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No. 4: Because we dance away Covid stress

Donté Colley’s videos are little pearls of joy

By Toronto Life
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No. 4: Because we dance away Covid stress
Photograph by Getty Images

Donté Colley is better known as “motivational dancing guy.” The 23-year-old Scarborough native produces dance videos that he animates with inspirational messages—“You got this,” “Trust your unique path!”—and emojis before posting them to Instagram for his 860,000 followers. His feed has caught the eye of Will Smith, Beyoncé and Tracee Ellis Ross. He’s collaborated on a music video for Ariana Grande and Victoria Monét that he also appeared in, and danced in Doja Cat’s “Say So.”

No. 4: Because we dance away Covid stress

In this time of heightened stress, his videos are little pearls of joy. Recently, Colley has gone beyond his dance moves, opening up about the loss of his father (an unarmed Black man killed by police in West Palm Beach) when he was eight and the death of his sister by suicide five years ago. Online candour wasn’t something that came naturally to Colley. He worried about what people would think but ultimately learned to discard the anxiety and just dance. “What other people think of you is none of your business,” he says.

 

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