Junior media and entertainment student Justin Brand never expected he would become a professional dancer, but after a series of chance opportunities, he found himself performing in nationally recognized music videos.
Brand’s first step to a professional dance career began when he choreographed for a hip-hop class recital dance. Later, a choreographer from the studio reached out to Brand and said someone was seeking dancers for a new music video, which he went on to film in South Carolina. That connection led him to work on two more music videos in San Diego, for which he choreographed and performed.
“From my friend I met at Kennesaw State, I was able to work with another artist for a while and helped him get signed by Sony Records and was in Tiffany Evan’s music video for her Christmas song ‘All I Want,'” Brand said. “I was also in a promo dance video for Trevor Jackson’s ‘In My Feelings’ mixtape.”
While filming “All I Want” during finals week, the work did not end until two in the morning. Brand had to make up a dance for his dance final during video takes, and when he got back home, he had to also study for a written final. When it comes to balancing school and dancing, Brand said it is important to have time management.
Brand said he likes how KSU offers diverse styles of dance like the K-pop dance club and the swing dance club.
A few inspirations for Brand’s dancing come from many different styles of dancing. His biggest inspirations are “Les Twins,” Keone, and Mari Madrid. Brand said “Les Twins” heavily influenced how he listened to music and how he thought about freestyle dance.
“Keone & Mari are amazing choreographers and seeing their show while in San Diego was truly inspiring,” Brand said about his role models. “I feel that if you have a passion for something, people will be drawn to it, which will then bring opportunity.”
Unlike many in his field, he did not begin dancing classes from a young age. Brand first started dancing when he learned to jam skate, which is break-dancing on roller skates.
“I started skating one day on a family trip to Tennessee when my dad told us about how he was ‘the man’ and would get all the girls when he would skate, which motivated my brother to want to go skating,” Brand said.
Brand says he has always had a passion for dance, and likewise put time and effort into improving. He started making money from it by just doing what he loves and saying yes to new opportunities as they arise.
As for the future, Brand said he is training to teach ballroom dancing and will be in pop artist Bshelko’s new music video soon. He is also working on a promotional video for his clothing brand.
To see Brand’s content, visit his Instagram account @sage_brandu.
