Meet Ari Parker | Professional Dancer & Coach

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ari Parker and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ari, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
I actually wouldn’t consider myself much of a risk taker. Choosing dance as my professional career is probably the biggest risk I’ve ever taken in life because it’s not always consistent, and I’m the type of person who needs consistency or structure to stay sane. With that said, as a dancer if you don’t take risks in your craft, you grow at a much slower pace. I had to learn to redirect my fear of “going with the flow” into embracing the endless possibilities that can come out of freestyling, both in life and in dance. Every time I take class, I see dancers around me who move as though they are invincible and even though it often scares the crap out of me, it also inspires me to try new things for myself that I don’t envision myself being able to do. That mindset directly translates to setting goals outside of dance as well.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I have always been an athlete, and I have always been an artist. Growing up in Suffolk, VA, I ran track and played basketball up until I was 13. I also was apart of painting programs and city choirs, so objectively speaking, dance just kind of made sense for me. However, if my mom hadn’t enrolled my twin and I into a performing arts high school, I probably would’ve pursued track & field professionally instead. But here we are, and I absolutely fell in LOVE with dance. Since I started later than a lot of dancers, I had no choice but to play catch up for all 4 years of high school so that I could be at a level where I felt like becoming a professional dancer was even an option. I almost chose Sociology as a major because it sounded safer in my head, but I trained my butt off just to be able to get into college as a dance major instead.

Finding dance at a time in my life where I developed anxiety and depression was definitely a blessing. It helped me cope with challenges at home and personal setbacks. I recently learned that there were other parents at my home studio that were anonymously helping my mom pay for my tuition. Just knowing that alone pushes me to keep striving for greatness every day.

Through dance I have learned that I am more of a detail-oriented, structure-based type of person. I love choreography, but I struggle with freestyle. Therefore, in my day to day, I love a set schedule, but struggle with inconsistencies or things that aren’t done in a timely manner. My mom likes to say we are jacks of all trades but masters of none. So yeah, I’m still learning how to focus my energy on one style so I can hopefully master it. This is something that creates an extra challenge at auditions as well when a casting director or choreographer is looking for someone who has a “specialty”. My specialty is the work of a chameleon. I’ve gotten this far because I perform well, I dance clean, I dance from my heart, and I’m always respectful of the space and my fellow dancers. As a teacher/coach for young dancers now, respect and proper etiquette is something I try to remind them of every day.

My accomplishments as a professional dancer are continuously growing and that makes my inner child smile all the time. I’m proud of myself for pursuing a career that is outside of the box labeled “safe”. I am proud of myself for inspiring my students to see greatness in themselves. I am proud that I have danced on stages that I would never have imagined as a teenager, with dancers that are beyond incredible. My most proud moment right now though, has to be showcasing my choreography at Club Jete in LA for the first time. I had a lot of support, but I felt nervous because there was a doubtful thought of imposter syndrome that kept trying to creep its way to the forefront. I’ve done music videos, commercials, and performed on stage several times now, but showcasing my own choreography always holds a special place in my heart.

My love for dance started with it’s correlation to my love for music and athleticism, then it turned into my therapy (and still very much is), but the deciding factor to make it my career was the fact that there is always room to grow. Dance has never stopped kicking my ass and that makes it worth all the blood, swear, and tears. Once I got my Bachelor’s degree in dance at CSUF, I felt ready to move to LA. I started training under Cameron Lee intensively and eventually got signed to Movement Talent Agency. It’s definitely not been easy, but I’m still having a grand time.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would love to take my closest friends from home to Disneyland FIRST because it really is magical and what a great way to start their trip. Then we would probably go to West Hollywood for a night out, I just think everyone should experience it. If there was a Black on the Block event happening, I would take them there because the food is amazing, the PEOPLE are amazing, and we support black businesses! We would also go to Griffith Observatory, Laguna Beach, and probably take a day trip down to San Diego. They don’t have CAVA in VA, so I would have to take them there too. Personally, I’m not a fan of In n Out so we’d have to skip that one (sorry). We’d have to take some dance classes at Movement Lifestyle and Millennium LA for sure. Lastly, I’d take them to the rooftop cinema club for drinks and a movie, a horseback riding tour to the Hollywood sign, and Soundbox VR.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Vixens Heels Company, directed by one of my first mentors, David Slaney, is my biggest support system in the dance community. It is an amazing group full of strong, hard-working individuals that has helped shape me into the leader I am today. I started with Vixens as a sophomore in college, very new to dancing in heels, and very new to the dance community of Southern California. Now, I work alongside David as the Assistant Artistic Director and Director of Operations. David has been my mentor, my friend, and my brother throughout the years. He has always shown me love, encouragement, and pushed me to pursue things I was on the fence about. Vixens under his leadership is nothing short of an abundance of all those qualities and more.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ariel.pxx?igsh=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr