Life & Work with Edgar Vicencio

Today we’d like to introduce you to Edgar Vicencio.

Hi Edgar, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was always a big kid. I tried a few things growing up to keep myself active and occupied, like basketball and boxing, but none of it really was something I really enjoyed doing. At some point, I quit boxing and was just trying to figure out something to do to stay active. One day, I was talking to my neighbor about it and how I wanted to do something fun that would keep me active. She then told me that the dance team at our middle school works out a lot and that I should try it out. I, at the time, did not really think much about dancing and didn’t necessarily have a love for it yet. I don’t think I ever necessarily paid attention to the dance team during assemblies at school or whatnot. The funny thing was, my neighbor told me about the dance team the day before tryouts. So I did not have much to think about! The next day, it was after school and I was standing in the middle of the direction to go home or the other direction to go to the dance room. It was one of those moments where I was not sure what to do and kept walking back and forth on what I should do.

I finally then decided to go try it out and see what happens. Not many guys joined the dance team at that time so any guy who wanted to join basically was accepted. I did not have that love for dance in the beginning. It wasn’t until one day one of the dancers from the older team (Tony) came into our practice one day and the dance teacher had him show us his dance solo. He was a popper/animation dancer. The moment I saw him dance was the moment that completely changed my life forever. I mean that in all sincerity. I was so amazed and mindblown at his style of dance I wanted to learn. I would constantly bug him to teach me how to wave, tutt, pop, etc. He became a mentor to me and is the whole reason why I fell in love with dance. I fell in love with dance so much and nothing ever stopped me from dancing. Growing up, I was often ridiculed for my size and even more for being a guy who dances. As I said before, there weren’t many guys that danced in my hometown so I was always being called names for being a guy who dances. But my love and passion for it never let that negativity get to me. No matter what, I was always dancing and nothing/no one could ever stop me. Tony introduced me to a whole world of dance that I had no idea about. In my sophomore year of high school, he took me to my first dance convention (World of Dance Los Angeles) and I felt like I was at Disneyland!

All the dancers he introduced to me and whom I would watch on Youtube all the time were there and I was so happy and amazed that I forgot to eat anything at all that whole day. That introduced me to a whole dance community that was out there. A whole community that I had no idea of. I did dance in high school during my Freshman and Sophomore year. After that, I decided to start my own All Male Hip Hop dance team alongside the Drill team coach. In my senior year, I became captain. The competitions I would attend for my All Male Hip Hop team were at another level and I was beginning to surround myself with so many amazing, talented, and awesome dancers! I made a lot of friends at other schools and began to make a lot of connections. At the time, there weren’t many dancers dancing animation/popping/tutting so I stood out a lot during those competitions. Many people from other schools would ask me how I did all that and we became friends! In the time of Youtube and the beginning of Instagram, I was making dance videos all the time. I was one of those that would post on Instagram part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, etc. (When Instagram only accepted 15-second videos).

After High School, I knew I wanted to continue pursuing dance and also begin to share my love of dance with others around me. I had an amazing opportunity to join The MOB Dance Company after high school where I got to make my dance dreams come true. A lot of the dance dreams I had in middle/high school, I was able to achieve. I met so many incredible people who have now become my closes friends, mentors, and teachers. It has not been an easy journey but my love and passion were what pushed and motivated me to continue to grow and become the person and dancer I want to be. I also gained a love for teaching and was given a few opportunities to teach dance. I started by working alongside a dance team near my hometown, after school programs, and teaching at my old high school, where I became an Assistant Director, I had the amazing opportunity to teach at the dance studio, MOB HQ, and now have my own Hip Hop Dance program in my hometown. I grew up believing that everything I saw online, on Youtube, on Instagram, were all things that were just dreams. I realized later on that if you have a strong love and passion for something, you can make your dreams come true.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Absolutely not! Just like anything in life, there were always certain struggles, obstacles, and problems I had to overcome. Balancing my dance life with school, work, family, friends, etc. has been one of them. Aside from dancing, I am going to school to get my degree in Mathematics with a teaching concentration. Teaching has always been a passion of mine and math was the subject I enjoyed in High School. In addition to teaching dance, I’ve always had other jobs to keep myself afloat. Being able to keep myself in check with everything has been difficult. I am a person who does not like being at home all day so I always have to keep myself busy. But sometimes, it would get exhausting doing it all. Some days, I would be out of the house at 6 am for school, head to work right after, then teach dance after work, and then sometimes go home to eat and then change for dance rehearsals, which usually ran late. There were many many sleepless nights but I just had so much love for dance, for teaching, for everything that those sleepless nights meant nothing to me.

Since I was a teen, I’ve always struggled with my mental health. It is something that affects all of us and something that I usually find myself going through alone most of the time. I love my family and my friends, but most of the time, I would struggle to ask for help whenever I was going through something because I never wanted anyone to worry about me. I never wanted to cause anyone any sort of discomfort, sadness, worry, etc. about me so I usually would always try to deal with things on my own. Although I’ve been blessed to have been able to achieve many things in my life, I have also failed 100x more than those achievements. I almost wanted to give up about a million times. Give up on my dreams. Give up on my passion. Give up on myself and because I never wanted anyone to worry about me, I would never tell anyone about it. Throughout the years, through a few life experiences, I have learned a lot about taking better care of myself. I have learned to open up and being able to ask for help when you’re feeling the lowest has helped me so much.

Not everyone will see your vision. Not everyone will support you. Not everyone will appreciate you. Not everyone will like you. These were some of the biggest things I had to learn. I found myself asking the question, why? That carried through me for many years. At the end of the day, I have to do what’s right for me, do what makes me happy, and look out for my own mental health.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Currently, I am the founder and director of BG Hip Hop Dance Team, a program I started in my hometown in December of 2021. I have had over 100+ students of all ages since the start of the program. My team has gone viral on TikTok by doing a dance challenge I started, gaining over 6 Million views. In addition to that, I am also the Assistant Director for the Bell Gardens High School Dance Program. I have choreographed as well as directed our annual Winter and Spring Dance Concerts with over 100+ students. Aside from Dance, I am currently attending Cal State Fullerton, majoring in Mathematics with a teaching concentration. Teaching has always been a love of mine, even before I started dancing. I absolutely love helping people, whether it be friends, classmates, teachers, family, etc. Math has always been my strongest subject in school and I always enjoyed tutoring my friends. Since graduating high school, I have always worked in schools. I have worked in Elementary, Middle, and High schools. From after-school programs to Tutoring, I have gained so much experience working with students.

With everything I do, my main focus for everything has always been to inspire. Whether it be through dance, teaching, etc. I wanted to make sure my students understand that anything is possible. I want my students to know that if they have a dream, through passion and hard work, they can achieve it. Growing up, I would have never believed I’d be doing anything that I’m doing now or have done. It was because of my passion and love for what I do that pushed me to work hard and achieve every single thing I’ve ever wanted. That is what I want my students to believe. To believe that they can do anything.

Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
Currently, I am active on Social Media. Since around 2019/2020, I have been gaining an audience on Tik Tok (@irock5able), and have had millions of views over on my page. I have had the opportunity to collaborate with a few clothing brands as well as with different companies like Jimmy Dean. I am still learning a lot about the world of influencers but I am hoping to be able to share my love for dance by making videos and connecting with people from all over the world.

I will always move with love. I will always do things with the best intentions. I will always make sure my people are happy and feel loved. There is too much hate and negativity in this world, I think it is very important to do our best to spread nothing but love, happiness, and positivity. Tell a friend you love them. Hug your families. Show appreciation to people who have helped you. It is the little things that can change a person’s life. Let us make the world a better place.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/irock5able/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@irock5able

Image Credits
BG Hip Hop Dance BGHS Dance Bri Norris MOB HQ Juan Fermin Dance Beast Entertainment