Meet Winston Miller: Creative Director & Owner

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

Hi Winston, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I pursued a creative career because it’s something that has been deeply embedded in me. I’ve always danced and it’s always been a part of my life. I actually thought I could get away from it but it was then I knew it was supposed to be with me forever. It is something that if I do not do, I do not feel like myself. It is a keen part of who I am as a person. 

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I want the world to know I take pride in being a dancer and a choreographer. I take pride in understanding how I can move and what works for me. I say that because while dancing is fun and a great way to exercise and definitely helps you release endorphins, it is not an easy career field. Dancing is competitive, dancing can be strenuous, but if you love it, as my students say “you will suffer for your craft.” But do not take that lightly, please take care of yourself because your body is extremely important in order to be a dancer. To be a dancer and understand how your body moves is a learning journey because everyone’s body is different. A dancer has to take care of their body and also know their limitations in order to be their best self. Their body is their tool to use to showcase a story, a movement, or even an emotion, but it is also theirs to protect and monitor to make sure nothing is awry. And the dance world is competitive, and to be able to be competitive, you must know how to take care of your body. A dancer must always study the art of dance. I still study dance because dance is always evolving. There is always more technical things to learn, there’s new genres and sub-genres that come about and to be a good dancer is to be a well-rounded dancer and to be well-rounded is to be in the know. To take things further, to be a choreographer and understand how music flows and how beats work together and how to create a movement that embodies and exemplifies the music is a tricky task. It’s much more than just piecing together moves, it’s creating a masterpiece using arms, leg extensions, facial expressions, on top of movement to express something or tell a story or convey an emotion that the audience can feel. Also as a choreographer, while creating is fun, a lesson I learned is to not get too attached to your choreography because it could always change. Being a choreographer was something a struggled with because I never thought my ideas were good. I had to build my self-confidence with that, even though my friends always said positive things–it was an inside battle that I had to overcome to really be better at it. Experience is a great teacher, taking classes from other dancers and choreographers helped me become a better dancer and choreographer and that is a lesson I will never forget. Never think you’re done learning, there’s always something that can be taught.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Okay, so the funniest thing is a couple of my best friends are planning on making a trip soon, so I’ve actually already semi-planned what this would look like. Of course, some of these are not happening because of Coronavirus. We would absolutely have to go to brunch at 4 places–I love bottomless mimosas and a good breakfast! Those three places would be: Poor Calvin’s in midtown, The Ivy in Buckhead & 10th & Piedmont in Midtown as well, and last but not least Kaleidoscope in Brookhaven. Activities would include bowling, skating, going to the park, axe-throwing in Sandy Springs, Karaoke in midtown, and probably find a gun range. Eateries and libations would definitely include Siamese Basil (Thai place), Nakatos (hibachi), Vortex (American), Come & Take a Bite (Jamaican), and throw in some fast food when we’re in a hurry and have a craving. For drinks, anywhere between 10th street and crescent avenue in midtown would be ideal for the best “hopping” experience. Knowing my friends, we would check out the High Art Museum and the Georgia Aquarium and the Civil Rights Museum. Those are the places I can think of immediately, but if you gave me a couple more days, I could probably figure out more to do.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to dedicate my shoutout to my business Art Is Motion: Dance, Yoga & Fitness studio I would also like to dedicate my shoutout to my godson Ashtyon McKnight & my niece Noelle Miller.

Website: https://artismotion.org
Instagram: artismotionga
Linkedin: Winston Miller
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/artismotion
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrcZS2Qdnd3q6HJ9WDbvNoA
Other: My dance instagram handle is; @dancinwitdub_