Get to know NYC talent “Shalem” as she tells us more about herself and her journey as an artist.
What is your artist name or what name do you go by?
My name is Shalem, but I have begun to go by Lem, Lemlem, or Lemmy in the dance world.
What city do you represent?
Repping the Bronx. Born and raised.
What got you started making music, or your craft?
When I was about 8 or 9 they offered dance as an after school program and my teachers brought it to my attention that I had potential and I actually really enjoyed it. So I stuck with it as a hobby and then around my senior year of high school I realized I wanted to take it as far as I can go and I worked on myself to reach a professional level. Still currently working on myself to reach that level.
Any goals you want to achieve this year?
I want to be able to perform on stage and get booked with an artist or just in general, like I love performing and the adrenaline of it. I want to be able to travel, even if it’s local and just perform.
Anyone you would like to work with?
My dream artist right now to work with would have to be Doja Cat. Her performances and her dancers just give me life simply watching them and to be a part of that would be surreal. For the near future I’d really be down to work with Capella Grey, I have a very hype style to my dancing that I think would be a vibe to his music and his stage. As far as dancers, working with choreographers like Dexter, Fefe, and Ysabelle is also a dream of mine.
Any up and coming artist/entrepreneurs you look up to or would like to shout out?
I would genuinely love to give a shout out to my dance company Legacy The Company, and a special shout out to Dakota Hill and Lacey Thomas. Two of the hardest workers I have met in this industry to get to where they are and influencing me on and off the dance floor. Constantly pushing me to be the professional dancer I am aspiring to be.
What is the most recent project you’re working on?
Currently my team members and I are working on our Go Hard Dance showcase at the Symphony Space Theaters on June 25th along with the younger Go Hard Dance school kids. We also will be releasing a new visual called “Pushin P” very soon so definitely stay tuned for that, it will very much be worth the watch.
What struggles do you go through as an up and coming artist/entrepreneur?
As a dancer in this industry, it can get very intimidating you can meet dancers who have had hardcore training for 10+ years versus someone who has only done it as a hobby up until recently and with this comes a lot of doubt that you might not be good enough to really make it to really get booked and make money off of it. I’ve thought about quitting multiple times and just deciding this might not be for me simply off of that intimidation.
How do you overcome these struggles?
Me being the persistent determined person I am, I never allowed myself to give up, whether i’ve had the hardcore training or not this is still something I’ve been doing my entire life I can’t just give up that easily and the thing about dance is a lot of people can do it and everyone’s different so you really have to find who you are (including off the dance floor because it does tie into who you are on the dance floor) and stick with that and run with it and just keep going because hard work + consistency and persistency can take you where you’d never thought you’d go. No matter how good you are or how long you’ve been in the game there’s always room for growth. And those are key thoughts I keep in mind when I feel challenged.
Lem ☮️ (@shalem.lem_) * Instagram photos and videos
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