Today we’d like to introduce you to Sinque Tavares.
Hi Sinque, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
I remember growing up and always making a mission to perform at every family function. I used to force my cousin to put on a show with me. I made up the chores, picked the song, and was in control of the costumes. I basically was in control of the whole production. That is when I knew this was something I always needed to do. Didn’t know what it was called or how to make it happen but that feeling of creating had always stuck with me.
From then I was in and out of various dance schools but once I got to college, I decided to take this path towards the arts seriously. I majored in theater with a concentration in acting, directing, and dance but on the side, I was the president/dance captain of the on-campus hip-hop dance team. Being on that team helped me practice my craft when it came to working with big groups of different levels of dance and creating formations.
After graduating I began the steps to pursue my career by hosting various dance workshops in my hometown of New Haven, CT. Those classes brought up my confidence to submit myself to teaching at “The Lab” a prominent dance studio in Meriden, CT. After getting accepted and hosting a couple of pop classes I was asked to be on the bi-weekly schedule as an official staff member and that was the day I decided it was time to build myself up to new heights. So every class I made sure to outdine myself and challenge myself when it came to my choreography and being an all-around creative.
A year later I traveled to Atlanta for the Behind The Movement Intensive hosted by Jeremy Green. I wanted to train outside of what I was using too and this opened my eyes to a whole new style of dance, a style I didn’t know I needed. I came to this program three times, three different years. After my second year which was BTM 6, it gave me the confidence to travel to New York and start training out there.
After a few months of taking classes in New York and gaining a following, I made the big step to host my first dance class in the big city and ever since then, I have been nothing but consistent. At that time I was teaching in Connecticut, as well as New York. The next year I went back to Atlanta for that same intensive (BTM 8) this was my third time and this time I wanted to make a splash, and I did.
Maybe a few weeks before I left for the intensive I made a dance to “What It Is’ by Doechii and it went viral on TikTok and Instagram. That dance was the start that got my name out there. So much so that I was able to put my choreography on the stage of BTM for the first time. After that, I came back home with validation that I was good enough and I could do this.
Once I got back home I took control of my career in a bigger way. I stepped up my choreography, dropped various visuals to show my creative side, and hosted even more workshops in New York to the point where I now have a weekly slot a Brickhouse NYC. I have even traveled back and forth hosting workshops in Atlanta every few months to get my name out there which has been going very well. I’ve also traveled to Miami & Philly to do workshops for the first time. So it’s been a journey but I’m making it happen with a one-man show.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No, it has not at all. I think my biggest struggles in self-confidence/self-doubt and not listening to that little voice in your head who tells you, you can’t. I’m my own worst critic so sometimes I get in my own way but I’m doing way better. As well as financial it’s of course been a struggle because the world today costs an arm and leg but I’m okay.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m most proud of my creative mind. The things I create now are something I never thought I would ever come up with. I also pride myself on making a space for the lgbtqia+ in my work whenever I can especially those of color. There’s a lot of us out here that are talented and I want to make sure I shine a light on that.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out.
This road is not easy, you struggle financially and you struggle with your own self-doubt but at the of the day the day ends and you have to start a new one so what can you do better that you didn’t do yesterday? Also be patient, if you want to be called an artist you have to take time to learn, listen, and marinate nothing comes easy, and on the time you want it to. Plus never give up, please don’t give up.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @_sin.que
- Youtube: @Sinqwezzy Productions
Image Credits
Gerald Lovelace of Lovelace Studios
