Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Cortez.
Chris, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My story begins at a very young age, approximately between the ages 4-11. I have always been fascinated by the arts. My first Interest was art inspired by the drawing skills my oldest brother Enrique would display. Watching him and analyzing his pencil lines mentally prepared my art skills for the future. The training that my brother Johnathan and I had with Martial Arts was a significant factor in my dancing career. These two interest always broke down into two different talents and passions, Creating and Expressing.
Much of my history began when introduced to Hip-Hop in middle school in 1996. It was in 6th grade, during History class when my classmate Daniel Casco noticed my doodling and sketches on all my review sheets. “You know how to draw?” He asked in excitement. From that single question sparked a conversation about Hip-Hop, Wu-Tang, Breakdancing, and the graffiti art piece his brother created. This graffiti piece he presented to me spelled out something I couldn’t make out, but it had me in a trance. Analysing this vivid green and orange structure of amazing architectured letters blew my mind. ” It says Widget in Graffiti, my brothers B-boy name.”
For the entire year, I hung with Danny and a few friends that would practice this thing called breakdancing. Every lunch I would hang out at the monkey bars while the guys did handstands on a slab of concrete that was nearby. I was never into dancing until I witnessed skilled ones. Later in the year while hanging out during lunch, I got a chance to see Danny’s Brothers dance crew, Lil Rascals. Four high schoolers wearing Huge wide leg pants, Head shaved, with only their bangs slicked back, and the huge originals Adidas logos on the chest yelled to get our attention. All four guys held their hands out aggressively instigating a dance battle. As far as the distance of half a football field I saw these guys legs swing in a 360 rotation and defy gravity. I was hooked and would begin to practice at home secretly.
Near the end of the school year, George Casco and his dance crew, Lil Rascals were invited to perform at the school pep rally. I stood in the crowd hoping Danny would call me up. I wanted to be up there so bad and vowed to master this dance. At the end of the year the principal, Mr. Johnson awarded the entire 8th grade by inviting a dance company by the name of FLY. I sneakily rushed to the auditorium to catch a glimpse of them. The dance show put on was out of this world. The confidence, the cool grooves, and moves had everyone in a frenzy.
Kathy the founder and Artistic Director of Fly Dance Company was also a founding member and president of the Texas Dance Educators Association (TDEA). Retiring from this first career, she began her work with young street dancers, teaching, mentoring, and forming them into dance groups, one of which became the original FLY Dance Company. I spent that entire Summer studying VHS videos Danny had let me borrow, and I was vigorously preparing for the next school year. The similar disciplines and conditioning of Karate transcended into the abilities you needed for Breakdancing. The passion that was required to accomplish and conquer this craft mentally and physically also kept me from the negativity that surrounded me.
I’m proud to say the following year I became the product of one of the first Texas pilot in school hip-hop dance programs that took place in 1998 at Spring Oaks Middle School. After Middle school, Kathy continued to work with us on a request on choreographing our talent show in 9th grade. In these three years, I immersed in the performing arts world. Kathy exposed me to props, classical music, and Quiznos (inside joke). Kathy demanded the best from us and pulled the greatness out of each dancer. Just imagine a group of Street dancers performing on stage next to a Ballet company.
The rugged looks and comments weren’t enjoyable backstage, but the standing ovations seem to drown out the noise. Kathy sure was right about the long coattails to classical music. Her presentations disguised street dance in a more pleasurable way that showcased the real art of Hip-hop. This was at a time when Street dance was not looked at or respected.
Kathy pioneered and changed the stereotyping of many minds around the world on Hip-Hop. Within three seasons of touring, FLY went from an unknown, “hard to categorize” dance company with no touring experience to a popular new group wowing audiences around the country—touring an average of 25 weeks and 60 concerts and 100 educational shows. FLY annually performed in venues ranging from Barrow, Alaska to Washington’s Kennedy Center, while producing its concert season in Houston and making multiple trips to Europe.
On the downside, I had withdrawn from FLY around 2001 to pursue dance competitively right before the stage of FLY’s successful tours. That choice led me to be an internationally recognized B-boy competing with my former dance crew that I founded in 2001 called Vicious Germz. We battled from 2002-2010 competing against the best and making a name for ourselves for the contributions to the B-boy scene.
Through different outlets like crew performances and organizations like Youth Advocates, it gave us the ability to educate the youth about the art of B-Boying & Hip-Hop’s positive effects. Youth Advocates is a non-profit that provides meals, music, and dance space for at-risk teens. Charles Rotramel, the founder, has been a massive pillar of the Houston dance community still to this day. I also had the pleasure of being apart of Soul Street Dance Company. Inspired by the old FLY and founded by my future business partner, Jorge Casco.
Since my first organized dance competition in 2005 with my former dance crew member, Anthony Silva, We successfully hosted a total of twelve dance competitions in Spring Branch to support and bring a positive message to the community that raised us. The tradition will continue January 27, 2018, as rawTEXASwarz continues to provide a dance competition that awards the winners with customized championship belts, cash, and prizes.
In the midst of everything, I took part of the world-famous Houston Rockets Launch Crew for 2006-2016. For two successive years, Launch Crew was awarded the NBA’s World greatest Entertainment team under Jackie Maldonado. Working for the NBA gave us perks like traveling with the Houston Rockets organization to the China games in Beijing & Guangzhou for the 2010 NBA Global Games and a chance to visit Manila in the Philippines and to Taipei in Taiwan.
After being laid off my debt collection job around 2006, I remember going home and making it my priority to create a program that could provide consistent dance jobs for professional dancers looking to provide income for their dance career. Thanks to Youth Advocates, they offered me a job as a caretaker at Trinity Church. This was one of the locations where they would hold their community dance program for the youth. Buffing the floors, sweeping the prayer area, and feeding the homeless was apart of my job and I enjoyed the quietness which allowed me to brainstorm my future goals.
I spent the next three years agreeing to any dance job that came my way. I would leave Trinity and drive across Houston for an extra 25 dollars. So little pay but when multiplied by the four days of the month it would add up a step closer to my rent. I learned the importance of planning and patience. This is when my talent in graphic designing took part and expanded my branding for my company to new heights. I was on a mission, and in 2009 I decided to launch “Houston Healthy Hip-Hop” and “the Healthy Hip-Hop Squad, an afterschool program, and a performance team.
The growth of this after-school program “Hip-Hop 4 Homework” expanded in over ten school districts inside and outside the Houston area. It provides the students the tools and techniques on how to professionally execute huge dance projects. Step by step planning is initiated at the start of the program so the students can begin to think before acting on an idea or an expression. The programs are specifically designed to inform and encourage the youth to embrace, self-expression, health awareness, and the arts.
My wildest dreams would soon come true. In 2012 I reunited with Jorge Casco at a shooting of a music video. It was destiny, Jorge had recently recovered from FLY’s six years hiatus, and from the loss of his mother from cancer which led him to open up Ondi Love dance studio dedicated to his mother, Mrs. Ondina. Its location was in Spring Branch, literally two streets down from where I was living. Space was insufficient in size, but Jorge and I visioned a building ground for the new generation of dancers under the FLY moniker. By the success of Houston Healthy Hip-Hop, my company financially was able to fund and revive FLY from its six years on hiatus.
In 2012, I stepped in as Director and owner of Fly Dance Company, along with my business partners, Jorge Casco and Adam Quiroz. FLY is an all-male contemporary dance company from Houston consisting of now fourteen talented young men. The company is known for its high-energy performances with clever staging to a variety of music. Labeled an artistic phenomenon, FLY was the pioneers of blending street dance with classical choreographic principles since 1995. Their technique is hip-hop—very creative, gymnastics, and highly masculine. It’s incredible to announce that in 2016, the mayor of Houston declared September 30th, FLY Dance Company Day for the national and international work. FLY in the last five years has partnered up with agency worldwide and are in the process of future endeavors.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I believe there’s beauty in every journey. You have your potholes that’ll stop you in your tracks. At the same time, your obstacles have exposed an alternative method. There is a quote that was embedded in my rules of motivation when doubt arises. When all things fail, I remember that words that Thomas A. Edison had once quoted, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.
Many struggles were mostly early investments of time and money. In 2009, I and my first business partner, Anthony Silva invested over $6000 in the build-up of a dance studio called “The Break Room.” We spent an entire two months, personally inserting warehouse windows, building a restroom, and installing a wooden dance floor. Not aware of the leaks of the ceiling and flooding in the area, we were invited into a warped and flooded dance studio two months later.
The most prominent struggle that I’ve ever felt physically has been the injuries I have been facing recently. In 2014 my sister, a friend and I were in a car accident that involved another car skid out there lane and hit us head-on. I was x-rayed and diagnosed with two extreme herniated disks. These pains have detoured my dance career competitive wise. Rather than seeing it as an obstacle, I saw it as an opportunity to focus more on building my company’s.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Houston Healthy Hip-Hop story. Tell us more about the business.
Houston Healthy Hip-Hop began in 2009 and was based on artistic expression. The program is designed to build students mentally and physically. Healthy hip-hop primary objective is to encourage self-identity and promotes freedom to be free. This builds cohesive relationships with the foundations of art. Art can be active. Art can be calm. Art can make you think and inspire. These are the attributes that create positive and productive results.
Healthy Hip-Hop believe that the youth should have the freedom and the right to express them positively. HHH encourages parents to support their child’s interest by leading them to their destination. Creativity is the language of your mind. These expressions are vital at a young age for the fact that other classes can suppress students into a distinct way of thinking when it comes to formulas and rules. There are no boundaries when creating in the performing arts world.
This is what makes the Healthy Hip-Hop program so unique and compelling. The Hip-Hop 4 Homework program uniquely combines dance, music, and theater. The class demands a high level of professionalism and performance etiquette. The students learn a variety of stage terms that dictate the student’s actions and cues throughout the class and on stage. The basics and foundation of Breakdancing are designed to build the students character and confidence. A series of drills and routines allows students to strengthen, stamina and coordination. Exposed to a variety of music genres like Classical, Oldies, and Funk tend to create open-minded youth in society.
Healthy Hip-Hop is known for going above and beyond to create a fun program for the students. In the past eight years, we’ve donated over 15,000+ Healthy Hip-Hop performance t-shirts to the students of Houston. Along with the program, the students receive DVDs with professional video and photos of their final presentation. Just the other day a student came to me in tears an was devastated that her dad was having heart problems and wouldn’t be able to see her perform. I reminded her that I had a professional recording and taking photos of the entire show.
The joy she displayed from hearing the news reminded me why going the extra miles for these students is well worth it. I would like to say Rest in Peace to my former photographer, Josh “J Skill” Skillern. Big shout out to my present photographer, Don Lee, Founder of Misun Photography.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
It was in 7th grade when I discovered Adobe Photoshop. I can say I luckily clicked on the Adobe logo while attending 3-d animation class. I spent every second exploring the filters and tools. Later in 9th grade, I had the chance to take a course specifically in Adobe Photoshop.
My first project was to create a functional website. My choice was a site on the History of Hip-Hop. Later in the future, these skills would help transform the marketing in my company’s to a professional level
Contact Info:
- Website: www.HoustonHealthyHip-Hop.com
- Phone: 832.660.5879
- Email: HealthyHipHopDANCE@gmail.com
- Instagram: HoustonHealthyHipHop
- Facebook: HealthyHipHop
- Twitter: HealthyHipHopTX
- Other: www.facebook.com/HealthyHipHop
Image Credit:
Josh Skillern & Don Lee – Founder of Misun Photography
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