Dance
Beyoncé's lead dancer, Dnay Baptiste proves that women can have it all
See how the international performer juggles motherhood and touring.
At 17, the Harlem native danced in a group with friends at a local P.A.L. center when someone told her that there was an open call happening in the city that she should attend. No questions asked, Dnay headed downtown and auditioned for Remy Ma. After dancing in Remy's "Whatever" music video, Dnay realized that becoming a professional dancer was inevitable. Although she didn't have technical training, she would show up to auditions and leave it all on the floor. She loves seeing the result, which is the overall performance, but she enjoys the auditions and long hours of rehearsals just as much. "I think the journey is always the gift because you get so many things that you keep with you forever,” she said.
A mom, a professional dancer, and an entrepreneur, Dnay evokes a very endearing humility. The highly accomplished dancer values family and being a mom first. She wants women to know that they can follow dreams and not feel guilty about it. She's also an advocate for women suffering from postpartum depression after realizing that she went through it the first few months post-pregnancy. She says, "If you can, take as much time with your baby as possible. And don't feel guilty that you're missing out on a job or you're missing out on fulfilling your dream.” Dnay recently received choreography credits in "Black Is King," Beyoncé's new visual album inspired by music from "The Ling King: The Gift."
Wearing many hats, Dnay is also an entrepreneur. While we're in the height of a global pandemic, and many of us are fighting for racial justice in our country, Dnay and her business partner launched the Harlem Parade. This non-profit organization highlights Black-owned Harlem businesses. "I'm so proud of where I'm from. I'm inspired by the people in Harlem, and I thought it would be great to have a directory of all of the Black-owned businesses in my community."
Dnay Baptiste
© Chris Fox-Kelly
Red Bull: How did it feel going on auditions with technically trained dancers? Did you think that you had to be more noticed?
I never thought about anyone else while auditioning. I always just went and did my absolute best. It didn’t matter that “Girl A” may have been technically trained, and I wasn’t. I just always worked at my craft and kept practicing to get better and better.
You danced with Remy Ma and Kelly Rowland back when you started, how did you end up becoming one of Beyoncé’s principal dancers?
Well, I auditioned for Beyoncé a million times. I would go to her open calls in New York all the time. But I was introduced to the world of Bey working with Kelly Rowland. At the time, Beyoncé and Kelly shared a Creative Director, Frank Gaston. I was at an audition doing a live submission as Kelly Rowland, and he and Chris Grant came into the rehearsal space to see the audition, and he said, “I love this girl, we have to bring her to L.A. she needs to put all her ism’s on Kelly, she’s beautiful.” And I’m like, ‘who, me?’
So, they flew me to L.A. on a buddy pass, and I recorded the video. When I returned home, it had been five months, and I still hadn’t gotten paid. Something in my heart said to just email Frank to see what’s up with the payment. So, I did. He was so sorry and asked if I could come to the Alvin Ailey Dance Studio to pick up my check because he was in a rehearsal. When I arrived, he wrote me a personal check and asked me if I could dance for Beyoncé for the Oprah Winfrey finale. And I was thinking, ‘Wow, this is the repayment? This is bigger than any check he could’ve given me!’ It was really a blessing from god. That was back in 2011, for the finale show and the Billboard awards when “Who Runs The World-Girls” came out. That’s how it all began.
As a professional dancer who goes on tour, what is a day like in rehearsal? How many hours do you practice?
I like to have breakfast and do an hour of praise and worship to get centered and ready for the day. Now that I'm a mom, I do call my son before rehearsal. Even before he could talk, I would call him on FaceTime and watch him. And then the rehearsal is typically an eight-hour day. But when you're working with Beyoncé, your day can go from eight hours to sixteen hours a day, easily. There is a rule that whenever Beyoncé's is in heels, then you're in heels. Thank goodness for the kids, because we used to rehearse in heels for eight hours, But now, we can have a little break and practice in flats and then change into heels. They are very tedious days because it's an entire production. We're rehearsing lights, sound, and in the more recent shows, we've had the monolith, or we've been in those little pods. So, you can understand why rehearsal can go from eight to sixteen hours a day. We work hard, we drink a lot of water, we take our one-hour lunch break. And in that hour, you make calls, go to the bathroom, get on FaceTime. Whatever you have to do, you get done in that hour.
Dnay Baptiste
© Chris Fox-Kelly
You also received choreography credit for Beyoncé's "Black Is King" film. Is it more of a collaborative environment, or do you hear the music and come up with a routine?
I was a part of the process before they even realized that it would be a film. I was in a workshop with JaQuel Knight, one of the head choreographers, two dancers, Stephen Ojo and Caleb Bonney, called the AVO (Africa's Very Own) Boyz. We were vibing out to the music. I've loved the album since it came out. My son and I were jamming to it for a whole year before we started this process. It was fantastic to be in the studio again and just jamming because I had taken six months off to be a mom. So, I was excited to dance again. JaQuel would have a step, then Caleb, then Stephen, and then I did, and so we put all our moves together. When JaQuel wasn't available, Chris Grant, the other head choreographer, would have me walk him through what we've done, and now we were putting people in trees and on motorcycles.
We would then figure out how we can fix the choreography that was set to now look great on a motorcycle or in a tree. The entire process was very collaborative. I honestly didn't think I would receive choreographer credit on it. It was a pleasant surprise. One thing about Beyoncé is that she loves taking submissions from everyone. There will be five choreographers, and she'll take steps from everyone and make it a big beautiful piece. And I think that's why anybody can learn the choreography because it's like such a natural movement.
You're a mom to an adorable 2-year-old boy, King. We saw a glimpse of him as an infant in Beyoncé's Netflix special, Homecoming. What advice would you have for mothers who want to follow their dreams but may feel stifled or even guilty for going after them?
I would say, go for it! Your kids will forgive you. And if they're young enough, they won't even remember that you were gone. I honestly had felt that guilt while going on tour and missing milestones. I gave birth and went back to work three weeks later. I performed with French Montana. Although it was in New York, I was still breastfeeding. I was still pumping my milk. And then right after that, I performed at the Grammys. So, I wasn't feeling guilty at that very moment because I said that I had these set goals for myself, and I wanted to achieve them.
At the moment, I felt great; I felt empowered. When we had rehearsal's for "Homecoming," King came with me. So, I was able to breastfeed. But, after Coachella, I went right on tour. Missed him starting to crawl and saying, mama. My family would send me videos, but it wasn't the same as being there. At one point, I was gone for two months, so I missed a chunk of it. So, I'm going to give you two pieces of advice. Take as much time as you can. And take time for yourself, to understand what your body went through. Let yourself heal. And know that whatever is for you is still going to be there in six months. Because postpartum depression is real.
I didn't know that I was suffering from postpartum depression the entire tour until someone came to me and said, "You never say hi to me," And I said, 'We don't have anything in common. Why do I need to talk to you?' And then I thought about it. We're on a whole tour together, and I didn't talk to this person at all. I would go to my bunk and FaceTime my son, and watch him sleep. I didn't recognize it until I returned home and went to therapy. So take time, and when you're ready, you can get to it. By then, you'll feel complete because you've had time to bond with your baby, and you're mentally ready to take on the world. Just know that it's possible to have it all. You can be a mommy and a wife, and an entrepreneur, and a dancer.
What was your mindset, to only be a few months post-pregnancy and performing on stage in front of thousands of people at Coachella?
Honestly, I thought I’m here, and this is what I love to do. I’m following my dreams with my career. But also, that this is bigger than me now. I have a family, we have goals, so I’m going to get it done!
You recently performed on SNL with Megan Thee Stallion and premiered in her new music video, “Don’t Stop.” What is something you may have learned from working alongside Bey and now Meg that you take with you in life?
Beyoncé has exposed us to so much, and I’m forever grateful. From cameras to lighting, to costuming, and staging. Also, the importance of being still and at the moment and letting your presence do the talking for you. I had never experienced someone just standing still, and it is so powerful. That’s one thing that I take with me forever. And Megan, she’s such a fun girl! She’s younger than me. For the first time in my 15-year career, she says, “Wow, you’re so serious, you’re here to get the job done.” I had never heard that before in my career. But I take it very seriously because JaQuel is her creative director, and he brought me on board to assist, so I can’t let him down.
The beautiful thing is that they are both so human and down to earth, and they love their dancers. That’s all you can ask for.
You’re a Harlem native and recently launched your business, Harlem Parade: Can you tell me what it’s all about and how you came up with the idea?
One thing about me, I take Harlem anywhere I go. I’m a Harlem native, born and raised. My grandmother still lives in the family apartment. Harlem is embedded in my heart. I was on a plane back home from doing the BET Awards with Meg. It was Juneteenth, and Beyoncé had just released her song, Black Parade. I listened to the music over and over again for the entire flight. I was so inspired. I originally wanted to shoot a video for the song. So, I texted my friend and told him that I wanted to record a video. I met with my friend and now business partner CJ, he brought along a talented Director, and we came up with a concept. After a very long meeting, they sent an email to an organization for Black-owned businesses in Harlem, and we ended up having 45 owners who were willing to participate. We then realized that we couldn’t fit all of these businesses and choreography into this one video. But it was essential for me to highlight these businesses, so people know that we’re here. And so that we can have our Black dollar circulating in our community. There is no way to move our communities forward and beat gentrification unless we keep our Black dollars circulating amongst our community. And I always like to bridge the gap between the underground dance community, where I started, and the professional dance world.
So this was an opportunity to do so. We had a block party, made an incredible video, and created Harlem Parade, the website, and non-profit. It not only features all of the Black-owned businesses, but it also highlights photographers, directors, and videographers who were part of this project. We wanted to create something where people visit New York; they also visit Harlem and see what we have to offer. We also partnered with Harlem Heritage Tours so that visitors can tour Harlem through my lens. CJ and I have a tour where people can visit our favorite places. I hope this inspires people to do the same in their hometown.
What is next for you? Are you looking to do more choreography or dive into your business ventures?
I’m working on a million things. We are having a food drive and toy drive for the holidays. I’m trying to create more dance videos and more content for Harlem so that people will continue to come. I want to keep inspiring people. Raise my son, and continue to support my husband with his dreams. I want to continue to be the best version of myself.
