Accentovadao

Born and raised in South Carolina to an artistic family, Deborah Hughes has been creatively influenced in everything from dance & fashion to music & drama. From this upbringing, she coined the term “ARTrepreneur”, meaning pursuing the business of Art. As an Artrepreneur, pursuing her passion has lead to a very unorthodox path in school, art, non-profit organizations, and life. Her mother sums up Deborah’s lengthy career in dance as having “been dancing from the womb.” She’s been a dancer all her life; It’s a journey that’s allowed her to dance for a variety of artists, travelling all around the world perfecting her craft. She’s danced hip-hop all her life, and after coming to Atlanta, explored other dance genres including African, Contemporary Modern and Ballet. As Bauder College alum and at Spelman College, she has gained her experience through dancing with companies such as Ballethnic Dance Company, Spelman Dance Theater, PH Dance Company, Deeply Rooted Dance Company, and her current journey, Axam Dance Company and T. Lang Dance Company. She’s also toured with Level 3:16, and has shared the stage and performed with numerous artists, including Lowell Pye, formerly known from the gospel group Men of Standard, Luke G, Mali Music, Janelle Monae, Ric Flo, Sho Baraka, and lecrae to name a few.

Deborah extends herself to children as a dance instructor/life coach. (One of her avenues she has been able to do that were working for Hands On Atlanta through out the low-income areas of Atlanta. She often finds herself supporting and motivating those around her who also have hidden talents by assisting them to perform fearlessly. Acting as the true independent philanthropist that she is, Deborah builds people through her Art. She encourages people through her powerful words. And she teaches them to obtain and maintain the confidence they’ll need to dance through life. She is a firm believer of passing it forward, that it is our duty. One of Deborah’s quotes that she lives by is “ Who dares to teach and ceases to learn.”

When asked what her secret is, Deborah’s reply was “I am very detailed in my observation and assessment of items and people. I love to interact with people from all different facets of life, as well as being able to handle multiple personalities. I enjoy trying different things and if called upon, I don’t mind speaking my opinion. However, God is my main source holding everything together. I take everything I see and interpret it through my Art.