Meet Countess V. Winfrey | Professional Dancer/Teaching Artist/Choreographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Countess V. Winfrey and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Countess V., what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I think this is a valuable question. Often times, artistic careers aren’t as highly regarded as others that society imposes upon us during our youth (ie. becoming a doctor or a lawyer felt like the highest level of achievement). Even I, didn’t think that I would be engaging in an artistic career. In college a majored in Exercise and Sport Sciences, with the intention of becoming a Physical Therapist. I danced throughout middle school, and high school, and when it looked like majoring in dance wasn’t an option at the university I had chosen (I, like many, chose to go where I got the most scholarships), I decided to minor in Dance to continue my practice and love for dance. Over the course of my four years in school, I found myself taking dance classes I wasn’t even enrolled in, and chasing every opportunity to keep dance as a part of my world. I had been afforded many opportunities to perform in fall/spring concerts, and even went to regional dance conferences every year with my small dance department. It wasn’t until I saw Dayton Contemporary Dance Company for the first time when I was a Junior in college that dancing professionally seemed like it could be a real possibility. My university received a grant to bring in two dance companies to be in residence with our dance department (the other company being David Dorfman Dance) over the course of my last two years of college. All of a sudden my desires quickly became less and less about applying for PT school, and more and more about exploring the possibility of dancing professionally. In 2012, I moved to Dayton, OH, began training with DCDC’s pre-professional ensemble and have now been dancing professionally with the main company for 9 years. My world has expanded in all the best ways since becoming a professional dance artist. Being able to share myself with the world in a field that brings forth inspiration, joy, and healing feels like such a high honor. I have taught, choreographed, and performed around the world (Russia, Kazakstan, China, and Bermuda); my artistic and creative abilities have been heightened and stretched; and I’ve done things in the dance world that I NEVER imagined I’d do. Throughout my life, I kept finding my way back to dance. I am incredibly humbled to do what I love for a living, and that I have the talent, discipline, and support to make a living from what I love.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My chosen art form and profession is dance, but I am truly an arts lover all around. I love going to museums, listening to live music, going to see musicals and plays, and I especially love talking to and learning from other artists, in whatever their chosen field is. What has held my interest most recently is collaborating with other artists. It’s not a new concept, but I have grown to appreciate having live arts elements as a part of my dancing/creative experience. When making one of my most recent large works “huMAN/NAture” (a 30 minute dance work premiered and performed by DCDC), I was given free reign to “dream big”; so, all of the music for the piece is an original composition written by my brother and Jazz musician, Wesley Winfrey III (and performed live by the University of Dayton Jazz Ensemble); the work features a large backdrop of a beautiful tree, originally painted by my cousin Kanetha Scott; and original narration written and performed by a dear friend of mine, Valisa Griffin. Having an opportunity to work with a musician, a visual artist, and a writer/orator has catapulted me into a creative space that truly enjoyed collaborating with other artists. My vision of collaborating with artists of all genres together has manifested into an annual event I’ve hosted entitled “Under the Sun: An Improvisational Arts Experience”. During the event, artists gather in one space and we create live art together in an improvisational format. I feel excited about the possibilities of how and where I can expand this idea over the course of the next couple of years, in addition to continually making space for this artistic collaboration in my choreographic work. My journey at Dayton Contemporary Dance Company has been pivotal in my success as an individual artist. My Artistic Director, Debbie Blunden-Diggs, has a unique gift in being able to see potential in people. As a dancer, I don’t necessarily have the “typical body type”, but in my early years pursuing my dance career, she saw something in me, and I now perform as a soloist for the company; I never took a single choreography class in college, and she gave me an opportunity to make a small work, which turned into a creating a world premiere work for the company; my Associate Artistic Director, Crystal Perkins, has helped nurture my teaching ability, and I’ve now taught at two universities and a nationally renowned performing arts school in Cincinnati. I’ve since directed my first full length dance concert at University of Memphis, created an evening length site-specific work at the Cincinnati Art Museum, and have been able to present my choreography at the International Association of Blacks in Dance. The list is long, and continues to grow, and I’m thankful to be in the company of such a great organization that has nurtured, nourished, and supported my artistic growth and pursuits.
On my way to these accolades, I worked as a lifeguard, I worked night shift at a hotel, and at certain times of the year, have danced or performed between the hours of 12pm-9pm, all to do it all over again the next day. I’ve moved several times, and have had to do a lot of mental/emotional/physical/spiritual growth. My dance career didn’t begin until I was 25, and after 10 years of national and international performing, creating work, and teaching, I’m thankful to feel like I’m only at the tip of the ice berg. The journey has been FAR from easy, but I’m thankful that every trial has influenced my triumphs, and am very enthusiastic, curious, and excited about the future.
It’s not enough to love dance. It takes work, discipline, (for me) a strong spiritual foundation, support, and constant re-grounding. I make it a practice to assess what I’m doing, and why I am doing it, and in the moments where the “toughness” tries to trump my “why”, I take a moment…I pray about it…I talk about it…I write about it…until a reach a a place of settle/solace, that more times than not, brings me back to my love for my craft.
I’ve learned that everything in life is a practice. There’s always something old and something new; there’s always something unpleasant amongst something beautiful; there’s always give and take. I try to see the glass as half full, while not neglecting the empty space, knowing that room for improvement is a constant. I try to collect the beautiful moments and hold them close, so that I’ve got some storage to pull from when the unpleasantries are present.
I’ve grown to learn that talent isn’t enough…that you don’t have to be extraordinary to have a beautiful life and career…but loving people, being willing to give/share, and having an open heart will lead you exactly where you’re supposed to be, with the people you are supposed to be with.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If I had a friend visiting Dayton, OH I would take bring them to our downtown, specifically in the summertime. While Dayton isn’t a huge city, there are some really beautiful gems and local eateries that are worth visiting! For activities, I would take them to the Levitt Pavilion (which features free live music every weekend in the summer); for a walk/run by the beautiful Riverscape; a movie at the Neon (a locally owned movie theater featuring everything from small indie films, to nationally recognized films); and the Contemporary Dayton (a FREE local art gallery) to start. For eateries, I would take them to the Oregon District which has a little bit of everything you might be looking for (Oregon Express for amazing pizza and live music; Culture, a new black owned restaurant with a contemporary soul food menu; Salar, an upscale dining experience with beautiful cocktails and indoor scenery, to name a few), West Tap Social (a newly opened food hall) and one my favorite restaurants, Sueno. For late night entertainment, we’d visit a new black-owned bar and lounge called The Reserve, Dayton’s first public rooftop (since I’ve lived here) called the Foundry, and a beautiful underground bar called Tender Mercy! We’d then venture out to surrounding residential areas for shopping, karaoke spots, and even a visit to Yellow Springs for hiking. And of course, if my best friend was visiting during our season, I would have tickets for them to see me and my wonderful colleagues perform with the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to shout out my beautiful mother, Rogina Evans. My childhood was full of love, laughter, kindness and patience; jazz festivals, musicals, and dance concerts; all of which have contributed to my life, my personality, and my career. My mom put me in my first dance class at the age of four, re-enrolled into dance in middle school, and has only missed a handful of performances over the last 23 years. I have a huge southern family (on both of my parents’ sides) and the amount of support I’ve received from them all has been unwavering. At the core of that support, between tear-filled phone calls about not getting cast, to celebrating some of the biggest highlights of my career, has been my mother: standing in the gap, reminding me of who I am and Who’s I am, and loving me tenderly as I’ve prowled through this journey. She is so proud of me, and I pray I continue to make her proud.

Instagram: Countessv04

Image Credits
Ron Valle Photography ThkLuvLtr Photography Jeanne Mam-Luft Asa Featherstone