From dancing in the mirror at age eight to choreographing for the biggest names in the music industry, Charm La’Donna is the premier example of hard work paying off. Born and raised in Compton, CA, the artist discovered her passion for dance early in her lifetime. At only ten years old, she was discovered by choreographer and director Fatima Robinson. She became Robinson’s protege and quickly began her climb into the dance industry.
La’Donna continued cultivating her craft at the Los Angeles County School for the Arts where she trained in foundational dance techniques, built her repertoire, and explored creative expression. La’Donna planned to enter a career in concert dance post-graduation, but her intentions forever changed when Madonna hired her as a backup dancer on the Confessions World Tour. Her work under Madonna solidified her name as a force to be reckoned with.
Once the tour concluded, La’Donna was encouraged to pursue her dance education at the University of California, Los Angeles. During her time at UCLA, La’Donna spent days developing her scholarly knowledge and dedicated nights to assistant choreographing for Robinson. This rigorous balance required a level of discipline that most do not have; however, La’Donna is far from average. Her diligence throughout college provided an ample toolbelt that carried La’Donna to the place she is today. Her work appears in tours, music videos, and award show performances for world-renowned artists like Dua Lipa, Kendrick Lamar, Selena Gomez, and Megan Trainor.
La’Donna visited UCLA World Arts and Cultures/Dance on March 13th and 14th for a two day residency. Her electric energy inspired every person in the room including ourselves, and it’s clear that nothing can dim her light. We had the pleasure of sitting down with La’Donna on Thursday to discuss all things UCLA, industry, and art. Remember the name–Charm La’Donna will undoubtedly go down as one of the greatest creatives of this generation.
Interviewed by Kanchan Raju, Audrey Bizzle, and Lily Stockton.
Interview has been edited for clarity and brevity purposes.
Lily: Hi! Thank you so much for meeting with us! The masterclasses were incredible and I’m feeling very inspired.
Charm: Thank you! Glad you enjoyed. What y’all got for me?
Lily: I figured we could start with some rapid fire questions to break the ice a little. Is that cool?
Charm: Yeah, let’s go.
Audrey: Super Bowl Halftime Show or Grammy’s?
Charm: SuperBowl. I’ve only done that one time, I’ve done the Grammy’s six or seven times. That’s the only reason.
Audrey: Horton or Luigi?
Charm: Horton
Audrey: Spotify or Apple Music?
Charm: Right now it’s Spotify. It was Apple Music a year ago, so things change.
Audrey: Dunks or Air Forces?
Charm: Air Forces
Audrey: Last question, what color would you describe yourself as?
Charm: Hunter Green
*collective oooooooooh*
Charm: I loved those questions. More of those!
Lily: Glad you liked them. I wanted to start off by talking about your experience here at UCLA. You have a very unique perspective in that you were already in the industry when you came to college. Can you talk about the debate surrounding whether higher education in the arts is necessary?
Charm: In the moment, being at UCLA and working in the industry was very hard because I did feel like I was already pursuing the career that school was supposed to train me for; but I will say that my ability to take the classes and balance both is why I feel like I am where I am today. The classes I took allowed me to explore my creativity in ways I wouldn’t have if I was just in the field and that is very important.
Lily: You also mentioned being one of 96 Black students in your year at UCLA. Did you feel a special connection to that community in knowing that the other 95 students not only sympathized with your experience, but were living it themselves? And did you feel pressure when considering dropping out of UCLA because you would be leaving such a small community?
Charm: That experience definitely gave me community. I met my best friends who are here with me years later [motions to best friend standing two feet behind her]. That experience for me was definitely community driven. I almost wanted to drop out because I was already working, trying to balance UCLA, trying to be a good student, managing both worlds. It got very difficult. But when I talked to my friends about it, they told me “You can’t drop out.” So it was like a blanket of support that pushed me through and made me feel like I could do it. That particular moment in time was also important because even when I felt like I couldn’t do it, I did. I carry that with me to any job, any space. Even if I feel like I can’t do it, I can. It’s about your mind.
Lily: How do you instill that mindset in younger dancers?
Charm: It’s about coming to teach, being at UCLA when I can, having auditions. I don’t just teach at auditions, I speak because I want people to grow and learn so they can get the job. It’s about sharing the knowledge; continuing to pour into dancers and into the community.
Kanchan: As a woman of color, I want to ask a bit more about how your intersectional identity has influenced your journey. Despite your success in the industry, do you feel that you still have to prove yourself or fight for certain things extra because of your identity?
Charm: Yes. I think that will always exist. There will always be hierarchies that you have to push through. Nothing’s ever perfect. Does that stop me? No. Does that make me not want to continue doing what I love? No. I push through those things because I feel like they’re stepping stones that make me better. And I’m just here to knock down doors for everyone behind me.
Audrey: Speaking of barriers, people often talk about keeping creative hobbies as hobbies and not pursuing them as a career. How do you as a professional walk that line between being a professional dancer and pursuing your personal endeavors as well?
Charm: Good question. Y’all hittin me with the one twos today. I’ve always said that I am extremely blessed. For me to be able to do something I’ve been doing since I was a child and make a career out of it is very special. A lot of people work jobs they don’t really enjoy because they have to survive. For me, I’ve been able to blend both of these worlds. I get to survive, I get to live doing what I love. So, that’s how I do it. I don’t take any of this granted. You know what I’m saying?
Audrey: Yeah. I mean that’s the dream for a lot of people.
Charm: No yeah. I’m literally living the dream.
Lily: In terms of living the dream, on February 7th, 2021, you tweeted: “I choreographed the SuperBowl” followed by a crying emoji. Can you describe your mindset going into that experience?
Charm: Lily….
Lily: Hey! I’m an investigative journalist. I scroll.
Charm: You better scroll.
Lily: Oh I do. Anyways, was that process more pressure or in a way less pressure because it was on such a massive scale?
Charm: When I tweeted that, I was in a space where I realized that I went from dancing the Super Bowl with Fatima [Robinson] and Black Eyed Peas to then, years later, I’m now choreographing. And these moments are still surreal for me. That particular Super Bowl I choreographed during lockdown, so a lot of it was on Zoom. That was another like *insert girl what did I get myself into emote*. Yeah, it definitely wasn’t easy, but I’m learning to give myself flowers and to be proud of myself. So that was that tweet. I remember when I was dancing in the Super Bowl, I remember saying in my mind “I’m gonna choreograph this one day.” So that moment was me realizing I’ve come a long way. So yeah, you better investigate…
Kanchan: In terms of the role of dancers in the music industry in general, you mentioned yesterday how dancers are often seen as the bottom of the totem pole. What changes do you wish to see in that?
Charm: I think that dancers are a force. We are human and we are just as important as anyone else in the arts. I strive and I push for those types of equality for jobs I work on personally. I can only speak on my own experiences, but I think how we are represented and how we present ourselves is very, very important.
Kanchan: Do you have any specific experiences where you felt a need for dancers to be treated differently?
Charm: Yeah…I think dancers just need a union. We have alliances, but we don’t have our own union. Dancers need a union like everybody else. We have SAG[AFTRA] and Choreographers Guild, but we need more.
Kanchan: Yeah no I totally agree. I think dancers are so often paid disproportionately compared to musicians or simply not paid at all. So it would be awesome to see a union for dancers.
Charm: Exactly. Anything else?
Lily: One more.
Charm: Chile….
Lily: I’m just really excited!
Charm: Okay, come on.
Lily: Yesterday you mentioned your younger self dancing in the mirror to “I Love Rock N’Roll” by Britney Spears. If you could sit down with that little girl, knowing what you know today, what would you tell her?
Charm: Keep believing. Keep imagining. Keep seeing yourself exactly where you want to be and you’ll end up right there. I would tell her that. Don’t stop.
Lily: That’s everything. Thank you so much for doing this. Thank you for being here.
Charm: Of course…but y’all better quote me cute.
On behalf of UCLA Radio, we would like to extend our gratitude to Charm La’Donna and her team for offering this incredible opportunity, Alissa Roseborough for the included photos, Sydney Richardson for organizing the event, and the UCLA WAC/D Department for allowing us the space to conduct the interview.
