Today we’d like to introduce you to Larry Willett II.
Larry, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started by watching my brother and Michael Jackson dance. I loved watching them dance so much, that I decided to try it myself. At the time I was only 5 years old. I didn’t know much about dancing and where certain dances were originated from but, I knew that it was something that gave me a lot of interest. I started taking dancing seriously my freshmen year of high school. Once many people told me that I was a great dancer, I started taking dancing more seriously. I made sure I was practicing day in and day out. After two years of dancing I realized that dancing was something that I wanted to do for a living. So, I started thinking of ways I could make dancing my career. One day, while at my little cousins’ birthday party, I noticed there was entertainment. The entertainment involved characters. When they turned on the music I began to dance. The owner of the entertainment company saw me dancing, she asked for my name and number and gave me a job on the spot. From that day forth my whole life changed. I began to do many parties with them. I was so good at dancing that Six Flags Great America asked for me to be Bugs Bunny for their grand opening for the summer. At the time, I was very uncertain about taking the opportunity due the fact that it was the same day of my older cousins’ prom send off, and we’re practically brothers. I realized that this could be a big opportunity for me, so I decided to take the opportunity and use the money I’d make to buy my cousin a graduation gift, to show that I was sorry for not being able to attend the prom send-off. A month later I was tagged in so many posts on Facebook, and Instagram, of people asking me was I the dancing Bugs Bunny at Six Flags. I was so confused on what was going on at the time, I decided to go on Facebook and see what everyone was talking about. Nevertheless, there I was on Facebook going viral dancing in the Bugs Bunny costume.
Everything was going fine until one day I encountered a disagreement with the owner of the company. She refused to pay me for 2 parties I’d done for her. She kept saying that she would pay me, but she stopped using me for parties, and then she began ignoring my calls. I was so upset up I didn’t know what to do. Until one day my mother saw how down I was and asked me, “Do you really wanted to dance and entertain kids for a living?” I replied, “Yes”, so that was the beginning of my very own company. Which is now a great success!
Has it been a smooth road?
No. Anything worth having is never going to be easy, but it will be worth it. Everything has been challenging in many ways. I’ve had many times I felt as if I just wanted to give up. There was a time I felt as if I wouldn’t be able to juggle school, work, and being a business owner all at once. There was also a time I was being looked at and treated differently by people who I thought were my friends and would be there for me. If it wasn’t for my mother and father being by my side every step of the way, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Whenever I was down, they always told me the 3 main steps of being successful. Which was to keep God first, never forget that no one can stop you from being successful but yourself, and finally, everything happens for a reason, learn from it and adjust accordingly.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
My company provides entertainment through interactive dance, music, and fun. We entertain all ages for any events, such as birthday parties, graduations, proms, baby showers, church picnics, family reunions, and anywhere that’s family friendly. We specialize in putting smiles on the faces of children and bringing their magical moment to life. We are known for making kids have the time if their lives and leaving them with the best experience ever. This is something that makes me very proud.
What sets us apart is that most of our entertainers are professionally and or extensively trained dancers. We also have a customer appreciation program, because without our great customers we wouldn’t be here. We always try to see things through both the child and parent’s eyes, which is something that often gets lost in business. There’s a special kind of compassion, care, and innocence you must have dealing with children.
I have another division of the company called BopKing Larry Entertainment. This is where myself, groups, and others that I perform with, can be booked for impersonations of other artists, such as Chris Brown or Jay Z and others. We can be booked for birthday parties, pep rallies, etc. to dance and turn the party up! I’m also a motivational speaker to children to talk to them about living a positive life and creating their own destiny and business.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Yes, this is the best place. I say yes from the aspect of being both a worker and a young adult living in Chicago, where it seems there’s no hope, no jobs, and nothing magical to look forward to. Well now, they can work with us, get off the streets, have something positive to do, and create a magical moment for another child that lives in the same area as themselves. Everyone just needs a chance to feel appreciated and the opportunity to do something that they can be proud of.
From the aspect of being a business owner, I say yes, because now I get the chance to show my peers that not only can they go to school, get a good education, and get a good job, which is what we are all taught, but they can also become the job.
From the aspect of being the younger client, I say yes because they’re getting the two-fold effect. They’re able to see their favorite character come to life in their own home, as well as being able to see someone that looks like them, who’s not much older than they are, not only working for the company, but owning the company. This is something that may inspire them to one day own their own company one day. Everyday we touch someone’s life, we must be careful about the imprint in which we leave!
Contact Info:
- Address: Dancecharacters@yahoo.com
- Phone: 708-955-6928
- Email: BKLEntertainment@yahoo.com
- Instagram: @BopkingLarry
- Facebook: BopkingLarry1 Dance Characters 1
- Twitter: @BopkingLarry
- Other: snapchat: @bopkinglarry
Image Credit:
Deshawn Smith.
Latricia Loondon.
Latonya Willett
Larry Willett Sr.
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