donte colley dance

Toronto man goes viral with his motivational dance videos

A 21-year-old Aritzia staffer from Toronto is getting a taste of instant fame this week after publishing some truly excellent dance videos on Instagram.

You see, Dontè Colley doesn't just dance—he sends a message. Literally. His videos are filled with dynamic text and graphics to help tell an actual story, and the one he made to express his intended 2019 energy seems to be resonating.

"Keep on working towards your dreams," he spells out in spins, dance punches and booty pops. "You can do anything."

Well-placed and timed emojis fly all over the screen in coordination with his moves, injecting both comedy and wonder into what would otherwise be one of a zillion dance videos on Instagram.

The video above, published on New Year's Eve, has been viewed 2.5 million times in just four days on 9GAG's Facebook page, while his original Instagram clip racked up more than half a million views by itself.

"It makes it feel worth doing, and that's all I could ever ask for," he said of the hit on his hands in an interview with Buzzfeed published Monday.

"To make people feel better especially because we all go through lows in our lives and we all have our own struggles that we deal with on a day to day, so just being able to bring some light or joy to somebody, it makes it feel worth doing," he continued. "It definitely recharges me and motivates me more to keep going."

Lead photo by

Donte Colley


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