Life & Work with Mariel Cornel

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mariel Cornel.

Hi Mariel, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Being a multi-hyphenate, it’s difficult to pinpoint my beginning as there are multiple starting points, but I’ll try my best: Born in Fremont, CA and raised in Simi Valley, I started dancing competitively at the age of six. I did tap, ballet, and jazz before taking a couple of years off; only for that fire to be reignited again. I joined my first dance team, Emanon based in Oxnard while I went to school in the San Fernando Valley. Throughout high school, I’d take the train to Oxnard and back to Simi, choosing rehearsal over my friends, losing sleep from hell weeks, and ultimately falling out of love with Taekwondo (which I did for 11 years) and falling deeper in love with dance. Growing up as the only Asian on the block and now dancing with friends who look like me, I felt like I understood what home meant for the very first time. That feeling of performing with an army of talented dancers, traveling to competitions, and winning 1st place really stuck with me. I wanted to experience that sense of community and belonging over again.

After years of Catholic schooling and uniforms, I got tired of having my self-expression repressed. I was exhausted from the strict rules and structure that took over so much of my life. I was getting demerits and 3-hour detentions from dress code violations regularly. It got to the point where I maxed out the number of detentions a student can have in a semester and I had to start paying for my time there. By senior year, I took casual Fridays very seriously and had also grown infatuated with spoken word. (Hello Tumblr.) Upon the birth of Instagram, I began combining my enthusiasm for fashion with my newly found creative writing skills. I was uploading outfit pics with deeply thoughtful captions often enough to garner a following. Soon enough, more and more people became interested and eventually, brands started paying attention. I had no idea what I was doing or that combining two of my interests would become the start of a new life path. My digital career started to take off and Polydeux was born.

Throughout college, I was balancing several dance projects/teams and competing on now a collegiant level, a double major, sorority and my insanely fast-growing journey as an influencer. I found myself taking on campaigns with brands like Nordstrom and Google and eventually, Tesla. I was faking hospital notes to attend NYFW, missed weeks of tests from oversleeping due to sunrise rehearsals, and I was falling out with my ‘little’ from missed sorority events. I got swept up in an over-committed lifestyle that put me in my place constantly. My life built up into waves and crashed into itself over and over again. I was living an insane fever dream of simultaneously making all my passions a reality with nary a need to slow down.

Since graduating and life coming to a halt due to COVID, a lot has changed. I turned my focus inward and took a step back from content creation. I pivoted into modeling and acting more, choreographing for independent artists, and teaching dance full-time. In some ways, I miss the rush that was the climax of my college experience but in other ways, I’m grateful that I have stability while still doing what I love. What got me here today was a series of failing, jumping over mental hurdles, a support system like no other, and trusting myself fully. I don’t think I’d change any of that for the world.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
If it was a smooth road, I don’t think the rewards would have been so rewarding. There has been and continue to be struggles, but with time, the struggles get easier to navigate. With influencing, I continued to overcommit to campaigns. I couldn’t turn any down, even if they paid me $10. It was a pride thing at the time and I was living in an energy of lack. I felt like my value was very dependent on the number of likes and followers I had and in turn, how many and which brands reached out to me. Even other influencers treated me differently after seeing my numbers. It was a weird game of networking with each other in order to get a leg up in “the game”. Needing to keep up with other influencers, comparing, and what little money I made, had to be poured back into my brand – all of that really messed with my relationship with self. I lost my sense of self, was heavily co-dependent and outwardly focused on external things. My value felt so tied to my work, just as it felt tied to my skill level as a dancer. I struggled on a mental and emotional level and eventually felt resentful toward my physical appearance too. It felt like nothing I did was good enough and my creativity stifled. I took so much of that out on the people around me too. It wasn’t until lockdown did I finally get a chance to do some introspection. After being in the digital space for almost 10 years, I felt perpetual dread and burnout. I needed to take a step away and explore other passions to heal all these wounds. It’s insane how much power social media holds.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I do too much, haha. I’m a fashion/lifestyle digital content creator, full-time dance instructor, choreographer, backup dancer, model and actress. I’ve worked with brands such as Nordstrom, Google and Tesla on several digital campaigns. I’ve choreographed for artists such as Kazi and Hyra and back-up danced for Gerard Flores and Latino comedian Mario Aguilar’s Netflix special. I’m currently dancing with Team Ferosha and Bangtan Buds. I teach at several studios across LA and OC, ages 3-60, all levels and also represent Euphoria Dance’s K-pop workshops as their LA instructor. I’ve also been featured in several music videos, web series, and commercials for brands such as Converse, 88Rising, and Hayley Williams’s Good Dye Young. I’m proud of myself for my creativity and for following my heart. What I do isn’t the most consistent or the most stable. It doesn’t pay me the most either, but I love it and it fills my cup. Giving back to the community that has given me so much has been so fulfilling. Dancing and teaching and utilizing my creativity in a multitude of ways is a gift I’m very blessed to have. I hope to continue to create captivating experiences for others for years to come.

Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
My mom always says, “Do what you love and the money will always follow.”

Contact Info:

• Website: www.polydeux.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/polydeux
• Youtube: youtube.com/polydeuxx
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@polydeux

Image Credits
Amy Maramba @irvingvisuals Jeremy Rufino