Meet Justice Domingo: Professional Dancer & Content Creator

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

Hi Justice, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
Whew! Inglewood has entered the chat! I find myself extremely lucky to say that I grew up in West Los Angeles, off of Centinela and La Brea to be exact. I didn’t always feel that way about where I come from. Honestly, I actually hated my neighborhood as a child. I grew up in Inglewood and spent most of my life there. I used to cry to my mama and beg her to move us somewhere else. I thought it was ghetto. I felt unsafe. I resented the hood because of my mom’s inability to get sober as well. But as an adult, I can’t help but feel an immense amount of gratitude for the city that raised me. My mom was a was a white woman raising two black kids, and made the intentional decision to raise us in a space where we could feel connected to our black culture. My two neighbors, who I always referred to as my aunties, particularly had a huge influence on my development as a young girl of color. They taught me how to do my hair. They taught me how to cook soul food. They played me music by black artists, sounds that feel like home. A sense of pride to be from my hood grew within me as I got older. I noticed how much LA artists and environments influenced my art and the way I see the world. There’s a certain warmth that fills my soul when I meet another person from West LA, a connection that is so unique. There’s a lot of people who live in LA, but I think it’s an incredibly special thing to be from here. It’s a place where you can be yourself. It’s a place where you can lose yourself, and then find yourself.

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.
I am a professional artist of many different mediums, including dance, choreography, influencer marketing, content creation, and clothing design. Entertainment has, and always will be my first love. I began my journey as a dancer when I was only two years old. As my mentor, Ms. Debbie Allen, would say “Dancers are the smartest people in the world.” I truly believe my story beginning in the dance world opened many doors for the rest of my creative endeavors. My success in the dance industry allowed me to build a platform on social media and navigate opportunities as a social influencer, which led me to work with notable brands such as Sephora, Footlocker, Drunk Elephant, Ouia, Reebok, Nike, and more. After studying Dance and Communications at Loyola Marymount University and receiving my bachelors, I began to create my own bodies of work from the ground up. This includes directing, choreographing, and producing both concert stage performances and commercial work. Candidly speaking, I believe what sets me apart from other artists today is that I don’t believe in over saturation. I am extremely passionate about every project I create, and I like to take my time. Therefore, my work comes far and few between. I am not the dancer who will post a dance video every day, or even every month. I put my heart and soul into the process, and portray quality over quantity. All of my work is drawn from personal experience– whether it be surrounding my identity as a bisexual, biracial woman or my upbringing in West Los Angeles. I like people to see my art, and see me.
My journey was not always easy. I started in this dance game super young and the transition from it being a hobby to a career took a lot of sacrifice. I had to work a lot of 9-5 jobs I hated because creative jobs were not consistent. I had to risk my financial stability to create often. The only thing I had at times was my faith, and knowing that God granted me these gifts for a reason. I have learned to trust myself more than anyone and to be my biggest fan. I have learned to not give in to the pressure to create for outside validation. Finally, I have learned the importance of NOT creating sometimes– to truly enjoy and experience every day life and allow those experiences to inspire the work later on.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I am definitely the friend that everyone comes to when they want something to do in LA! I personally love to spend a lot of time outdoors, so a hike at Griffith is mandatory. I also love the beach, so one of my favorite spots to chill at is this beach overlook in Playa Del Rey, right off of Rindge Ave.. As far as food goes, we must hit up Simply Wholesome, Papi’s, & Ackee Bamboo just to name a few!!! Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have to give a tremendous amount of credit to my older brother, Jazz. My brother was truly my own personal super hero as a child. If you asked me what I wanted to be when I grow up, I’m sure my answer would have been, “I want to be just like my brother”, He’s the reason I dance in the first place. He’s the reason I even knew that dance could be something that I do for a living. My brother was a dancer and entertainer before I was even born and following in his footsteps has been an honor. Most of my childhood was spent watching Jazz in rehearsals, on stage, or on my television. He danced for all of my favorite artists, on my favorite television shows, and was a force to be reckoned with. That fire and passion in him lit a fire in me early on. I witnessed his hard work manifest into success. Having that type of inspiration so close to me made me want to work harder. It also created healthy competition because I honestly wanted to be better than the best, which was him in my eyes. As I began to grow into myself as an artist, his support kept me driven. He was always down to shoot a video for me, or to let me choreograph work on him. Today, he continues to push me and speak life into my dreams. He never lets me forget how powerful the talent is that God has blessed me with.

Instagram: @justicedomingo

Twitter: @justicedomingo