Starting at 12 years old, dancing her heart out in front of her peers. At the start of her teenage years, Destiny Richardson realized her true passion after being on both the PPCHS and PPCMS dance teams. Over the years, Richardson has grown from dancing in front of her church at a young age to dancing on the grand stage for more than 500 people.
Richardson initially took multiple classes on theater and dancing, causing her to build a strong passion and love for the arts. She found herself participating in multiple school dances and theater programs. From a young age, Richardson has always dreamed of being on TV and wanting to travel and perform. However, she didn’t believe it was a feasible goal.
Through her growth, Richardson found experiences at PPCHS that connected her to her true passion. Before graduating from PPCHS in 2019 in her senior year, she began to believe that dancing was her calling through the help of some staff, “Our teachers and administrators set us up for success, [and] one thing I will say is that they all made sure we were [going to] graduate.”
She initially auditioned for the musical theater program but soon got accepted as an acting major. This achievement marked a big step in her journey towards grasping the art of dance at The American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA). Sadly, during her freshman year of college, COVID-19 hit, preventing her from attending AMDA.
She was there for 3 months before coming home and deciding not to continue college online as she believed, “It was gonna be a waste of money [since] I wasn’t gonna learn anything. So, my original plan was to wait until the school opened back up, [then go back].” Richardson adds, “[Once] school finally [opened] back up, I was going to go back, but I didn’t have the money to go back. [Thankfully,] we could afford my first year, so I had finished my 1st year online.”
After the troubles through Richardson’s journey at AMDA and the outcome of COVID-19. Richardson began doing countless auditions for gigs, performances, and more. This allowed her to play extravagant parts, such as Rolling Loud with Rico Nasty, the first artist she had ever danced with, J. Howell’s Tour, and a gig in Lollapalooza in Chicago.
Along her way through the drive of dance, she had fallen in love with the fields of modeling. As she grew in her dancing career, she began to grow in her modeling career. She had originally never thought about the field of modeling till friends and families told her about the idea.
After her consecutive gigs and different performances, she started an Instagram and YouTube channel where Richardson made her choreography and posted her dances online. She says, “ I was originally [learning] other people’s dances, but my friend reminded me that I knew how to choreograph my own dances, so I just decided to choreograph myself.” This was the turning point to what made her begin teaching heel classes.
She teaches choreographic lessons at MIA Dance Factory, where her passion for dance shines through in every class. Throughout her journey through choreography, her students began to learn the work that she’s made. This then flourished into allowing them to participate in consecutive competitions. This not only helped her students grow new dancing skills but allowed them to grow forms of teamwork. Richardson’s work also allowed her students to build confidence while preparing for their shows, performing on stage, and doing their best during the competitions and events.
Her multifaceted career as a model, dancer, and choreographer enriches the lives of her students at MIA Dance Factory. Through her choreographic lessons, she instills technical skills and a deep love for dance and performance. By allowing her students to participate in competitions, Richardson helps them grow different qualities that can help them as they mature. Richardson’s commitment to choreography allows her future students of dance to prepare properly for competitions, which overall gives them the freedom to express their passion with art and creativity.
