MSP 190: The Dancer’s Entrepreneurial Leap with Danielle Guillermo

A dancer’s career is often shorter than many others, and for the most part, there comes a time when the performer must pivot and find other ways to find value and joy in their craft. Joining us today is Danielle Guillermo, a former dancer turned dance consultant, as well as brand strategist and web designer. We begin with Danielle’s background and how she got into the world of dance before learning how her home and school support structures gave her the confidence needed to excel in performance. Then, we examine how her career goals have evolved since high school, how being rejected from Juilliard was a blessing in disguise, her role at the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, and other early-career experiences, and everything that happened to instigate the second phase of her career. We also discover how Danielle began building websites, her journey as a brand strategist, why she chose the teaching route, and why it’s possible (and healthy) for artists to have financial aspirations without compromising their art. To end, Danielle walks us through Dance News Daily — the news hub she built for the entire dance community — and we discover what she has planned for the near future as well as how to connect with her and her work. 

Key Points From This Episode:

• Danielle Guillermo describes who she is and how she got into the world of dance.

• What drew her to ballet, and a journey through her time at dance school.

• How her support structures gave her confidence that she previously had to fake. 

• The goals she had when growing up in dance school and how they’ve evolved.

• Rejected from Juilliard: The ups and downs of her dancing education after high school.    

• The start of her career and her experience at Dayton Contemporary Dance Company. 

• Her European adventure, and everything that happened post-DCDC 2. 

• How Danielle’s performance career ended and why she chose to focus full-time on teaching. 

• Breaking Glass: How she approached a career crossroads at the age of 31. 

• How artists can also have aspirations of financial freedom without compromising their art.

• Danielle’s website-building career and how it’s transformed her and her client’s lives.  

• The importance of building a personal brand and making it visible to the right people.  

• Unpacking Dance News Daily – a news hub for the entire dance community. 

• Danielle’s upcoming projects and what she’s focused on moving forward.  

• How to connect with Danielle Guillermo and her work.

“It looks like you’re taking the focus off of the art and you’re talking about money. For me, it’s not one or the other. We as artists need to survive. And not just survive, let’s look at thriving.” — Danielle Guillermo

For more on Danielle and Show Notes & Links: The Moving Architects

Follow the podcast on Instagram & Facebook

Donate to The Moving Architects today and support this podcast! Support The Moving Architects