Moving Through The World With Power and Pride

“Go further, keep going, and never give up. Chase your dreams. Be free,” says dancer, actor, and Ballroom powerhouse David Mendez. Inspired by Horizn Studios’ claim, Let’s Go. Further, this multi-channel Pride campaign gives us a glimpse into David’s world and local community in Berlin. I ideated, produced and wrote this story in celebration of the brand’s diverse audience, and it was published across web, paid social, newsletters, and social media, and was also featured in Horizn Studios’ Berlin store. My written profile was published in the brand's online journal.

How David Mendez Found And Lives His Truth

When David Mendez stood up on stage at his very first Berlin ball in 2016, he could finally breathe freely. At last, he felt seen. With his white shirt unbuttoned, his blue skinny jeans showing off his toned physique, and his hair tousled, he walked All American Runway, a signature ballroom category devoted to male fashion models. “I didn’t want to go on stage and immediately open myself up, to proclaim that I’m gay straight away,” the trained theatre actor and dancer tells me while catching his breath. We’re in Berlin on a bright but overcast day. Sporting a warm yellow shirt and soft gold chain accentuating his charismatic character, he moves through the city that opened doors for him years ago.

In fact, expressing himself “without anyone saying that my style was too feminine” – at the time, David was a seasoned house and hip hop dancer “in a male-dominated and homophobic scene” – inspired a new journey of self-discovery. “It was normal for people to call things ‘gay’ or think that men shouldn’t wear high heels. I wasn’t openly gay and didn’t want to expose myself, so instead, I kept quiet and never fully integrated into the scene,” he says. Read on Horizn Studios in English and German