MaliQ is an expert dancer/singer residing and dealing in NYC. He’s a strong performer with a myriad of credit on his resume. His dancing is grounded but expansive, classical but modern. He’s a type of distinctive artists who can transfer fluidly from one type of dance to a different. His superpower? Versatility.
A local of Pittsburgh, PA, MaliQ started his coaching when he was 9. He studied ballet, jazz, acro and faucet, and at age 11 attended Rogers Center College for the Inventive and Performing Arts. There, he started to check fashionable and quite a lot of different dance kinds. He continued finding out ballet in addition to character dance on scholarship at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. At age 12, after a transfer to Florida, he attended center and excessive faculties for the humanities.
As a scholar, dance was only a pastime. “I by no means noticed it as a viable choice, or profession,” MaliQ says. “I by no means noticed dancers who regarded like me, a black boy. It wasn’t till I noticed the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater that I spotted I could possibly be an expert dancer. I made a decision I used to be going to bop in that firm.”
He attended Juilliard, which is world-famous for its wealthy curriculum in ballet, modern, fashionable, improvisation and dance composition. At Juilliard, he felt his world increase. He understood he might dance in Ailey, but additionally in European firms, and even operas. He had dabbled in every little thing as a younger scholar, however school was a real revelation. “I needed to style a little bit little bit of every little thing!” he says thoughtfully. “It helped me notice that if I needed a style of every little thing on the buffet, I wanted to be as well-rounded a dancer as I might.”
After graduating from Juilliard, he apprenticed on the Limón Dance Firm. “It was fairly a formative time for me. I had simply completed at Juilliard, which left me triumphant but damaged, and in my head, this was really the start for me. Little did I do know it could be certainly one of my most difficult years. I realized a lot, from the continuation of my method coaching to how you can current myself professionally.”
At Limón, there was a big turnover of dancers. Half of the corporate was model new, recent out of faculty, whereas the opposite half had been veterans with years of expertise. The varied ranges of maturity, expertise and expertise added to the richness of his understanding. He was not requested to hitch the corporate after his apprenticeship however felt that was for the perfect. “I like the Limón method and the individuals I danced with, however I knew I needed extra.”
He carried out with the Radio Metropolis Christmas Spectacular for 2 seasons. He shares, “Dancing at Radio Metropolis was such enjoyable, however nearly the precise reverse of Limón. At Limón, we labored a lot on dancing collectively, utilizing the breath as an initiation for motion, in addition to a means to assist us dance collectively as an organization. At Radio Metropolis, it was sharp, clear, and every little thing had a depend. It was about precision whereas sharing the enjoyment of Christmas.” With a smile, he provides, “I could be fairly the ham and love performing, so two to 4 exhibits a day about Christmas got here fairly naturally for me.” He gained confidence that he might push himself and excel in several kinds of dancing if he put his thoughts to it.
After Radio Metropolis, he danced with the Mark Morris Dance Group (MMDG) for three-and-a-half years. He joined the corporate in January 2020, proper after Radio Metropolis completed, and felt what he describes as whiplash from the variations within the qualities of motion. He was excited to bop for Morris, however the pandemic hit, and three months into his new job, town was in quarantine. “Studying a brand new firm tradition and means of shifting whereas alone in your small house was insane, to say the least,” MaliQ reveals. “Fortunately, I used to be certainly one of three new hires, and with them, I used to be capable of finding some assist.”
Navigating a well-established firm like Morris was not a straightforward feat. “There was nearly an unstated hierarchy throughout the firm, which truthfully didn’t trouble me an excessive amount of.” A starvation to enhance led him to hunt out recommendation from the senior dancers and be taught from them, together with how you can survive within the firm. “I realized a lot about my physique, the textures I convey to motion, how you can dance with others, and how you can work with somebody like Mark.” He feels that dancing in MMDG taught him he’s really a chameleon. “It was laborious, however I felt I used to be in a position to mix into the ensemble although I used to be new.”
It took him a very long time to comprehend it, however he felt he had star high quality and deserved to be seen. “I left MMDG as a result of I needed extra from my profession. I liked dancing with my friends, however I used to be not being seen by the director,” MaliQ says. “I’ve at all times had a love for musical theater and Broadway however was afraid I wouldn’t be capable of make it.” It took some braveness, however he dove off the deep finish and ended up in an off-Broadway present known as A Soulful Christmas: A Groovy Wonderland.
Relatively than succumb to nervousness, he put his religion in his capacity. “If I’ve realized something from my profession to this point, it’s that if I put my thoughts to it, I can obtain something.” The dancing got here simply, however singing provided a totally new problem. “It was an incredible expertise as a result of I struggled like by no means earlier than, however as a result of I persevered, I’ve by no means felt so achieved.”
This passionate entertainer just isn’t happy with simply performing. “I like choreographing and creating,” he says. “I’ve been having these artistic urges once more, which has been thrilling, so perhaps I’ll get again into it.” In actual fact, he and fellow Juilliard alum Tatum Robertson have obtained a grant to create a chunk of labor and hope to share it with audiences quickly. MaliQ’s present initiatives embody dancing for Caitlin Trainor’s firm, Trainor Dance, and vocal coaching. That retains him busy, and he has his sights set on Broadway.
When requested if he might inform his youthful self something, he says, “Comply with your intestine.” He feels he spent a whole lot of time listening to what others thought was finest for him. “Simply because somebody is older or extra skilled doesn’t imply they know what’s finest for me,” MaliQ provides. “When you comply with your instinct, I promise you’ll dodge a lot heartache and wasted time.” For the younger hopefuls, he advises that there is no such thing as a timeline for fulfillment. He says soulfully, “The one means you gained’t obtain your dream is in the event you quit. We’re all on our personal paths, so don’t permit another person’s to persuade you that you simply’ve failed. Hold going; I promise you’ll make it.”
You may comply with MaliQ on Instagram: @maliqizhere.
By Mary Carpenter of Dance Informa.
