Today we’d like to introduce you to Braven “Bray” Sloan III
Hi Bray, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am originally from Richmond, VA and have lived in Atlanta, GA for the last ten years where I began pursuing dance professionally. I have trained under multiple choreographers in the Atlanta area including Lyrik London, Jeremy Green, KiKi Ely, and more. In June 2023 I felt like I was losing my love of dance so I took some time away to figure out what exactly dance meant to me. After a much needed break, I realized that I wanted to put my focus on rebranding myself as a choreographer. I began hosting dance sessions and teaching more in the Atlanta and Virginia area and started my business Vibes By Bray LLC to promote my work as a creative artist. As I continued to train and grow my work, I had the idea of starting a podcast for dancers to create a safe space for upcoming and professional dancers to share their experiences as they have been pursuing dance. And 5,6,7,8: The Podcast can be found on all streaming platforms and exclusively on YouTube. At the beginning of the year, I made the decision to leave Atlanta so I could brand myself in new cities and upon relocating I booked my very first film as a featured dancer, a commercial, and recently just relocated to Washington, D.C., starting my first year as an NBA dancer. With faith, patience, and intentional training, I have been blessed to be able to still travel to Atlanta, GA often to teach choroegraphy and achieve these new goals.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It hasn’t been a smooth road but it’s been worth it because everything has shaped my journey and I also didn’t give up. I am a big believer of faith and lately I have been building my spiritual resilience. When I first decided to leave Atlanta, God told me to move back home to Richmond, Va. Why? At that moment I didn’t know, but I knew I needed to be obedient. I felt like my time in Atlanta was expired. My goal was to save a certain amount of money by April/May, but due to some unforeseen circumstances, I was coming out of my pocket still paying expenses in Atlanta after I already moved, so it continued to put me in a bind. I was broke, with a malfunctioning car and no clear plan or direction. Fast forward, I started teaching my very own classes in Richmond, booked my first movie as a dancer, my first commercial, purchased a new car, and started my podcast all within 3 months.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Currently I am a podcast host on my very own podcast mentioned earlier (And 5,6,7,8: The Podcast) and I am in my first year of dancing for the Washington Wizards. I also have a full time job to support my craft where I work in the finance department for a car dealership. My specialty is choreography. Although I can create to pretty much anything I am known for creating lyrical hip hop choreography.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
What matters most to me is using my craft to give back to others which is one of my main reasons for creating my podcast. Everybody doesn’t have the resources to access certain choreographers or knowledge so that’s what I use my platform for. Community is so important to me and that’s what matters most
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/5678podcast
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cravinsumbraven?igsh=MXEzMjhqNjBnaGRxMA==
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@vibesbybray?si=NpJKUfm82enbT_r5
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@and5678podcast?_t=8qJw4j2SOTP&_r=1
Image Credits
FeliciTEA Digital Lab
