Envisioning Representation: Julius Juju Flores Shares His Vision for Artistry in Motion

By Emma Neilson DWC Blog Contributor

Artistry in Motion (AIMco.) is an up-and-coming local dance company, founded in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic by Julius Juju Flores. AIMco. features mostly commercial dance, focusing on athletics and a showcase feel. As Julius likes to say: “it's a dance company but we're so much more than that.” On July 25th, AIMco. is having its live show “Artistry in Motion Collective: FROM THE TOP!” which will be a celebration of many dances and art forms, including wacking, voguing, and drag. Tickets are available here.

Julius began dancing at the age of 15 at an after-school program. Julius had a hard childhood, and dance served as a coping mechanism and an escape from reality. He mentions that his early dance path was made easier because he was exposed to many male dancers his age and color.

After a while, Julius joined the Honolulu Dance Performing Company that offered him a full-ride scholarship whilst in high school. The following year he traveled to Los Angeles, California where he participated in an intensive and competition. In 2008, Julius was accepted to and began attending California Pacific College of Performing Arts. It was here that Julius received his BFA after training for two years and touring for two more. When speaking about the touring aspect of the program, Julius says “we would travel all over the world and do outreach programs to youth… It was a [really] great experience. We got to work with unfortunate kids who didn't have much, we got to work with kids in juvie… we were just trying to change perspective[s] for all these kids through dance and music…”

“I think I found myself. That’s my biggest gain. You know, we all go through that path of just not knowing who [we] are, and I think I definitely found myself and found who I am and what I can really do. ”

Julius later moved back to Hawaii to work as a co-director at his old dance studio, where he also took on the competition team. He eventually moved to San Francisco, where he participated in Alonzo King LINE’s professional training program for a year. After this “pretty amazing” experience, Julius relocated to Seattle, WA, where he has been based ever since.

When asked what he has gained and what the biggest takeaways from his extensive years of training are, Julius replies “I think I found myself. That's my biggest gain. You know, we all go through that path of just not knowing who [we] are, and I think I definitely found myself and found who I am and what I can really do.”

Julius says that he found his passion for choreography while he was based in California. He mentions that he often had the opportunity to assist instructors. When talking about his tour experience, Julius says “I think that's when I fell in love with just creating and teaching… and then [that] eventually evolved [in]to doing workshops and traveling and doing competition pieces.”

Upon being asked about the origins of Artistry in Motion, Julius says “I've always honestly wanted something for my own… I was always ambitious and I always wanted to be my own boss.” He continued on saying, “…quarantine definitely was eye-opening for me because I had a lot of time for myself and it made me really realize what I wanted to do with the rest of my life and what I know I could accomplish.”

Julius describes starting Artistry in Motion as “the biggest obstacle [he’s] ever had to [take on].” Starting and operating the company was and is a huge challenge for Julius, especially because of the time he decided to start it. The arts world was going through a crisis because of the pandemic, with many companies shutting down, arts funding being cut or non-existent, performances being canceled, and more. However, Julius lists many reasons why starting a company has been worth it. From giving him a purpose to giving the underrepresented a voice, Julius wants to reach out to the community.

In addition, Julius spoke about another challenge he’s had: “finding the right support, especially during this time.” “I know everyone has their own obstacles and challenges that they all have to go through, but just finding the right community [has been difficult],” he shares. While finding support can be a challenge, especially in realms like the dance world where not everyone is accepting of all genders, sexual orientations, races, and more, Julius speaks on how open Seattle is and how supportive the arts community here is.

Towards the end of our conversation, I asked Julius to give our readers advice on starting their own company and taking creative risks. He gave a true gem of advice: “there's never [going to] be a perfect time. So you just really have to go for it.”

When asked what he wants to see change in the larger dance industry, Julius says he “want[s] the BIPOC and the LGBTQ+ [communities] to be... more highlighted… I want to highlight the individuals and the underserved communit[ies].” He shares that the hardest part of his dance training was hiding his sexuality. In the dance world, there typically isn’t male-to-male partnering and Julius wants to change that, in part by having an all-male company.

AIMco. has an upcoming show on July 25th that will heavily feature the LGBTQ+ and BIPOC communities. There will be wacking, voguing, drag queens, and a viola player, just to name a few acts. Julius is so excited to bring all forms of art to the stage, not just dance. “Dance is a universal language,” and Julius is looking forward to giving a voice to marginalized communities.

“There’s never [going to] be a perfect time. So you just really have to go for it.”

AIMco.’s Mission and Vision Statement-

WE TRAIN WITH PASSION, DANCE WITH HEART AND AIM FOR SUCCESS.

More about AIM

20200809_172157 - Emma Neilson.jpg — By Emma Neilson
Emma Neilson is a pre-professional dancer from Seattle, WA. She started dancing at the “late” age of 13, and decided to pursue a possible professional career at age 19. She is currently a Professional Division student at International Ballet Academy in Bellevue, WA. She is a registered Barre fitness and Flexistretcher instructor, as well as a current ambassador for To The Pointe Nutrition.