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

Alright, Gage Jaeger thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

Dancing became a passion that quickly took over my life. Although it began as a hobby I watched as dance seeped into almost every aspect of my being. This eventually led me to pursue a career as a dancer and choreographer. I started with gigs for conventions, hair shows, and small performances in my first couple years dancing. As I developed my art I started to become a creator which led me to be hired for competitive choreography. This became my main source of income and at the time my dream job, spreading the love and knowledge of dance as I taught students across the US. I did this for multiple years as I studied and danced at UNLV, each year taking on new teams to choreograph for. As I came to the end of my academic career, I started to search for another opportunity to make a living off of doing what I love. I went to auditions and continued to search until I ran across a random audition posted on my friends instagram. I went to the audition and the same day a few hours later I began the signing process with Cirque Du Soleil’s newest Vegas show, Mad Apple. The career path for dancers is always interesting and very often unapologetic. It can seem random, left to chance and coincidence, very much like mine felt. I feel blessed every time I take the stage to perform, knowing that the spot I’m in isn’t something that all artist get the opportunity to do. Not everyone gets the joy to live off of doing what they love.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I first got into my industry by choreographing for competitive dance teams. I’m hired to set a piece on teams to take to county, state, and national leveled competitions. Along with choreographing, I also am hired to train dancers on the fundamentals of dance specifically within hip-hop, teaching the origins of certain moves, the basics of different styles, and the overall feeling hip-hop carries. I continue to do this with the teams I am hired to choreograph for and the team i currently coach, The UNLV Rebel Girls & Company. The most important thing I preach in my teaching is movement quality. The background of dance I come from is mostly studio based and the hip-hop category is often riddled with movements that lack the fundamentals and quality that the original dance styles embody.

I danced for five seasons on the team I currently coach, the UNLV Rebel Girls & Company, being a part of the first addition of boys in 2017. During my time there we were able to claim six National Championship titles at UDA and a World Championship title at ICU Worlds. Immediately after my last season i joined the coaching staff, helping the other coaches push the team to claim two more National Titles and another World Championship in 2023.

Along with coaching at UNLV, I am a dancer for Cirque Du Soleil’s Mad Apple. I perform with acrobats, dancers, magicians, and comedians from all over the world. We put on shows nightly during the week, performing and sharing our love for our crafts, creating a night like no other for our amazing audiences.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative and artist is sharing your passion with others. Whether that be teaching a piece you created or performing for an audience, sharing what you have made with others creates a language that is universal to everyone, but specific to an individual. By sharing creations you are able to touch those around you and evoke emotions to inspire. That is the most rewarding and driving part about being a creative, and it gives you the fuel you need to continue to create what you love.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

The best way to support artist, creatives, and create a thriving ecosystem of creativity is to engage and appreciate the creativity you see. A simple like or comment online or a yell from the crowd can drive someone to give more. Engagement is free, especially when it is something you enjoy. Even if you don’t completely agree with what you see, you positively share your thoughts and possibly encourage someone to try a different angle without tearing something down

Contact Info:

• Instagram: jaeger_johnson
• Facebook: Gage Jaeger Johnson
• Twitter: jaeger27
• Youtube: Gage Jaeger Johnson

Image Credits
Ricky Witt