IN CONVERSATION WITH KAMERON N. SAUNDERS

interview by JANA LETONJA

Award-winning choreographer, dancer, and actor Kameron N. Saunders has built a career that spans the worlds of live performance, television, film, and social media. A St. Louis native and Princess Grace Award-winning choreographer, Kameron has worked with global superstars including Taylor Swift, Lizzo, Chappell Roan, and Saucy Santana, while also earning acclaim for his original choreography and growing acting career. Beyond the stage and screen, he’s become a powerful voice for authenticity, creativity, and LGBTQ+ representation, using his platform to inspire a new generation of artists.

all photography by DALVIN ADAMS

Your career spans choreography, dancing, acting, and entertaining an audience of millions. Did you always envision wearing so many creative hats?

In this specific way? At this particular volume of perception and visibility? No, not at all. However, I’ve always envisioned myself as an entertainer. 1000%! Bringing my art to people in whatever way I could. I just never knew exactly how the universe would package it for me. Dance and choreography is and will always be my first language, it has opened so many doors for me to be able to explore other “creative hats” and for that I’m extremely grateful.

Looking back, what were the biggest lessons you learned on your journey from dance student to performing on some of the world's biggest stages?

I would say that patience and dedication to craft would be one of the biggest lessons for me from training to performing. “Success” happened relatively quick for my peers and friends, and it took a while before things started to move for me. And in that time, I continued studying, training, investigating, asking questions, etc. It all works out in your favor.

That time I spent watching my friends soar helped to make me more ready for when my doors opened. That time also allowed me a lot of room for self reflection and I quickly realised that there are no right answers to figuring this thing out. You passionately chase the thing that makes you happy, with care and with unyielding dedication, and you see where you land. That’s all you can ask of yourself. 

You've toured with Taylor Swift for two years on The Eras Tour. What experience from that tour will stay with you forever?

The community I was able to help build and be a part of.

You've also worked with artists like Lizzo, Chappell Roan, and Saucy Santana. How do you adapt your artistry to match each performer's unique style?

I’m an extremely observant person. I like to watch how someone moves around their work and art. I had a teacher often say “notice and adjust.” It was a simple idiom she employed to help us problem solve inside of our training when things, or certain steps or moves, weren’t working from a technical standpoint. And it’s something I’ve applied to my every day life as well. I watch and study people. It helps give me the “lay of the land,” so to speak, in an effort to gauge what my boundaries are and to also assess how to best support them. Are they heady? Are they moody? Are they intensely all about the craft? What’s their end goal? Do they feel threatened by other creatives in the space? Am I safe to show up at my bravest and boldest? Answering all those questions immediately informs how and if I can match a performer’s style or not. 

As a choreographer, what inspires movement for you? Does it start with the music, the story, or something else entirely?

As a choreographer, it almost always starts with music for me. I started in west African dance, which is extremely polyrhythmic with many instruments going at once and your body may or may not be dancing to those different instruments simultaneously. The music is my first “in” to a new choreographic endeavour. Once I have music, I can almost immediately see all the steps in my head and most times that will place the narrative, or story, of the work on a silver platter on my lap. Everything else just simply falls into place.

Winning the Princess Grace Award was a major milestone. What did that recognition mean to you personally and professionally?

Winning the Princess Grace Award in choreography was a huge step for me mentally and emotionally. At that particular time, I was almost pleading for my peers, who were doing exactly what I wanted to be doing, to see me and take me seriously as a voice in this craft. I wanted to be working with larger dance companies and universities, and an award like this immediately makes people see and treat you differently. I’ve been afforded a few different choreographic opportunities since winning and I’m grateful because I do believe it’s, in part, due to how revered an award like this is. 

You've transitioned into acting with projects like Spirited, The Color Purple, and Poppa's House. How different is storytelling through acting compared to dance?

The search for honesty and humanity is all the same. That’s always the end goal. The how we get to that is where the difference lies. Dance feels like breathing to me. It’s extremely intuitive. I have never second guessed my choices or approach. Since I made the choice to pursue acting fully, I’ve been in class for a year and a half at this point. Acting has me in my head quite a bit. In the best ways. Especially in class. There are no right answers and because it’s not as innate in my body and spirit as dance is, I have to do a bit more work to uncover truth for characters which is a challenging process but I love it.

Your performances have introduced your work to audiences around the world, and your personal presence has cultivated a loyal following. How do you approach connecting with fans while remaining true to yourself and your craft?

Social media has never been a priority of mine. It is a welcomed byproduct of following my impulses and intuition around my craft. I’m grateful to have visibility, and a following, and a platform that helps put me in particular rooms that allow me to exercise my voice and opinions. Teaching the youth, panel discussion, and the like. But, creating content isn’t a focus for me. It’s something that happens in my spare time. Mostly because I want to use all of my focus and energy towards training and exercising the necessary muscles to excel in performing and in turn feed the part of myself that garnered the loyal following in the first place. 

As a proud Black LGBTQ+ artist, why is visibility and representation so important to you?

Visibility and representation are one of my biggest personal pillars. It is incredibly important for people to be able to see and envision themselves in any space their hearts desire. The sheer power of that is transformative and can change lives. It’s part of the reason why something like the Black Panther franchise is so incredibly moving. When was the last time we had a black superhero? One that kids of color could actually see themselves in? That is impact. It’s important. As a black gay plus size person, I recognise that the intersection of identities that I occupy could be considered too niche because I’ve never seen anyone like me, wearing all those hats at once, in prominent spaces: television, politics, film, music videos, tours, etc., unless someone is portraying a harsh stereotype. The amount of messages I get along the lines of “My son is gay and wants to dance but has a bigger body and never thought that was something he could accomplish until he saw you on The Eras Tour. Thank you for all you do!”, it’s important. I never had that, and I never really needed it because I had a mother and family that smothered me in love and self worth. However, I can still recognise the power something like that has and I don’t take it lightly. 

The entertainment industry has changed dramatically with digital platforms. How has social media transformed opportunities for dancers and choreographers?

Social media has changed everything for everyone I’d say. All facets of art and entertainment. It gives everyone a platform to create. The influx of people cultivating their own avenues of creation with skits and scenes for actors, beauticians, hair artists, painters, musicians, composers, photographers, and yes, dancers and choreographers. They are the ones at the forefront of every dance trend that has gone viral for the past 5 or so years. Making its way into movies and red carpet interviews and on television sets and into video games. Social media gives artists access to more eyes very quickly and regardless of how one feels about it, that’s where we are. 

When you're not working, what helps you stay creatively inspired and grounded?

My friends and family. I’m with them every possible moment I can be. They keep me grounded and remind me of my power, especially when the demand of everyone expecting things of you can become overwhelming for me. Laughing is my favourite thing in the world and with them, the laughing is endless. Shoulder shaking, full belly laughs. It’s perfect. And that in turn refuels my spirit and energy to go back and tackle the physical, mental, and emotional demands of the entertainment industry. 

As you look ahead, what excites you most about the next chapter of your career?

Everything. There are endless possibilities and I’m excited for it all. Up until 2021, I knew exactly what my life would be like. I would train in dance, get my Bachelors, join a dance company, go back to school to get my Masters, then become a professor and choreograph full time. That was the plan. It was what so many before me had done and are doing. Which goes back to my earlier point of representation and visibility. I hadn’t seen anyone like me in large spaces, so I just accepted that my days would be coloured by a quieter existence. Once I got a taste of the industry with my first film, Spirited, I knew that there was more for me. That I was meant for more. That lesson taught me that I couldn’t possibly plan what my life would be like. That I had to just follow the joys and keep myself ready for all the possibilities life would throw my way and it’s been uphill since. 

Given that I’m actively pursuing acting, I would love more opportunities to explore that professionally in film and TV, but I’m open to it all.