The Dance Primer

Jojo Jackson and I caught up through email a while back, and she was gracious enough to answer a few questions for you. Enjoy the read!

Also, you should check out her new instructional DVD, “Solo Jazz & Charleston: Level One,” available on her website.

BASIC STATS:
lead/follow– Follow, although sometimes I lead for fun and for teaching purposes
what year did you start dancing– August 5, 1998 (Lindy Hop, that is)
where are you based now– Melbourne, Australia
brag list (awards, etc.)– ALHC & ULHS Champion
Are you available for hire? How to book you:– Yep, see contact info
website or any contact info you wouldn’t mind becoming totally public:– www.jojojackson.com; info@jojojackson.com

THE DIRT:
What’s your number one tip for beginner dancers?
–Don’t be afraid to ask advanced dancers and teachers to dance. It may be scary, but it’s a great way to learn and grow as a dancer. And, who knows, you may even have fun! Just remember that normal social etiquette applies– for example, if someone looks exhausted, or is hanging out in another room, that’s probably not the best time to ask.

What’s your most embarrassing dance story?
Most of my embarrassing dance stories are caught on tape somewhere… hopefully rotting in someone’s basement rather than on YouTube. However, my hands-down, most embarrassing dance was at ALHC 2002 with Reuben Brown. We entered the fast division, just social dancing. During the course of the dance, my hat was knocked off, my beaded bracelet broke and spilled all over the floor, and poor Reuben proceeded to fall at LEAST twice– the second time pulling me completely over to land on top of him in a very unfortunate pile on the floor!! That’s one dance I never need to see again

What have you learned from your favorite mentors/teachers?
I would consider my recent teaching partner, Dax Hock, to be one of the best mentors I’ve had in my career. Not only from the vast amount of knowledge he shared on and off the dance floor, but for his exceptional level of public interaction at every workshop weekend. On any given night, he will invariably be seen dancing with every single follow in the room, and if the energy starts to drop, he will boost everyone’s spirits with an all-inclusive group dance or jam session. At a time when so many instructors keep to themselves and focus only on classes, it is refreshing and inspiring to see someone out there consistently going above and beyond the call of duty. It’s no wonder he’s a favorite with so many students.

What are your immediate dance goals?
Oh, man, there are so many! At the moment, I’m a total SYTYCD junkie, and I really want to take some classes in contemporary dance. As for Lindy Hop, I’m back to working on my basic following technique, especially frame matching every time I social dance. — ten years in this dance and there’s still so much to learn!

How did you get started with partner dancing?
I was seventeen years old and fresh out of high school. A group of us decided to try swing dancing at the City Health Club in Ithaca. It was their Wednesday night social dance, and none of us knew what we were doing. As I looked around the room, I noticed there were many different styles of dance being done, but it was a group of high school kids doing the Lindy Hop that got me really excited. My friend Juliana showed me the follower’s footwork for the swing out, and after practicing that several times I was ready to try it with a partner! Another friend pointed me in the direction of a kid she knew through theatre– “Ask Skye, he’s pretty good.” I was instantly hooked… from the very first night, Lindy Hop became my life’s obsession, my creative outlet, my social network, and, eventually, my main career.

If you had to do it over again, what would you do differently?
That is a sad thought– I’ve made a lot of mistakes over the years, but the reality of life is that you can’t go back and change things. You can only try to make better choices in the future. What have I learned? Don’t ever limit yourself due to poor body image. Be incredible in your own skin.

THE FAVORITE LIST:
style of dance– Lindy Hop, and everything else
historical dancer– Irene Castle
current dancer– Giselle Anguizola
DJ– Michael Faltesek
song to dance to– Caravan
song you don’t swing dance to– anything by Coldplay
sweet treat– Coca-Cola… Yes, I’m an addict
person to dance with– There’s no way I could choose just one!!

–

*Photo by Ryan Swift.