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ACT: So Terran, you have an impressive list of dancers who have trained with you at SubRoy Studios. Let’ s talk about you and how this all started. Did you know at a young age that you wanted to dance? TERRAN: It ' s really amazing. I ' ve always loved to dance. My parents enrolled me in ballet and tap at age 6. By age 7, my lack of natural flexibility lead me to quit. But that couldn’ t stop me from dancing around the house in full costume. I enjoyed dancing with my peers. It was my road to popularity and the way I was most easily accepted.
ACT: When did you make the transition from dancer to performer to choreographer to business owner? Take me on this journey from your perspective. TERRAN: I began choreographing officially at age 13. I attended a small Catholic school in Memphis, Tennessee, where athletics were everything. There were a couple of out of state schools we played twice each year and one of them always made us look bad during halftime of the boy’ s game. I mean bad! They had better uniforms and were being coached by members of the National Champion University of Memphis dancers. I had enough! So in the 8th grade, I took over the cheer team, began designing the uniforms, and choreographing the dances. I continued to coach the dance team for 3 years after I graduated.
The word somehow got around the city and schools reached out to hire me. Quickly I recognized there was something missing. My natural talent couldn ' t get us past 2nd place in competitions. Repeatedly! My senior year in high school, I decided to audition for a local dance powerhouse and became a member of Memphis Elite All Stars. It was a highly competitive all-star program with strong ties to The University of Memphis. This was my training. I was always a Director first and danced only to become better. I continued to dance and train with The University of Memphis Dance Team, the Tennessee Oilers( Titans), Memphis Redbirds, and Memphis Grizzlies. All of these served as priceless marketing for me as a local choreographer. In 2005, I founded Memphis Legend All Stars which became Yo! Memphis Dance Company, which in 2007, and settled as Subculture Royalty Dance Company. In 2009, my work lead me to a position with the Memphis Grizzlies and afforded me the clientele to open SubRoy Dance Studios in 2012. A journey well worth taking.
ACT: Who would you say was your biggest influence in getting started in dance and into the business of dance? TERRAN: Honestly, at age 4 the TV Show Solid Gold solidified my passion. My mother said I would ask for " Rick James ' braids and dance around the house all day. My eureka moments of the business aspect of dance initially happened at dance conventions. I was operating off of shear love of the art form. But a fellow Grizzlies Dancer, Taurus Solomon, urged me to go to Monsters of Hip Hop in 2005 because Janet ' s choreographer was scheduled to be there scouting talent. By 2007, I was taking Subculture Royalty, aka SubRoy, to the convention 3-5 times each year. We benefited a lot from that network! The Atlanta professional dance community was booming around the same time. Atlanta is not far from Memphis and I was able to network there as well. What was happening in Atlanta motivated me tremendously. Still does.
ACT: How many dancers have you instructed? TERRAN: I ' ve instructed literally hundreds of dancers. I ' m now on wave 2, offering instructions to my students’ children. It ' s glorious.
ACT: How many have you taught and mentored who have gone on to dance professionally? TERRAN: Officially ten dancers I instructed have ' gone pro '.
ACT: Is there any one who you are most proud of? TERRAN: I ' m most proud of them all! There was never a question as to whether their talent was sufficient. I ' m most proud of them for their mental fortitude and determination to actually take the plunge. For every one that is now a professional, there was another one with the talent to do so, but just couldn ' t handle the pressure.
ACT: What has been the consistent advice that you have given them? TERRAN: I tell my students this... ' The directors have to choose from a plethora of dancers who all look the part and can dance the part. They eliminate based on so many other aspects. This is where your personality and presence comes in.
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