Today we’d like to introduce you to Quan Powers.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I starts my journey as a show choir kid, I knew that I belonged on stage and wanted to do anything to get there. I went on to college to major in Musical Theatre but soon found that Dance was my true love. I immediately went to the counselor and changed my major to Dance. While I was in college, I was a member of Harmony and Understanding at Tyler Junior College and got to tour with the choir around East Texas. Once I left TJC and went to Stephen F. Austin State University and was a member of the Dance company for 3 years. I currently teach and H. Grady Spruce HS. I the Dance and Drill Team Director and also of our Fine Arts Department Chair. I really never wanted to be a teacher but I also wanted to be able to give back to students what I was not able to get in HS. Dance to me seemed like a foreign language and quite honestly. my family did not have the means to allow me to take dance class. My grandmother always told me that I was going to be a teacher but I have had every career under the sun in order to prove her wrong, but ultimately, it’s where I ended up and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road at all, there is so much competition in the dance world and it takes a strong person to get past those things. One of the struggles I have is being seen as equal in a female-dominated career. We know that most dance companies would be beating down the door to have males come to their company, but sometimes, when it comes to Dance/Drill Team in Texas, it’s a little bit harder for us to feel seen.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I pride myself in creating equal opportunities for all of my students in my program. Outside of my program, I get the chance to go and choreograph for different groups, serve as a freelance dancer, and also to judge some competitions around the DFW area. What set’s me apart from others is that my fight is for equality for black and brown male dancers to be seen in the light that our counterparts have been seen in for years. Any chance that I get I want to be able to create opportunities for that group of marginalized dancers that may not have access to it otherwise. My dream has been to start a dance company that is for black and brown male dancers because you rarely see a company that is just male dancers. This way we are able to tackle some of those subjects that may be hard to understand. As a queer man, I want to be able to tell the stories that no one else has told and to have it be a chance for dancers who look like me to share their passion with the world.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
I think that in the next 5-10 years I see myself stepping out of the Education world (in the classroom setting) but possibly stepping into a Fine Arts Administration position. I would also like to start my own company in the next 5-10 years, I just have to find the right space and the right dancers and I know that in Dallas, that won’t be hard. As a husband and a parent to two beautiful kids, I want to be able to work and create my own schedule in order to spend more time with my family but also not give up on my dreams.
Image Credits
Jamie Denae Photography
