Rising Stars: Meet Thaliyah Cools of Van Nuys

Today we’d like to introduce you to Thaliyah Cools.

Hi Thaliyah, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I am originally from Dayton, OH and aside from your typical pre dance/kinder dance class at the age of 4, dance really started for me in a family setting. At family gatherings, my maternal cousins and I would create dance performances with full storylines for our family members to watch. I remember watching my aunts and uncles dance in the backyard for birthdays, and holidays on my dad’s side to the sounds of Soca and Caribbean music,
I was always deeply inspired by the way dance brought community in my family and shows like So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing with Stars inspired my vision of what dance looked like professionally,
My mother put me in gymnastics classes at a young age and I quickly realized I would much rather spend time learning the floor routines than flipping onto a vault or around monkey bars. At 12, I started taking Hip Hop classes at a local dance studio.
I thrived in that space and my mom stated “If you’re going to take hip hop you have to take ballet”. Within the next year I was auditioning for the competitive dance team and began exploring other genres like contemporary, jazz and lyrical. Fast forward to 18, where I had no intention of dancing in college. That was until I landed a scholarship at The Ohio State University’s Dance program after my competitive dance coach insisted I audition. It was there that I got to expand on dance in community and studied abroad in São Paulo, Brazil touring with my cohort and sharing dance with people that didn’t even speak the same language. I utilized the experience to research dance spaces that catered to my West Indian x black culture and pursue my dance career professionally. I dove into what it means to be a concert dancer and attended intensives and auditions with companies like Deeply Rooted Dance Theatre in Chicago, Philadanco in Philadelphia, Cleo Parker Robinson in Denver and Dayton Contemporary Dance Company (DCDC) in my hometown, Dayton, OH.

After receiving my BFA in Dance, I began dancing with DCDC as a company apprentice. I was able to perform repertory I dreamed of doing with works by Talley Beatty, Paul Taylor and Rennie Harris. I even shared the stage with the same coach that encouraged me pursue dance in college at DCDC’s 55th performance show. It’s always been about community for me and inspiring others the same way I was.

In moving to LA, I aim to do the same thing just on bigger stages. I consider myself a professional dancer, performer, teacher and story teller.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Community was my biggest inspiration but also my biggest challenge. I had to be mindful in moving to LA that the people I was so comfortable with would now be hundreds of miles away. However, I also knew they all supported by dreams and were quick to answer my call when guidance or support was needed. Old mentors, coaches, dance friends and family were on board to put in me contact with people they knew in LA to make me feel like I wasn’t alone.
It made it harder for people to doubt my success knowing I had people they could trust as well.
I invested in training programs and classes to help not only my skills but also force myself to be social and mingle. I quickly realized other people in those spaces could relate to my feelings we’d bond over shared experiences,

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I think it’s important to state that I had a specific plan and always have when it comes to my professional dance work. I spent a year prior to moving, visiting LA, working 3 jobs including teaching/coaching dance, judging dance competitions, working a 9-5 and posting consistent dance content. I felt that if I could let people know who I am without actually living here, the rest would fall into place when I got here.
My work ethic I feel takes me really far and being intentional about spaces I walk into or environments creatively. I genuinely put myself forward to be apart of the bigger picture not always to receive something out of it. I enjoy supporting friends that have new business endeavors or providing a favor to someone who may need an extra dancer. If it’s a chance to share my gift in order to foster community I am all for it. In my teaching background, I always aim to encourage the younger generation that work ethic and self belief can take you really far. If I can do it so can you with the right mindset, and strategic actions.

My goal is to always make people feel something. In my work, no matter what job, I want whoever’s watching to feel the story I’m telling. As dancer’s we are always story tellers. I admire live performance spaces so much because of the emotional exchange that happens when you connect through dance to audience members. We don’t all have to tell the same story just as long as there is one to be told. The ability to always execute that is what I am most proud of and I think what sets me apart from other movers.
Whether I am performing on stage, on set, teaching in a dance studio or sitting at the judges table mentoring younger dancers, the goal is always to inspire and tell the story.

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Growing up I was politely ambitious. I was intuitive and confident in who I was but never boastful. My parents described me as having an “old soul” and taught me how important it was to stay humble.
Being the oldest sibling in my family taught me I could set the standard but had to be careful for my mistakes and learn from them. I was curious about being successful yet knew others people’s journeys weren’t an example of mine. Anything dance, music or art related I had an enthusiastic response to,
I enjoyed having fun and was adventurous yet knew my limits. I liked to be challenged but always a little nervous any time I tried something new.
I loved hanging with friends and being comedic relief at anytime and loved traveling and seeing new places. I jumped at new learning opportunities and ways to find out more about the world. I loved seeing community in action.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tgroovs?stkn=NXB6b2NyOGU1aGY2&utm_source=qr
• Youtube: https://youtu.be/EAy6tXAb09Y

Image Credits
Neely Townes, Abby Koskinos, Willa Marks