Growing up in Toronto, Canada, Myrosia Palmer would see dancers on television and think to herself “that could be me.” She always had an innate talent for dancing, and even began performing at just two years old, but there was something inside her that told her that she could really make it if she wanted to.
“I am very much a person who needs to love what they do, so making a career out of something that I loved was the goal. I believed in my star quality so much that I knew I had to do something that would make me happy and proud. For me, that was dance,” she says. “I like that it is an instant mood-booster. It is my therapy. I feel free when I dance; it is a spiritual phenomenon that happens to me.”
Throughout her esteemed career, Palmer has displayed her talent through a variety of mediums and alongside some of the world’s most iconic stars. She performed with Jennifer Lopez on the Global Citizens Live show, Beyonce on her film Black is King, and with Mary J Blige at the 2019 BET Awards. On television, millions have watched her on the CBS series Clash of the Cover Bands and the Emmy nominated sixth episode of NBC’s Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist. On the big screen, she will soon be seen in Disney’s upcoming Sneakerella, which will be released February 2022. There is no shortage of success for Palmer, and her work has inspired others to follow in her footsteps as she continues to mentor young dancers coming into the industry.
Despite all that she has achieved, Palmer can still point out the singular highlight of her career, and it came earlier this year when her collaboration with iconic cognac brand Remy Martin was released. Remy Martin’s Team Up for Excellence is a short film commercial that highlights the relationship between Remy Martin and black culture and music. It takes the viewer through different eras from 1917 to present day. Palmer was a lead dancer in this film. Out of the six dance roles available, she booked five of them. This film starred Grammy Award Winner Usher and was directed by the world renowned Jake Nava.
“I like that this project fused Black culture and the history of the cognac. It was important to showcase authenticity in every aspect of the film from wardrobe, to music, to the settings, to the dancing. Every part of the film was authentic and it felt real. It was an entertaining history lesson that I feel this generation needs to see. We often see products in our day to day, but we don’t know the history behind them, or what influenced them or our culture. It was a good representation of how much influence Black culture has on so many different sectors of history,” says Palmer.
The project called for dancers to be skilled in several genres of dance. Each genre would represent an era of time so not only was it imperative to know the style, but to also embody it. Palmer knew that she had to do her research, and made sure to be genuine, almost as if she was living in each and every era she was portraying. She achieved this so flawlessly that the director and client often wanted her to be beside Usher while dancing in the different eras, making her vital to the look and feel of the film.
“The choreographer on this project was Aakmon Jones, who I absolutely adored working with. He is honestly a living legend and to be working with him again was a dream come true. The other dancers and actors were all so talented and friendly. It was inspiring to watch each cast member work in their element. They truly made each day so pleasurable! I loved the feeling of performing in my different characters and really feeling the essence of each setting. I literally had a huge smile on my face throughout this whole process,” Palmer describes.
Team Up for Excellence premiered online on the Remy Martin website, YouTube, and social media in May of 2021. It was an instant success, with over 3.7 million views on YouTube alone. Critically, it was widely acclaimed, and won Bronze at the Cannes Film Lions. Palmer is immensely proud to have played such a large role in its success and to have told such an important story.
“It honestly feels like one of those bucket list moments in life, to add to a project that has such a big significance in culture, especially Black culture. It’s a good feeling to know that my hard work and researching aided in something that turned out so beautifully. The recognition it received and to know that I was chosen out of so many makes me feel like I’m doing well for myself, especially to be surrounded with so many other talented professionals,” she concludes.
If you haven’t yet, be sure to check out Team Up For Excellence here.
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