood—I was still miserable and unhappy. I needed to find happiness again, and to find meaning to my life that wasn’t just in teaching. I wondered if I could really perform for bigger companies or artists. I had to just get away for the environment I was in. I made the leap to Arkansas, which didn’t pan out as planned. That eventually led me to Texas, where I basically lost everything. I was staying with friends, not knowing exactly where I was going to get my next check from, but I knew I wanted to start making a name for myself in Dallas and, more than that, perform in a city with so much talent and opportunity. I ended up homeless and couch surfing, and then stayed with my parents for a couple of months, until I was able to stay with some friends who were kind enough to let me live with them in 2018. Watching Gary’s content is what got me to take more action in what began my personal development journey. By following Gary Vee’s content and listening to everything he said, my views on the world, myself, and, quite honestly, humanity in general, began to change. He speaks with kindness, intellect, statistics, and authenticity, with beautiful structure. He is someone I truly admire.
Share your dance education.
I started my professional training at 18. Although I went to college for strategic communication, I always knew I was going to dance and began to seriously consider a career in dance around that time.
My Uncle and Auntie flew me to New York during my Senior year to begin training at the Broadway Dance Center and some other local studios. I learned my first competition dance from an amazing dancer and choreographer, Ryan Warren. He is phenomenal and I still remember the dance we did to Break the Ice, by Britney Spears. That training led me to becoming a ‘convention kid’. I traveled all over the US to conventions and workshops, such as Monsters of Hip Hop and Adrenaline, and toured as a protégé with The Pulse. I also had several amazing and impactful moments improvising in a class with the amazing JoJo Gomez, and working with the one-and-only Mia Michaels. Since committing to dance full time, I have never felt more connected to what I believed is my purpose. It’s a feeling I hold deep within me.
What are some challenges you faced as a professional dancer?
Being rejected and not fitting the preconceived mold of a dancer for a particular job or envisioned by a choreographer. Hiding my homosexuality for so long made me sensitive to rejection even before I started dancing. I felt rejection from the church, from society, and from my parents, although I love them dearly. People only know what they’re aware of and I know, as an adult, that they were trying to protect me the only way they knew how. So I took a lot to heart and I feel everything super freaking deeply, which is not always a helpful trait for someone in the entertainment industry, where it’s necessary to build tough skin. I’m constantly asking myself “Am I good enough?”, ”Am I worthy?”, or ”Do I deserve to be happy?”. And that’s just scratching the surface.
As a teacher, how do you help young dancers overcome their insecurities?
I didn’t have a mentor that taught me consistently while growing up. I would watch music videos and copy dance moves in my early years from movies like Honey, where I was really introduced to Laurieann Gibson. I constructed my teaching style with love, compassion, discipline, and empathy. I desired to be the teacher that I never had growing up. I wanted someone to really believe in me without judgment or me having to pretend to be someone else in order for them to love me and see me for who I was (as opposed to who they wanted me to be). I love teaching young dancers and adults and helping them gain confidence while requiring them to figuratively play tennis with me. We hit the ball back and forth together to stay engaged and working together. I’m not a dictator or boss. Nor do I believe in teaching like someone superior to my students or somehow better as a human than them. Leaders, in my opinion, display huge amounts of empathy, kindness, and comradery. That doesn’t mean we don’t work hard, many students I have had can attest to that. I’m intense in the most loving and empowering way. It is a blessing to see the potential, usually before my students see it in themselves, and I am there to push them even when they feel like they have nothing left to give or want to give up. It’s so beautiful to watch humans transform in front of your eyes. We work together to create beauty. Working with hundreds and hundreds of students from kindergarten to adults for over 15 years now has trained me to create systems to implement when it comes to personal development and what it takes from a technical and value perspective. We can overcome our fears and insecurities through life principles in dance, painting stories with our bodies, and through hard work. Every child is different. I never have, nor will I ever, play favorites. They all should be shown love while being given the tools to succeed and believe in themselves. I pride myself on mostly increasing my volume in excitement or raising my tone when they are killing it and putting in the work. I love seeing my students progress. When a student trusts you and believes in you they tend to work extremely hard for you. I owe it to all of them to give my all when creating a magical experience for them.
What do you want students to take away from each class?
- Love for themselves and others.
- A deep belief that they can be whatever they dream, both in dance and in life.
- The confidence to look anyone in the eyes with a passion for life and for the future.
What are your next adventures?
I’m opening an online personal development and transformation coaching business in the future. Taking my 15+ years of teaching, performing, and working with humans I realized it’s time to use my talents to serve humanity by working with individuals and businesses to take their beliefs and what’s possible for themselves to the next level. In working with my clients, we create actionable steps to aligning their values with the future version of what they can be. Doing the inner work. Which requires going back into childhood wounds that were never dealt with. I have gotten certified in Neuro-Linguistic Programming, which is a framework that uses communication, language, and behavior patterns learned through the experiences we go through as humans, to help achieve specific goals in life. I’m a huge neuroscience geek. Being the type of person young Cordell (childhood me) would look up to and be proud of. It’s all about WE, the collective human race. This new venture is to change the world through serving and helping people believe they can do anything they truly want to do and be exactly who they desire by leading by example. I have changed a lot in the past two years and I plan to write the story of my life the way I want it while being open to change even in that plan. It’s also important to me to stay close to entertainment, modeling, and content creation using my different talents during this new venture. Exploring where the journeys will take me and seeing what that ride will look like. I’m excited for the unknown. Makes life that much more fun. Growth mindset and staying a forever learner. That’s the current desire.
If you could turn back time, what advice would you have given to your young self?
Believe in You! Trust in the Universe. You’re protected and beautiful just as you are. Now go be great. I love you, Cordell.
