Meet Merquides “Què” Velez Jr

Today we’d like to introduce you to  Merquides “Què” Velez Jr.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Què. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I lost my mother at the age of 5. After the passing of my mom, things were rocky for my family. My dad tried his hardest to keep me and my siblings together. Me and my younger sister ended up splitting from my three older siblings. For the next 5-7 years had been rough on me. My mom’s passing happened at a young age & as the years went on I started to get more frustrated at the situation and more aware of what happened. I ended up becoming this angry teenager. All I wanted to do was be the cool kid. I did some bad things & those things almost costed my education.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I was told to find something extra curricular to do. Which led me to this after school program called “Master Dance” led by my first dance teacher, Bettye Locklear. I ended up joining the program & that’s when the love for dance started. I began to focus all of my feelings onto dance. My grades started picking back up and I began to do better. It was around that time where I started to be curious about my sexuality. I began to get bullied for my ways & for the simple fact that I wasn’t into the “cool kid” things anymore.

That’s when I began to really start dancing more & more because it was my outlet. After graduating middle school, I became a dance major at Milwaukee High School of the Arts. I owe majority of my dance training to the incredible faculty that taught me; Dean Drews, Sandra Jordan, & Roxanne Kess. Till this day I’m grateful for their lessons.

After graduating high school I wanted to keep dancing, which had led me to auditioning for Debbie Allen’s Summer Intensive here in L.A. I got accepted into the intensive and came out to Los Angeles in Summer 2018 not knowing that this would be my new home. I only planned to be here for a month but shortly after the intensive ended I was awarded a scholarship to train year round with the academy, IF I moved. I took the scholarship and never went back home to Milwaukee, WI. I stayed in L.A and lived out of one suitcase for the next couple of months. I struggled to find a job and a stable place to live. None of that mattered to me though. I was so grateful to be in the city of Angels training under a legend.

There were times where I didn’t know how I was gonna eat, how my phone bill will be paid, how I would afford transportation, etc….Everything was basically in the air & I was just learning how to survive. I didn’t know anyone out there that I could reach out to. I had ample resources but then again, it was hard for me to get to those places because I couldn’t afford to get around the city. The Baldwin Hills/Crenshaw area was mainly the area I tried to stay close to considering that’s where the academy was & I didn’t want to miss classes.

I applied for multiple jobs but I got denied by a lot of them. One of the main reasons was that I didn’t have a Los Angeles County address. It began to get real hard & I started to reconsider the opportunity. I remember calling my older sister and just balling my eyes out. She listened and kept asking me the same question, “Is this what you really want”. I told her that yes, it was and she said, “Then you have to stick it out & let God lead you”. Till this day, I replay that moment in my head & pray that God continues to lead me.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I’m an artist. I dislike limiting myself to one thing. Dance is my passion but I also love telling stories other ways. Lately, I’ve been really into modeling.

I love creating concepts and playing with different topics. I feel that there are a lot of things that are not touched on that’s going on in today’s society. As an artist, I try to pinpoint certain subjects while still making it pleasing to the eye.

I’m most proud of my willingness to try new things. I would define my creativity similar to a chameleon. Whenever someone looks at my work, I want them to see variety. I don’t want to be seen only as one thing.

I feel what sets me apart from others is that you can never guess what I’m up to.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Since I’ve moved to L.A I’ve struggled but I also had some nice moments. I’ve made great friendships, grown in my craft, traveled for my craft, got an agent, moved into my first place, worked with some incredible celebrities, etc. However, I feel like I haven’t had my greatest accomplishment. I’m so grateful for all that I’ve been blessing with but I know that God has something on the way to me that is going to blow my mind like never before. That’ll be my proudest moment. I see it, I feel it, & I keep dreaming of it. It’s all possible. My journey has been a whirlwind but also so rewarding. There is still more to learn, more to accomplish, more to manifest, more to receive, & more to experience. Just keep God first & trust his timing. God bless you.

Contact Info:

• Email: quidancee@gmail.com

Image Credit:
Cameron Perry @cameronperry, Tony Bee @tonybeephoto, Christopher Marrs @christophermarrs

Suggest a story: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.