As countless negative messages make social media a toxic environment for some users, one Canadian dancer is putting out only positivity vibes from his Instagram page with a series of upbeat motivational dance videos.
Dontè Colley, a student from Toronto, has charmed Instagrammers with his short, choreographed dance clips, which lately have included enthusiastic words of support and encouragement that pop up as he twists, points, and rocks his hips.
The 21-year-old, who has racked up 111,000 followers on the social media platform, says that all he wants to do with his videos is make people feel good — and the happy comments fans are leaving show he's fulfilling his mission.
Spreading happiness! Dontè Colley, a student from Toronto, has charmed Instagrammers with his short, choreographed dance clips
A bit of good news: The 21-year-old edits the videos of himself dancing to add messages that pop up one word at a time, timed to his moves
So sweet! His earnest words of encouragement come on the screen unexpectedly as he swerves his hips and points
Go and get 'em! He also picks some unexpected tunes to dance to, like the Law & Order: SVU theme song and the Wii Sports theme song
Dontè's pretty busy as a digital communications student at the University of Guelph-Humber in Toronto, and he also works as an inventory associate at Aritzia.
But in his free time, the skilled dancer records himself performing choreographed moves for the camera, often to unexpected bops like the Law & Order: SVU theme song.
Recently, he's been earning even more attention for the videos that he edits before posting, adding words and emojis that come on the screen tied to his moves.
On New Year's Eve, he shared a special message with his followers, wishing them a Happy New Year — while grooving to the Wii Sports theme song.
As he dances, words pop up one at a time, seemingly at the direction of his hands and hips.
'2019 is ur f***in year, don't let anyone tell your otherwise,' it says. 'Keep on working toward your dreams. You can do anything.'
You got this! Words and emojis both pop up, seemingly activated by his moving body, as in this video, which he posted in honor of the new year - and which saw him start 2019 with viral fame
'Lets get it!' The incredibly positive messages prompted an outpouring of praise online, as people thanked Donte for kicking their year off on the perfect note
Only positivity! In a video he shared on Monday, he tells viewers, 'You are a star!'
It's working! Dontè said he makes the videos to make others smile
Motivation: 'When I first started making videos I was getting positive feedback from my friends who would message me and be like "this made me smile today,"' he said
Then, with a final butt shake, the screen reads: 'Sending u all energy u need to get back up.'
The video was a huge hit, and has been viewed over 630,000 times so far. Dontè reinforced the positive message a few days later, posting a similar video on Tuesday.
As the 1991 hit I Love Your Smile by Shanice plays, Dontè starts off spinning and then offers up this message: 'It's a new day!'
'You woke up today!' the message goes on, as digital confetti rains down on the screen.
'You are a star,' it goes on, as Dontè points out the words and makes stars and yellow heart emojis explode on the screen.
The positive, earnest videos have become some of the most popular ones that he's posted, as admirers tag their friends to direct good vibes their way, too.
Juggling: In addition to dancing, Dontè is a student and inventory associate for the fashion brand Aritzia
Lookin' good! He also posts photos of his outfit and has quite a sense of style
Yes! In one video of him dancing for a crowd, he added words and emojis to show him giving love and support to his friends
And that's all Dontè wants: to spread happiness. He told BuzzFeed News this week, 'When I first started making videos I was getting positive feedback from my friends who would message me and be like "this made me smile today" so it just kind of motivated me more to keep making them.'
'Social media can become such a grey, overwhelming and kind of defeating platform just because it's seen as everybody’s highlight reel and it's like everybody’s living their best lives, and that can kind of make us question our purpose from time to time.
'So I guess I make these videos because I just like making people feel good.
'At the end of the day the point is just have fun, not take it too seriously and just literally go off.'
He told the site that he's been thrilled to see the positive reception the videos have received, and making people happy is what makes it worth doing.
Cheer up! He said that he hopes his videos combat some of the negativity and sad feelings people get from social media
Flip side: 'Social media can become such a grey, overwhelming and kind of defeating platform,' he said, 'and that can kind of make us question our purpose from time to time'
'So I guess I make these videos because I just like making people feel good,' he went on. 'At the end of the day the point is just have fun, not take it too seriously and just literally go off'
'Just being able to bring some light or joy to somebody, it makes it feel worth doing. It definitely recharges me and motivates me more to keep going,' he said
'That’s all I could ever ask for. To make people feel better, especially because we all go through lows in our lives and we all have our own struggles that we deal with on a day to day.
'So just being able to bring some light or joy to somebody, it makes it feel worth doing. It definitely recharges me and motivates me more to keep going.'
Though his motivational videos are really taking off now, Dontè has been spreading joy for quite some time on Instagram.
In addition to posting dance clips, he's also done his own version of familiar videos from his childhood, like the opening of Disney Channel's The Proud Family.
Last year, he told the Toronto Star: 'I love making people smile and feel better. That’s one of the reasons why I make these old-school, nostalgic videos.
'It makes me happy and people actually enjoy looking at these old videos that I’ve revamped. It’s nice to look back at our childhood and appreciate how much easier and simpler things were.'
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