Tonight we get a new premiere. D’andre from Chicago’s favorite dance crew, The Future Kingz, premieres a new video and does a q&a. Check it out below!
Introduce yourself
What’s going on I’m D’andre Dixon A.K.A “Nero”. I would personally like to consider myself the Dennis Rodman of TheFutureKingz. I’m just a powerhouse dude, I just have so much up my sleeve it’s crazy.
When did you first start getting into dancing?
I started getting into dance when I was five, my family was real fond of music videos. The first time I ever danced it was to DMX I remember just dancing and all of my family just cheering me on lol. Such a vivid memory.
Many people know you for having one of the most exotic and versatile styles in the dance crew The Future Kingz. When did you get involved with them?
Funny thing about me being in TFK my brother Isaiah always gets mad when I tell this story. I feel like I really got into TFK on accident Bc I was in another group at the time. When I was in high school I watched TFK from my freshman year all the way to my senior year. Isaiah and I had always had brief conversations about meeting up and the funny thing is I didn’t meet him until my senior year to find out he lived 5 mins away from me. It’s so funny how life works. In March of 2014 Isaiah asked me to come to a workshop so I finally came through and was going crazy I’m talking bone breaks, flips all that & then some. He called me a few days later and was like come to my house now, I dropped everything I was doing and went over we had a deep conversation which ended with “D’andre do you see yourself as a Future King, let me take care of you bro” and then here I am three years later.
Over the years of being with TFK, what’s the one most important life lesson you’ve been able to take away?
If I learned anything, I learned the importance of time… How valuable your time is because time is something you’ll never get back. Being 20 going on 21 I’ve done so much for my age because I didn’t waste time. TheFutureKingz wouldn’t let me waste my time at all & time is just something I’ll always stress to everyone else.
With your recent solo drops, it looks like you’ve been switching up your style a bit. What caused the switch up?
The switch up was coming… Honestly, I had a fear of dropping videos that were not of quality ya know? Erykah Badu said, “Keep in mind that I’m an artist & I’m sensitive about my shit” I feel that on a spiritual level!! Today’s dancing is getting very dry ya know just due to these trends and the people following them. I was doing it as well and it got to a point where I was like yo this isn’t making me shine I can’t shine if I’m like everyone else. I want to be able to keep my skill level up and I can’t do that trying to be someone else. My dancing alone is different but I wanted my concepts and visuals to just be very authentic, raw & even nostalgic if I can bring somebody back to a time in their life. Dance is universal & I’m definitely a student of the game I wanna learn all styles. The switch up happened because I wanted to experiment with my dancing and even my audience just to see how they’ll take to it & so far it’s been successful.
How do you see your style of dance change when you release something with the crew vs solo pieces of work?
I mean everyone in the crew has their own style, their own niche & what makes them special. My style changes when I’m doing choreography I can turn off the freestyle D’andre & turn on the Team Orientated D’andre. But all in all my style doesn’t really change I would say because at the end of the day I’m still gonna be able to do what I do to make the piece work or even make the piece somewhat better. But the boys don’t ever want me to change my style so I’m cool with that lol.
Today, you are premiering a new piece. Talk to us about the concept behind this one
I JUST WANTED TO LET GO… I would consider this like an “Abstract Hip Hop Contemporary” if that makes sense. I’m so closed with my dancing and I run to my comfort zone a lot with dancing to upbeat tempos and fast music. I just wanted to release and let all my emotions & thoughts just vibe with the music. A lot of people are so curious as to where I get music from and I never give out my mixes or songs ever. But my friend from Boston Mike Casey creates a playlist for those who meditate and medicate called “E I P P I H H I G H”. It’s a whole bunch of Indy music from artists such as Tom Tripp & Zach Farache(who are artists I’ve had the pleasure of conversing with) and even “Seoul” music. It’s all for the good vibes and for people who enjoy music. You can find the playlist on SoundCloud search up “Mike.Seoul” and there you will find “E I P P I H H I G H”. I guess I’m in a phase of where I don’t want to dance to mainstream music because a lot of these local artists deserve the recognition! GOOD MUSIC DESERVES RECOGNITION! I love putting people on new music and honestly, it’s a beautiful thing seeing people vibe to the music I dance to. Dance & Music are universal I’m just glad I’m bringing people to enjoy these type of sounds & vibes.
Could we be expecting more of these solo choreo pieces?
Plenty of solos & plenty of crew videos… All I’m gonna say is just keep expecting the unexpected. I have so much to share.
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