We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Shonte Jackson . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Shonte below.

Shonte , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I’ve always been a performer, naturally. At a young age, 9, I began to join community Hip-Hop dance teams to learn more skill and to be able to showcase my natural talent.

There’s no “speeding” when learning a craft such as dance. Being a performer takes time and patience to be exact. Knowing what I know now, I would have made sure that I was equipped in more dance genres so that I could easily pour into my performance career, as an adult.

The skills that I’ve learned over time has lead me in a good direction. Skills such as patience, stretching, and self-practice has been very essential to me. Those 3 things mentally and physically push me to be better.

When I started my dance career at a very young age, I didn’t have many family members that were involved. Being that my mom worked heavily to keep us stable, she wasn’t always able to be the one to take me to auditions, dance classes, dance studios, etc. On top of not being able to afford the monthly dues or dance tuition at the nearby dance studios. Therefore, there are some things about dance/performance that I learned pretty late. I was lucky enough to be a part of a dance team that gave me great insight of the potential I did have. Overall, That was my obstacle, until I set my mind to learn the things I didn’t know on my own to be great.

Shonte , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I have been a compensated dancer/performer since the age of 15 years old. My first gig, was a dance movie called “The Fits Film” in 2015. Ever since then, I have been learning the ins and outs of networking and obtaining physical skill to be better.

Soon after that, around the age of 17, I began to network with different creatives around my hometown (Cincinnati, OH), with hopes of gaining new skills on how to get myself out there and learn how to pour into my dance career. I didn’t have many people that knew how to guide me creatively, so I started looking up videos on YouTube on how to use social media to my advantage and begin to look in a better direction as far as who to get advice from.

In 2018, I posted my first instagram dance video and from there, social media has been the best outlet for me to network through. Creatives that I had been looking up to for years had began to notice me. That pushed me to work even harder behind the scenes; Stretching more, taking dance classes, posting more dance clips, etc.

I began to have my own dance classes and started being booked to judge dance competitions and booked for choreography lessons as well.

The discipline of it all hasn’t always been consistent for me. During my time in college, it became extremely difficult for me to focus on my creative dreams. Trying to balance work, class, and simply day to day living was not the easiest for me. I also didn’t realize that it’s okay to push the party to the side. It’s okay to rest sometimes. It’s okay to take constructive criticism. It’s okay to have a set daily or weekly routine. These things were unwritten rules that applied to my lack of discipline. Soon after leaving college, I picked up skills to heighten my career. I began to eat better, create daily routines and became consistent with posting dance clips on social media.

I’ve taught dance classes in Cincinnati, OH – Chicago, IL – Detroit, MI, – Milwaukee, WIS – Ypsilanti, MI – and I am looking forward to adding more cities and states to the list.

I am still an upcoming dancer/choreographer and I’m still not well known all over, but I am still grateful to have the opportunity to be able to teach, teaching is truly a passion of mine. No matter how much a student lacks skill, I always still feel the need to push them and motivate them to be better than they were before they came to my dance class.

I think what sets me a part from other dancers/ creatives is that I am unique because I create based upon I feel. While most choreographers are chasing dance trends and current music trends – I create movement based upon what I feel and what I am going through. I choose music that moves me, it may not be the latest song or the hottest song on the charts but, it reflect the mood I am in.

I am definitely most proud of my originality as creator and my mission. My mission is to pour out what is poured into me. Rather I am teaching or performing, I want people to feel me.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

Within my journey as a creative, there are things or ways about my journey that I believe some non-creatives wouldn’t understand.

Instead of following or creating to what’s currently “acceptable”, I create choreography and art based upon how I feel, based upon the mood I am in, or the flow of my life at that time. I’ve experienced non-creatives suggesting that I be more aligned with songs, dance moves, and things overall that are popular or currently trending. Some non-creatives see talent/creativity as a gateway to wealth or high power, not understanding the depth of the genuine connection the artist have with their art, first.

While I am definitely looking for my talent to lead me to great wealth and networking – I actually have an emotional relationship with creating, it’s my outlet. I wouldn’t expect a non-creative to understand that.

I encourage any and all creatives to move and create based upon how you feel or based upon your thought process and life/personal experiences. That is what sets you a part from the rest. There can ever only be one you.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

One of the most rewarding aspects about being an artist/creative is seeing my work come alive.

Because my creations are so near and dear to my heart, seeing something that once was a thought become appreciated art is really crazy to me, crazy being good.

It reminds me to keep striving for originality.

Sometimes being a creative, it’s not always easy to see an idea or a thought through, especially when considering things like a budget or dependable counterparts. Many of us create vision boards or rough drafts to be able to see the vision. Hard work is really put into showcasing your creative mind, but the result is always rewarding.

Another thing that is rewarding is hearing or seeing people feel confident while learning from me. It means the world to me for someone to come across me and leave with a bit more confidence than they had at first. A positive and or life changing impact is my goal.

Lastly, I recently joined the “Ballroom scene”, in which in many ways have been one of the most rewarding feelings. I am mostly appreciated for my creativity and movement, not for where I’m from or what I am. Simply because of what I bring to the floor and that is what a reward feels like to me.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: ShonteJ_
• Youtube: Shonte Jackson

Image Credits
James Johnson, Evan Valentine and Derek Dandridge