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TR
IBE
Quentin "Apollo Vaughn" Sledge
Meet The Maestro
Artist on the Bubble
What has served as your inspiration?
"I am inspired by many things; mostly the richness that is the culture which comes from the African Diaspora. I love uncovering the hidden gems of the African cultures that help me feel connected to my African American heritage. This inspiration serves as a bridge and a mirror for me. It allows me to fill in the holes of my identity whilst also realizing they were never missing to begin with. I am inspired by music, by dance, by visual art, by fabric and personal style, by nature, my friends and family, as well as myself. In a more concrete sense though as a young dancer I was inspired by men like Desmond Richardson, Dejuan Smart, Rubi Pronk, and Danny Tidwell. As an artist I always pulled from nature, I have a fascination with birds, water, and flowers because I used to garden with my grandmother every summer."
How long have you been dancing, choreographing and painting?
"I have been dancing, painting, sculpting, singing etc. since I was young. As an only child and a latchkey kid, I was hard pressed to find ways to entertain myself. Anything creative caught my attention. I used to be infatuated with coloring books and eventually started tracing the images to learn to draw on my own. I come from a family of artists and singers so music I can emphatically say was my first love. I used to sing and create toys out of anything I could get my hands on, cardboard, plastic bags, pipe cleaners, garbage ties, old umbrellas, you name it. My Grandmother was a lover of theatre and at one point worked for ATA the airline company. So as a kid I was taking flights to New York to see Broadway plays like the Lion King and The Color Purple, which sparked my interest in theatre. I began my dance training at the age of 18 with Homer Hans Bryant at the Chicago Multi-Cultural Dance Center (CMDC) and went on to train in Atlanta while earning my undergraduate degree from Morehouse."
Apollo
What does dancing do for you?
"Dancing for me is twofold, it is a challenging yet fun way to stay in shape and a meditative means of expression. Dance for me is the full artistic experience that requires the highest expression of my mind, body and soul. Its cathartic and communal. It is humbling and uplifting. At times it is my greatest teacher and my greatest enemy."
What do you feel is your greatest challenge as an artist?
"I'd say my greatest challenge has actually been comparison. As I said before I used to compare my work and progress to other artists. This I thought was helping me to become a better artist and to an extent it helped open my eyes to the possibility of my art but it ultimately did more damage than good. Something that I have learned in my spiritual growth however is that comparison is useless, it is a waste of time and imagination. This is simply because, try as I might, I can never be the person that I’m comparing myself to and vice versa. Which is a beautiful reality once it sinks in. This realization has freed me from the pain of hating myself or my art for not being what other people can produce. It allowed me the freedom to explore who I am as an artist AND appreciate the work of other artists wholeheartedly."
If there was no money in the arts would you participate? If so, why?
"Absolutely, simply because I am a firm believer that we are all artists in some way shape or form. We all need a means of self-expression; I am just fortunate that I get to express myself for a living. I honestly don’t know how I would work another job without having an outlet."
Apollo Vaughn, the artist's artist, never fails to exemplify creativity in its purest and rawest form. The vulnerability of first Apollo the person is breathtaking. It takes a lot of courage to put your all into anything let alone pouring yourself into an endeavor where the outcome is unknown. Apollo has worked to become an international star performing in China, Russia, Bermuda and Kazakhstan. Along with performing in two sold out shows in New York in two of the most well known venues being that of the Koch and Joyce theatre located in the Lincoln Centers.
Apollo is set to launch himself into more than just a dance star, but as an art enthusiast he plans to create his own Artist Agency to help others inspiring to achieve their goals receive the guidance and nurturing he knows is needed to become the best version of yourself. Apollo has grown spiritually and that has led to becoming a driving motivator behind his newer creations. Understanding that the art needs to be felt.
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