Meet Shantelia Selina | Artist | Dancer & Choreographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Shantelia Selina and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Shantelia, how do you think about risk?
Risk taking is a huge of my life decisions and career because if you don’t try you will never know. If you fail it doesn’t mean it’s over it just means you find an alternative route and that can be scary because it’s so unknown to us, however I believe in order to grow you can’t stay in places your familiar with otherwise you’ll block and limit your best ability. Risk is associated with fear but this is something we create in our minds with all these scenarios of why could go wrong. Why not think about all the things that can go right even if it’s scary you have to believe it’ll work out for you.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I founded my own dance company called SS-STUDIOS which is also a talent agency. I launched the company in 2019 just out of pure fun and love for dancing, a year down the line I’ve taught over 700+ students and we’ve now expanded. The best achievement of it however is the people I’ve met along the way who have just become such lights in my life. The company has become an impactful hub for new friendships, job opportunities and a place to build who you are up as a person without fear of being fudged. My journey in dance has been a blessing and I’ve been lucky enough to be put forward for some amazing opportunists working with brands doing what I enjoy. What I would say that’s been hard is managing everything alone so I used to do all my editing , choreography , marketing and much more which is super stressful and I’m a very “ do it myself “ personal but I learned that in order to grow we have to work together and now I’ve got a supportive team with me on this journey. SS-STUDIOS is a creatives hub for anyone to join in all shapes , sex , religion and colour. Everyone is accepted and the aim is to keep pushing this message out that you don’t need to be perfect to be a dancer , being a dancer is about having fun doing what you love and being able to create opportunities that way, that’s the end goal. We stay clear from stress and unwanted pressure /judgement as there is enough of that out there in the world we live in and our dance family is a home , welcome for anyone at our table. Collective all growing together x

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Ooooo nice !! So I would definitely take my best friend for a relaxing spa day and leonardo hotel ! The week would consist of brunches I love cafe east ! Their breakfast are amazing and ours cafe in knights Bridge. Followed by Stratford Westfield for a cinema date , TGI Fridays!! Nando’s and definitely Wagamama’s. All in that order spread out across the week! We love to dance so probably a few pit stops for tiktoks & star bucks and an evening walk along London Bridge or south bank for views!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to thank bambam boogie for putting me forward for this amazing opportunity to be interviewed. We met at a dance studio we’re we instantly clicked about became soul sisters. She’s a true inspiration and motivation to woman. I’d also like to thank all of my friends and students They are a HUGE reason I’ve kept going. They’ve changed my life and I love them more than my words could express

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CL2DcAIhQU9/?igshid=126b15rkv9tdr

Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCOBOWFprisO708pWX9kNpDQ/videos

Image Credits
All images are taken by us except for the BLM top image @9_s_a_m @szabinabirophoto