Today we’d like to introduce you to Aolani Coban.
So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I am a 23-year-old professional dancer from North Carolina. I graduated from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University with a degree in Liberal Studies with a concentration in dance. I have been dancing since I was seven years old. Initially, I hated dancing! My mother would drag me to the studio kicking and screaming; but because she was a professional dancer, and I was her first girl, she wanted me to follow in her footsteps. I grew to LOVE dance! Excelling quickly and well beyond my years! I was in and out of studio dance until the age of 14, when financial troubles meant that I could no longer take dance classes. At that point, I didn’t see dance as a viable career option anyway. I stopped dancing rigorously and would only do it as a high school elective class. In my 11th grade year in high school, I left my predominantly white high school and went to Harding University High School. There I joined the HUHS Marching Band of Gold, famous for marching in President Barack Obama’s 2008 Inaugural Parade! It was there that my love for dance was reignited.
But at that point I had stopped dancing for so long, I gained a lot of weight, and people would always tell me “you’re too big to be a dancer” or “you need to lose more weight.” It took a toll on my mental. So much so that I swore off dance and went to college to pursue a degree in social work at Universal of North Carolina Greensboro. But I just couldn’t let dance go. I would always find a way to dance, in elective classes, in group projects, even in the club! I left UNCG after one semester and moved back to my home city of Charlotte NC where I enrolled at Central Peidmont Community College and changed my major to dance. Well, my mother made me. She swore I had a gift and hated to see me waste it! It was the best decision of my life. For three semesters I trained and performed at CPCC; so good that people no longer saw my weight, they only saw my skill!
In 2015, I transferred to North Carolina A&T where I met Doctor Elanor Gwynn and joined the E Gwynn dance company. It was a different dance experience studying at an hbcu. I was no longer learning Graham technique but instead the techniques of pioneering black dancers such as Katherine Dunham. We didn’t focus on creating ballets for performance but cultural African diasporic dances like traditional African dances such as Kuku and Fanga and cultural, social dances like Romba and Dancehall. It was with this company that I got to travel and study abroad in Kingston Jamaica to learn more about their cultural, social dances. It was an amazing experience I will never forget. I had three amazing seasons with the E Gwynn Dance Company, but upon my graduation from college, I knew staying in little ole North Carolina would not be a viable option to progress my career. So I moved to Atlanta, a metropolis for successful black people, and the ultimate HUB for dancers! Many people may not know how COMPETITIVE the dance industry is. Everyone is fighting for that major job to dance or choreograph for entertainments biggest performers like Beyonce or Chris Brown, or in entertainments biggest arenas like Madison Square Garden or with entertainments biggest companies like Alvin Alley! And for dancers, there are only three places to go to train for those spots: Los Angeles, New York City, or Atlanta!
And although I was born in NYC and have family there, Atl is closest to home! I moved here in August 2018 and have been grinding it out ever since! Taking dance class after dance class, networking and scouting. Small gigs like music videos, and gogo dancing just waiting for my moment to take over the industry. Sure it’s been hard being alone in a new city, trying to make new friends and experience everything that city has to offer. Sometimes it takes a toll on my mental health and I find myself breaking down with lost hope, but I have the unshakable support of my family and friends back home that drives me and pushes me to keep working! I’m patient because I know everyone can’t win at the same time or everyone would lose, but just wait on it! Remember my name when I go hard!!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Oh man, it’s been very bumpy. Financial struggles the most. A lot of missed opportunities because I couldn’t afford to be where I needed to be or go where I needed to go. As previously mentioned my weight. Im a thickkk girl, thick with three k’s! And for some reason, people are under the impression big girls can’t dance! People are genuinely shocked when they see me move and hardcore or graceful as I do! Like what do you expect? When I said, I was a dancer I meant that! But it does cause a lot of doors to get shut in my face.
Alright – so let’s talk business. What else should we know about your work and career so far?
I am more of a brand than a company. My body is my company. My passion is my company. My drive is my company. As a dancer, I specialize in African and Caribbean forms of dance, but I love every form of movement. I love hiphop, I love jazz, I love tap! I even love ballet…although I am admittedly not a ballet dancer, too big! Lol, I haven’t accomplished even a fraction of what I want to accomplish in life or with my brand, but I am proud of the little that I have accomplished. Scholarships, international travel, global recognition, videos, conventions, etc. All feats for an upcoming dancer. What sets me apart from others is my attitude. I have an infectious personality! I love life and I want that love to translate through my movement.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
Firstly my mother. My mother is my number one supporter. She NEVER lets me give up on myself. My mother is the wisest most supportive human on the planet. I’m sure of it! All my knowledge of self has come from her teachings and I appreciate everything she’s done.
My ancestors. They gave me this talent. And my ancestors watch me and guide me and support me through my life journey.
My professors at North Carolina A&T- Dr. Gwynn, Dr. Stevens, and Dr. Dalton. Three amazingly beautiful black women who have given their time to educate students as it relates to the history of black people. Dance in a school curriculum is just as one-sided as every other subject. Unless you exclusively seek out the information, you’ll never find a dance curriculum that exclusively teaches you about the pioneering efforts of black people in dance. Unless it refers to hiphop and break dancing. But we have done SO much more for the community!!! And continue to do so. So I thank those three for that exposure.
There are a lot of “little people” to thank such as my managers at Starbucks who always let me call out of work when I have a gig, my instructors and teachers who train me and mold me in different styles to become a versatile dancer. My friends who show ample support and motivate me to the point if tears. And my family, primarily my six siblings; they are the reasons I do anything- to inspire them
Pricing:
- $30 privates 1on1 for 75 minutes
- $50 group rates 1on5+ for 75 minutes
Contact Info:
- Email: cobanaolani@gmail.com
- Instagram: @Heavenlyclouandco
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/mrsdirtydiana/?ref=bookmarks
Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
