♪ ♪ ♪ >> Darrin Henson, award-winning choreographer, actor, author, and producer, next on "The Chavis Chronicles."

>> Major funding for "The Chavis Chronicles" is provided by the following.

At Wells Fargo, we are committed to diversity and understand our responsibility in supporting and empowering diverse communities.

Diversity and inclusion is integral to the way we work.

Supporting the financial health of our diverse customers and employees is one of the many ways we remain invested in inclusion for all, today, tomorrow, and in the future.

American Petroleum Institute.

Through the core elements of API's Energy Excellence Program, our members are committed to accelerating safety, environmental, and sustainability progress throughout the natural-gas and oil industry in the U.S. and around the world.

You can learn more at api.org/apienergyexcellence.

Reynolds American, dedicated to building a better tomorrow for our employees and communities.

Reynolds stands against racism and discrimination in all forms and is committed to building a more diverse and inclusive workplace.

At AARP, we are committed to empowering people to choose how they live as they age.

♪ ♪ >> We have a most special guest on this edition of "The Chavis Chronicles."

Darrin Henson, welcome to "The Chavis Chronicles."

>> It's wonderful to be here with you, Dr. Chavis.

>> Tell us how being born in the Bronx has contributed to your evolution.

>> I believe iron sharpens iron, and to whom much is given, much is required.

There was great resistance when I was growing up.

Financially, we didn't have a lot of money.

I was at home with my brother and my mom.

And there were difficulties in the house.

Dad wasn't around, and so we had to figure out how to be so we could become.

And the resistance that I saw growing up helped shape me.

What I realized was, it was going to be my responsibility.

The older I got, the more I read -- because we had books in the house.

The more I read, the more I understood.

The more I understood, the more I overstood.

And the more I overstood, the more I innerstood that it was going to take me being responsible to get things done within my family infrastructure.

Right?

And that's what I believe.

I grew into the mind-set of being the one to be responsible.

The word responsibility alone means being responsible for my ability.

And when I learned my ability was endless, I started moving.

>> When did you first understand that you had been blessed with these gifts of performing arts, of writing?

How old were you when you understood what some of your innate blessings were?

>> The earliest was 5 years old.

>> 5?

>> Yes.

I knew I was a conversationalist.

I knew I loved knowledge and information.

And I knew I had a gift for catching people's attention.

And I had that through dance.

The wonderful thing is, I grew up with the sounds of Diana Ross and the Supremes, The Commodores, The Four Tops, James Brown, the Jacksons.

So performance was something that -- that really inspired me.

And I learned that it was also a form of communication, and I was going to be able to use it to converse with the world.

And so dance was one way that I learned to communicate.

>> The intersection between choreography and acting and performing and writing dance.

You know, in the African tradition, dance is central to who people of African descent are.

>> That's right.

>> Talk to us about how you became a professional choreographer.

>> Well, as the story goes, from junior high school to high school, I was in a theater arts program in DeWitt Clinton High School.

There was a wonderful teacher named Sandra Skodnick, who took notice of me.

>> That was in the Bronx.

>> Yes, in the Bronx, at DeWitt Clinton High School.

And she had a relationship with a student who graduated from DeWitt Clinton High School, who went on to Castleton State College.

Well, my good luck would have it, his relationship with a very well-known artist who was a very part -- a very central part of the hip hop culture, his name was Scott Sterling.

The world will get to know him as D.J.

Scott La Rock.

>> Oh, yes.

>> Sandra Skodnick asked me to pick two other people that I was comfortable with to create some dance routines, and they were going to pay us to perform at Castleton State College with the D.J., who at that time was Scott Sterling.

We went on and made my first professional paycheck at 16 years of age at Castleton State College.

Scott Sterling became my manager and my mentor at that time when he was creating -- After graduating Boogie Down Productions, the group that I was in was called B-Boys in Action.

That was Scott Sterling.

The dancers that we danced with and KRS-one was the original Boogie Down Productions B-Boys in Action.

That was my first professional job and how I started in the industry.

>> Being at the right place at the right time with the right motivation.

The evolution of hip hop, what started in the Bronx, is now all over the world, and you are one of the original contributors, particularly on the dance side.

Most people, when they talk about hip hop culture, they think about rapping or the emcee or sometimes the graffiti artists.

Sometimes dancing gets left out.

>> Five elements of hip hop.

Dancing, rapping, deejay, graffiti, and clothing style.

That's true hip hop.

>> And you personify all of it now.

>> [ Laughs ] Thank you, sir.

>> Who are some of the major acts you've choreographed for?

>> I've worked with Michael Jackson, with Prince.

I created the dance steps for NSYNC, "Bye Bye Bye."

The world renowned dance step, "Bye Bye Bye," which is what I won the MTV Music Award for.

Britney Spears, "(You Drive Me) Crazy."

Deborah Cox Tours.

Donna Summer, George Michael, SWV, Hi-Five, Lisa Lisa, C+C and the Music Factory.

The list goes on and on and on.

I give thanks to the most high for my creativity and the ability to see what I can do through what others have done.

As we have heard, we stand on the shoulders of giants.

I typically took what the Jacksons did, what James Brown did, what The Commodores did, what the cast members of "West Side Story" did, "The Wizard of Oz," and took them -- you know, the whole Motown era -- and I fused it with what I wanted to do and how I wanted to show up in the world.

And one important thing -- and this was important for me -- was to show, especially the Black diaspora, is we can do whatever we want as long as we are educated, as long as we are motivated, as long as we have innovation on our side.

And when I say innovation, meaning be in the space and the place to take massive action, to believe in our dreams, to have faith, and move forward and allow ourselves to be used for the greater good of all people.

And I did that through dance.

And dance afforded me the opportunity to travel to city, state, country, and continent.

And so I was able to create conversations very much like the one that we're having today about "come as you are, but don't stay as you are."

>> So how did you transition from choreography to being an actor?

>> I was introduced into acting at the age of 21.

And I did a play on Broadway called Stand Up Tragedy, which was written by Bill Kane, directed by Ron Link.

After the show closed at 21, I thought, " I'm a dancer.

I want to dance.

I want to work with Michael Jackson.

I had not yet done that.

Once the opportunity with dance and choreography grew, all of those dreams came true.

In '99 -- 1999 -- I was nominated for an MTV Music Award with a former artist, Jordan Knight of New Kids on the Block.

We didn't win that MTV Music Award, and I became very frustrated because I had -- all my dreams had come true.

Well, now I thought, "I'm done."

Year later, a gentleman that I had previously worked with called me and said, "We need you to do a song."

And I said, "What's the song?"

He said, "Bye Bye Bye."

Johnny Wright was the manager of NSYNC at that time.

And I said, "Johnny, I'm done."

He said, "No, no, no.

I need you to do this."

And I thought, "Okay.

I owe him at least that."

During that time, there was an open-call audition for a television series, which was "Soul Food."

Now, I was a dancer from the Bronx.

I didn't know anything about acting other than what I did on Broadway.

But I went for the role.

The woman that was in charge of the television show, Felicia D. Henderson, auditioned me.

Came back.

She said, "I want you to know something.

You're my Lem.

So I want you to go in there and win the room."

As fate would have it, I ended up becoming Lem Van Adams on the on the first all African-American television series written, produced -- "Soul Food."

>> It became a hit.

>> Yes.

>> Not just for African-Americans, but for all people around the world.

>> That's right.

>> "Soul Food" was a change.

>> That's right.

>> It created change in the whole entertainment industry.

>> That's right.

It showed us as people who were lawyers, business owners, rehabilitated street pharmacists, if you will.

And so it showed how we could come together as a family and get past past problems as long as we worked together.

And that's one of my well-loved roles and one of the roles that I'm very, very incredibly proud of originating for television.

And so through decision and through action, I became an actor because I wanted to be challenged with something new.

All of my dreams came true as a dancer and choreographer.

And I wanted another challenge.

And so acting came along, and I took the chance and went to the audition, and it happens.

>> Tell us something about your current projects.

>> Well, right now, I'm blessed enough to be on two television series.

Number one is "The Family Business," created by Mr. Carl Weber, which airs on BET and BET+.

We're in our fourth season.

And, of course, "Double Cross," which is created by Christel and Howard Gibson, which is on the Allblk Network.

On "The Family Business," I play Orlando Duncan, who has been put in charge of the family business by his dad, L.C.

Duncan, played by Ernie Hudson.

And it's a family drama.

More money, more problems.

And, you know, they believe family over everything.

And on "Double Cross," I play a hard-hitting, no-nonsense detective, Detective Ryan, on the "Double Cross" series, which is about these twins, vigilantes.

But they're, interestingly enough, vigilantes for good.

These two particular characters have done something about it.

Now, it's not lawful what they're doing, but they're stopping those people who are harming people for financial gain, if you will.

>> There seems to be a widening field.

At one time, you didn't see Black actors, certainly didn't see Black producers.

Is the entertainment industry opening up?

>> I believe it is.

You know, I did a film years ago that you were very much a part of, "Blood Done Sign My Name."

And we see how important that film is.

It is still important today.

It's still a conversation today.

And I recommend that people watch that film.

>> That was a true story... >> Yes.

Of course!

>> ...of Oxford, North Carolina.

1970.

>> Yes.

>> But go ahead.

>> And a very, very powerful piece, and, hopefully, we'll be able to expound on that at some time in the future and how relevant it still is today.

I believe that it is my duty to be involved with forward movement.

And what that simply means is, take it into a perspective and educate -- inundate, educate, and activate in other people to see within themselves the spaces and places that they can go, grow, and glow in.

And for me, that means spreading the word.

It means not waiting for other people to do what we can do for ourselves.

We've heard this strong and long for a long time, but when we decide to act for ourselves and create for ourselves, very much like I did as a choreographer, I was not silent about what I was in creation of.

Although a lot of those artists that I mentioned were Caucasian, I did not allow myself to go silently in the night.

I allowed people to know it was me.

It is me who created that.

Therefore, I could create within my present and stamp my future as a person who took massive action, showed up in the world, created his own legacy by choice.

I think the second that people decide to ask more of themselves than anybody could ever ask of them, they'll be prepared for whatever is to come because persistence is stronger than resistance.

Persistence is stronger than resistance.

And as we come together as a collective from our individual spaces, we can do more for more.

>> Can you just make a comment about, for you, how important education is?

>> Education is important because it affords you an opportunity to grow.

Right?

Mentally.

In society, you have to be educated.

You have to know the diversity that education brings you alone.

I remember as a child, I would read books on Japan.

I would read books on France.

I would read books on Africa.

I visited all these places.

I have friends there.

You know, I tell people all this all the time, you know, in terms of culture... [ Speaking Spanish ] I speak Spanish, I speak Japanese, I speak French, because I allowed myself to be educated by reading these books, and it afforded me the opportunity to grow mentally first.

I created pictures in my head as I was reading.

It allowed me to grow mentally, which created desire in me to go to these lands, to meet these people, to cultivate relationships which afforded me the opportunity to earn more money.

So it expanded my consciousness and my awareness.

>> As an author yourself, and you just indicate how important reading was to you that contributed to your success, how do you see this syndrome now in America, of all places, trying to ban books?

>> Well, I've offered four books, "Intimate Thoughts and the Spirit of Change."

I've authored "Ain't That The Truth: Acknowledge, Admit, and Invite Truth Into Your Life," "Life's Teachable Moments," and "Pregnant With Thought."

They were all hardcover and softcover books.

The reason I wanted them is because I want people to hold books.

I want them to feel a book.

I want them to get their minds into a book so it it can actually expand.

Don't use the Internet incorrectly.

Use it.

Don't let it use you.

It's important to have books, because books afford us the opportunity to expand our minds and our thoughts and our creativity.

Had I not had books, I do not believe that I would have been able to think the thoughts that I thought.

And I realized -- When I sat down one day, I said, "Are my thoughts my own, or have they been given to me by other thinkers?"

And so the more I read, the more I choose what I read, I'm able to expand my consciousness universally, and it opened me up.

So what I say to people is don't run away from books.

Run to books.

Run to them.

Don't walk past them.

Pick them up, utilize them, read them.

Even if it's five pages a day, get used to the practice of reading.

Readers become leaders.

>> I want you to comment on what you see in the future for America and for the world in which we now live in.

>> I believe you're not what you think, you are what you do.

You can feel about something, but what you do about it will make the difference.

The world is rising up consciously.

You asked me early in the conversation, do I think that our position is expanding?

I do.

Because the more things don't change, the more they do.

I believe two things happen at the same time.

We learn what we want, and at the same time, we know what we don't want.

And so as that is expanding in our own consciousness, it's going to take us to act and not procrastinate on doing what needs to be done individually and collectively.

It is happening.

Do I think it can happen stronger, faster?

Yes.

We need more concentrated efforts.

We need more concentrated thoughts.

It's important to start where you are.

Do not look to be perfect.

Look to be consistent.

Look to practice what we believe.

And if what we believe works for us, works for you, and works for them, then we know it's for the greater good.

If it just works for me, it's not the greater good.

I look for the greater good.

It works for me, works for you, and works for everyone.

And so if we can come together and get with our brothers and sisters who feel that they have been left behind, if we can see ourselves in them and them in us, we can gather together and utilize what we have, who we are, and make the world a better place.

And I believe that reading is a very important part of that, I believe listening is a very important part of that, and I believe taking action when you know what to do is a very important part of that.

Most people know what to do, but don't do what they know.

We must take action if we want social change, political change, family change, individual change, and collective change in the world.

It can be done.

It is being done.

We just need more concentrated effort wherever we put our focus.

Again, with focused goals, energy grows.

>> When you go back to the South Bronx, where you originated, today, what do you see?

>> I see change.

I see... an expansion happening.

I also see people focused on the wrong things.

I see some people -- you know, I was in Harlem last week, and unfortunately, a bill was passed that allowed addicts to get needles in Harlem.

And in certain aspects of it, it looks like the 1970s all over again, unfortunately.

But I also see more Black businesses there than ever before.

So there's this great juxtaposition that is there that we need to change.

We're moving, we're expanding, but we've got to do something about those bills and those changes that are trying to pull us back.

We must continue moving forward.

We must help those who are already in positions of power stay in power that are helping us.

>> So the entertainment community should exercise its influence over the public policy makers?

>> Absolutely.

>> At the state level, at the federal level, at the municipal level?

>> Absolutely.

>> As I listen to you, that your consciousness is really not external, it's really internal to the communities in which we all work and serve.

>> Yes.

That's what Jim Brown did.

That's what Bill Russell did.

I mean, there's so many people, right, that assisted us in the Black Economic Union years ago.

That's what it was about.

And so I think we need to develop and redevelop that thought.

I think the community that I come from, which is the entertainment community, can utilize their voice a lot better than we have been doing.

Again, I think that we need to come together as a voice, as a choice to make a difference -- expand as a community, assist those people, again, who are in power to making the right decisions so we can all move forward together where it culminates in us growing together.

It culminates in us moving together, not fighting each other, not at war with each other.

Because in that aspect, we all lose, and we can't afford to.

That's what we can't afford to do.

We can't afford to be at odds and lose.

>> Darrin Henson, thank you for all the things that you've accomplished, and thank you for being on "The Chavis Chronicles."

>> Thank you, sir.

>> For more information about "The Chavis Chronicles" and our guests, please visit our website at thechavischronicles.com.

Also, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.

Major funding for "The Chavis Chronicles" is provided by the following.

At Wells Fargo, we are committed to diversity and understand our responsibility in supporting and empowering diverse communities.

Diversity and inclusion is integral to the way we work.

Supporting the financial health of our diverse customers and employees is one of the many ways we remain invested in inclusion for all, today, tomorrow, and in the future.

American Petroleum Institute.

Through the core elements of API's Energy Excellence Program, our members are committed to accelerating safety, environmental, and sustainability progress throughout the natural-gas and oil industry in the U.S. and around the world.

You can learn more at api.org/apienergyexcellence.

Reynolds American, dedicated to building a better tomorrow for our employees and communities.

Reynolds stands against racism and discrimination in all forms and is committed to building a more diverse and inclusive workplace.

At AARP, we are committed to empowering people to choose how they live as they age.

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