Meet Justin Edmonson | Co-Founder/ Artistic Director of XclusivMovement Foundation

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

Hi Justin, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I was born in Long Beach, CA, but I spent most of my childhood in Arizona & Texas during my adolescence. It wasn’t until 2001 that I started junior high and was exposed to the art programs that were offered along with the additional exposure of going with my cousin, who was a part of Debbie Allen’s Dance Academy (when it was located in Culver City). High School and college broadened my horizons as it pertains to choreography and teaching dance. I also think coming from a family that was immersed in the arts (singing, dancing, music production, and entertainment work opened my eyes to different things I would’ve loved to do as an adult.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Growing up I considered myself a magnet, always wanting to know something and find out how it works. After seeing my dance teacher use her camera to take pictures into marketing material I was seeing my interests in both business and the arts could work hand in hand to create something bigger. I think then and after starting my business, XclusivTradez Inc., and non-profit, XclusivMovement Foundation, I began to see the bigger picture about how it all works for the bigger picture, and the bigger picture looks different for everyone, but for me, it was to make sure Long Beach is able to obtain the same programming on the level you see in Los Angeles and West Hollywood. There are a lot of talented young dancers and they, like me in my youth, don’t have the means to enroll in programs due to how far the studio was and committing to the financial and time commitments they have. My art whether it is in photography, choreography, or dance my goal is to touch the spirit with movement that tells stories while informing and uplifting; it is also our job as artists that have spent so much time with this craft to pour it into the next generation. With XclusivMovement Foundation servicing our Long Beach community and branching out to other areas my hope is that we can help dancers expand their dance knowledge and techniques that can open further doors for them in the future. Our first goal is to support 25 dancers in attending the International Association of Blacks in Dance Conference 2024 on January 24-28, 2024 located in Memphis, TN through fundraising efforts to give them the experience of learning dance in their most authentic forms taught by the pioneering artists themselves and the opportunity to see live theater and have access to auditioning for summer intensives, dance companies, and a chance to receive scholarships to continue their dance training.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Long Beach has so much to offer depending on your mood but I always have to direct my first-timers down to Shoreline Village for the many choices of food, the scenery, and the overall vibe of the city. Next to Shoreline, you will run into the Pike where we can shop, go to the movies, and grab some ice cream. Keep going up the Pike and you can find bars with live music (Queen Yaa & The Highcourt Legend’s sports bar is a gem. With all the new Long Beach development you find yourself in search of a new favorite spot sometimes due to closures which we witnessed during the pandemic. I also think that’s beauty in being introduced to something, someone new within the community, and fostering a new connections

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Of course, I have to thank God for giving me the gifts he has given me and the new discoveries I may encounter along the way. My co-founder, my creative director, Camille Bowen, is the very reason I didn’t transfer schools (as I was going to do 2nd semester of my freshman year) and joined dance. To have been on this journey running a dance company for the past 10 years and now embarking on this journey as a non-profit organization to take the things we have been doing that much higher and affecting our communities in more positive ways to show the power and beauty in art. I shout out my family for laying the framework and foundation for me and the next generation to build upon! All my mamas that have helped shape and mold me (Joanne Richardson, Keisha Clark-Booth, Minevera Smith, Daisy Smith)

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/4everxclusiv/ (main) https://www.instagram.com/xm_foundation (non-profit)

Twitter: https://twitter.com/xclusivtradzinc

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/XMFoundation

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClXQ7VKCvqtsZ64qZ74vBEQ

Image Credits
Dan Rhone Levell Gipson Jeff Chappelle