Today we’d like to introduce you to Terrill Mitchell.
Terrill, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
As a young kid, I started dancing and competing around the age of three and have been moving and grooving ever since. I remained in competitive dance until I was a senior and high school and was planning to attend school for computer science. That drastically changed and I made my way to Pittsburgh, PA from Morgantown, WV to attend Point Park University. I moved to Houston in 2008 after receiving my bachelor of arts degree in Dance from Point Park and was hired by Metdance (formally Houston Metropolitan Dance Company) after graduating. I spent seven years as a company member and never once looked back, only ahead.
During that time I developed a major passion for teaching and choreography and was fortunate enough to land a job with Elite Dance Academy. I spent 9.5 years at Elite and served as their Company Director. This opportunity allowed me to train dancers especially to succeed in the competitive dance arena and increase my knowledge for dance education and choreography.
In 2012 I joined the Dupree Dance Convention as an instructor and my freelance career skyrocketed. I travel to about ten cities a season training various levels and types of dancers, providing them with as much knowledge as possible. In addition, I have the opportunity to connect with other dance instructors by providing them feedback on their competition routines and instructing teacher training classes. This connection has opened doors to more travel opportunities teaching and choreographing.
As I stepped down from my position as Company Director, I took on the challenge of tacking this freelance career-life head on and can’t wait to see what opportunities it affords me.
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 can honestly say that I did not travel a smooth road for this career. After deciding to pursue a higher education in Dance, I, unfortunately, was not accepted into Point Park’s dance program during my first audition. I decided to attend the university anyways and focus on photography with a focus on dance photography. This didn’t last long. I begged to be accepted into the university and they allowed me to train for three months before re-auditioning. I was accepted.
Prior to my senior year, I increased my training over the summer and fell in love with my mentor Kiki Lucas who resided in Houston at the time. I aggressively picked her brain about dance and then proceeded to Houston to audition for the MET and was accepted as an apprentice.
Since moving to Houston, I’ve heard my fair share of NO’S and a hand full of yeses! I’ve submitted to choreography festivals, teaching gigs and just about anything that would get me out in the universe but learned quickly that it’s very much quality over quantity. Now I’m fortunately steadily employed and try to stay ahead with booking gigs. Staying busy is the best!
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Terrill Mitchell-Freelance Dance Educator & Choreographer story. Tell us more about the business.
I advertise my freelance career with my name! I often thought about creating a teaching and choreography name to spark some interest but prefer to stay true to myself and what I do. I specialize in keeping the focus on traditional jazz technique. Although I love and train dancers in other genres, Jazz is where my heart is and it’s important that I instill that same love in other dancers.
My classes are known to be intense, fast and fun. You could probably add a little crazy to that as well! My choreography is known, so I’m told, for appealing to both the audience and dancers. I find it very important that the “entertainment” factor still remains. You have to keep your audience invested!
I guess what set’s me apart from others would be the consistency of what I offer. I think most dancers and teachers know exactly what they’re going to get If I’m coming in to work with them. A little tough love, some fast dancing and some crazy fun! At least that’s what I try to believe, that’s still a work in progress.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Luck has played a huge role in this freelance life, but so has hard work and perseverance. I’ve been lucky enough to be available with other’s weren’t and lucky enough to have people see things in me that I didn’t quite see in myself.
It’s important to have a good and strong circle so that you don’t have to rely on luck. If you maintain hard work and exhaust yourself, you’re setting yourself up for success!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.terrillmitchell.com
- Email: terrillmitchell@gmail.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/tmitchell227
- Facebook: facebook.com/tmitchell227
Image Credit:
Ben Doyle & Michaela Todaro
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