Photo by Ray and Roy Bridges
Dancer, actor and motivational speaker Donielle Hansley, also known as Lil Dee Dee, entered the entertainment world when he was just 6, dancing with YouTube rapper Matty B. He’s since gone on to dance behind Usher, act as Frank Morgan in the OWN soap opera “If Loving You Is Wrong” and speak at schools as part of a Nickelodeon anti-bullying campaign. Hansley will appear at the Dominion Energy Christmas Parade on Saturday, Dec. 1, walking beside Richmond Sheriff Antionette Irving.
Richmond Magazine: First off, I gotta ask where the name Lil Dee Dee comes from.
Lil Dee Dee: Well, I have four siblings, and I’m the youngest, so "little" has just always been a part of my life. I’ve always been smaller than all the rest of my siblings, so Lil. And Dee Dee was just always my name, so Lil Dee Dee just kind of came naturally, like, "Oh, that’s lil bro. That’s Lil Dee Dee."
RM: Where’d you grow up?
Lil Dee Dee: I grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, but I’m from Richmond, Virginia.
RM: Are you still in school right now?
Lil Dee Dee: I am, I’m homeschooled.
RM: Is there anything you miss about the high school experience?
Lil Dee Dee: Yeah, of course, seeing my friends every day, and actually being in an actual school environment, going to the lunchroom, teachers, basically the normal stuff, having to go to the bus stop in the morning — basically we don’t do any of that anymore. You wake up, you take courses on the computer, and then get off and go dance.
RM: You also do public speaking in schools. What’s the advice you’re usually giving?
Lil Dee Dee: Always follow your dreams — never let anybody tell you that you can’t achieve something, like your goals and things that you’ve always wanted to do in life. You see on YouTube your favorite actor or your favorite artist, and you say, “I wanna do that one day. I wanna be that dancer, I wanna be that actor.” I basically just tell them like, “Hey. I did it, so you can do it,” you know?
RM: If you weren’t dancing or acting, what would you be doing?
Lil Dee Dee: I would probably be a chef. ... I like cooking. Every day I get up and I’m cooking stuff.
RM: Favorite dish to cook?
Lil Dee Dee: Probably chicken Alfredo.
RM: Anything else to add?
Lil Dee Dee: Nope.
