Today we’d like to introduce you to Quilan “Cue” Arnold.
Hi Quilan “Cue”, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I think my story begins in 1995 when I was four years old. My parents and godparents were having a conversation about the intersection of Hip Hop culture and the gospel of Jesus Christ. Could they be harmonious, or were they like oil and water? As they talked, they were listening to a Hip Hop gospel album by the Gospel Gangstaz. Sitting quietly in the room, I had never seen a Hip Hop dance move before in my life, but something in the music moved me. I started bobbing my head, stood up from my chair, and began performing what my family describes as a full Hip Hop-inspired dance. Looking back, I think that moment revealed a question that has guided my entire life: How can movement, culture, and faith work together to liberate people?
Although I didn’t begin formal dance training until years later, my fascination with movement and the aesthetics, philosophy, and communal spirit of Hip Hop never left me. I eventually began my dance journey at Penn State University, where I earned my Bachelor of Arts in Integrative Arts with concentrations in Theatre and Dance. I continued my studies at The Ohio State University, earning my Master of Fine Arts in Dance. Those experiences became the foundation for a career that has allowed me to teach at universities across the country, including The University of Texas at Austin, Hunter College, Rutgers University, and many others. Teaching has been both my greatest service to others and the profession that has sustained me while building something larger.
That larger vision became onCUE Chronicles, a dance theater company that exists to help people discover their true move—the courageous, unapologetic, embodied expression that comes from listening deeply to ourselves, others, and the world around us while cultivating deep empathy for those whose stories differ from our own. Through performances, workshops, films, and community experiences, we invite people not just to watch stories, but to find themselves within them.
One of the most exciting expressions of that vision is Lowelyfe, an original story universe that explores memory, ancestry, identity, and community through Hip Hop culture. It’s the most ambitious project I’ve ever undertaken because it brings together nearly everything I’ve spent my life studying—dance, filmmaking, mythology, education, theology, and cultural history—into one living world.
I believe onCUE Chronicles is only beginning to realize the impact it can have. Whether I’m teaching a beginner’s Hip Hop class, facilitating a community workshop, or premiering the next chapter of Lowelyfe, I’m ultimately pursuing the same mission: helping people move through the world with greater courage, deeper empathy, and a stronger sense of who they were created to be.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Absolutely not. One of the greatest challenges has been trying to build a career that doesn’t fit neatly into an existing category. I’m an artist, educator, filmmaker, choreographer, producer, and entrepreneur, and most of those worlds operate independently of one another. I’ve spent much of my career trying to integrate them into one vision instead of compartmentalizing them.
Financially, that has meant teaching has often been my primary source of income while I invest my time, energy, and resources into building onCUE Chronicles. There have been seasons where I’ve questioned whether pursuing such an ambitious vision was realistic. Original storytelling, especially independent storytelling, requires an incredible amount of patience, collaboration, fundraising, and faith before anyone ever sees the finished work.
Beyond the practical challenges, I’ve also wrestled with artistic ones. I care deeply about Hip Hop culture, education, filmmaking, and my Christian faith, and I’ve often found myself asking how those worlds can genuinely enrich one another rather than compete with one another. That question has shaped nearly every project I’ve created.
At the same time, every challenge has reinforced why this work matters. Teaching has shown me how hungry people are for spaces where they can express themselves honestly. Creating Lowelyfe has reminded me that meaningful stories take time to build. And every collaborator, student, audience member, and supporter has helped me believe a little more that this vision is worth pursuing.
I’m still learning every day, but I’ve come to see that the obstacles themselves have been preparing me for the work I’m called to do.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I often describe myself as someone working at the intersection of artist, educator, and storyteller. While I teach Hip Hop dance in universities and community spaces, I don’t simply see dance as technique or performance—I see Hip Hop culture as a living philosophy capable of helping people better understand themselves, one another, and the world around them.
Through onCUE Chronicles, I create workshops, performances, films, and community experiences that invite people to discover what I call their true move—the courageous, unapologetic, embodied expression that emerges when we deeply listen to ourselves, others, God, and the world around us. My hope is that people leave our experiences not only more expressive, but with a greater capacity for empathy.
What I’m most proud of is that every branch of my work serves the same mission. Whether I’m teaching a Hip Hop class at a university, facilitating a community workshop, or developing our original story universe, Lowelyfe, I’m ultimately asking the same question: How can stories and movement help us become more fully human?
I’m also deeply proud of the space my work creates between Hip Hop culture and the gospel of Jesus Christ. For much of my life, I’ve wrestled with the question of whether those two worlds are fundamentally opposed or whether they can exist in harmony. Through my life and my work, I’ve come to believe that the liberating philosophies found within Hip Hop culture and the liberating message of Jesus Christ can enrich one another in profound ways. That intersection has become one of the defining foundations of my artistic voice.
I think that’s what sets onCUE Chronicles apart. Rather than separating education from entertainment, or faith from culture, I see them as opportunities for integration through dialogue. My artistic work informs my teaching, my teaching shapes my storytelling, and my storytelling creates new opportunities for community engagement. Everything ultimately points toward the same purpose: helping people courageously express themselves while holding deep empathy for others.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I don’t personally think in terms of luck. I think in terms of blessings and stewardship.
Looking back, I realize I’ve been blessed in countless ways long before I accomplished anything professionally. I was born into a loving two-parent home where my parents not only loved me, but loved one another. They gave me the freedom to ask difficult questions, especially about my Christian faith. Rather than telling me what to think, they encouraged me to think critically about what it truly means to follow Jesus and to pursue a life of integrity.
I’m also incredibly grateful to be an Afro-Usonian, so called “Black,” artist. I stand on generations of people who sacrificed, created, and persevered so that someone like me could imagine a career combining education, Hip Hop culture, filmmaking, and storytelling. My parents have continued that legacy by helping me build generational wealth while pursuing a career path that isn’t always the most financially predictable. That kind of support is an extraordinary gift.
Because of those blessings, I don’t believe my responsibility is simply to be successful. I believe my responsibility is to be a good steward. Every opportunity, every mentor, every student, every collaborator, every grant, every stage, and every challenge is something entrusted to me, not something I’ve earned entirely on my own.
To me, that’s what freedom really means. Freedom isn’t simply the ability to do whatever we want. It’s the opportunity to faithfully cultivate the blessings we’ve been given so they become blessings for someone else. That’s the vision I try to carry into onCUE Chronicles, my teaching, and every artistic project I create.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://beoncue.com
- Instagram: @beoncue
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/webeoncue
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@beoncue
- Other: https://seedandspark.com/fund/turfwars
