We were lucky to catch up with Jessica Meyer recently and have shared our conversation below.
Jessica, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
My love for dance started when I was 2 ½ years old as my mother put me in a variety of activities to discover my niche and that is when I found dance. My determination to pursue the art of dance emerged during my time in the second grade where I would orchestrate my schoolmates during recess to do dance choreography instead of partaking in typical activities of play. This was the beginning of my ambitious journey of living in my truth and love for dance. Since I was 6 years old, I participated in the competitive dance world with different dance studios traveling all over Florida and the states until the age of 17. My mother saw that I really loved hip hop so she found a dance studio that embraced my hip hop talent at the age of 8. This was my first time implementing my own choreography and freestyle in a hip hop solo on stage at competitions. In the midst of this at the age of 9, I was began to be a protégé of a well-known ballet dancer, Ron Holiday who had his own show at Radio City Music Hall called “Cat Dancers.” He took notice to my superior technique and talent in ballet at the young age of 9 to begin pointe work. For many ballet dancers, starting pointe is the ultimate dream which caused much jealousy from my peers as the usual age to start pointe is age 12. He would always say I would “be a star” and that is exactly what I aim to achieve not just in my dance career, but in every passion I pursue as an artist.
Throughout this time, I navigated through many peers, teachers, and parents who harbored animosity towards me because of my ethnicity and natural talent. I then had no choice but to move to several dance studios where I engulfed myself in mastering my technique in all styles of dance including ballet, pointe, hip hop, contemporary and jazz still competing and winning many awards. At the last dance studio, the hip-hop dance style that I thrived in was not embraced. In 2019 I came up with a concept to do a mix of hip-hop and pointe in a creepy doll themed solo choreographed by ballet teacher Sarah Bowersox and myself. This solo called “Dead Silence” has made a mark in the competition world winning many awards and scholarships including Elite 1st Place at KAR Dance Competition. This piece opened my eyes to the fact that I was capable of more than what these studios were providing me with besides training.
One night after a hip hop class at this studio taught by a cheer coach at a local high school I had an ultimate awakening in my journey. Hip hop was not a style that was embraced and taken seriously at this dance studio as it was in a small town area of Florida that lacked the culture. The studio owner’s god child who came from a wealthy family who pushed her cheerleading moves to be assimilated to hip hop, although not a hip hop dancer and previously disrespected the hip hop culture and style, was put as the lead role in the hip hop recital dance. The hip hop/ cheer coach teacher was pushed under the advise of the owner to have her take the lead in the dance even tough I held true talent in this style of dance and was well known for this. The hip hop/ cheer coach took notice to this and one night after class she came to the car as my mother and I were about to leave for the night. She told me I needed to leave the studio life, shoot for the stars, and look into getting hip hop training in Orlando. This conversation awakened something in me, the conversation where I knew my talent was more than pushing through a studio where I was not recognized for my talent. Then after I pursued various opportunities and being a part of different crews in Orlando. In 2019 I made it onto a professional hip hop crew called the “Nomads” and competed with them at the World of Dance championships in Los Angelas California as one of the youngest members. Los Angeles and World of Dance was the ultimate dream come true. My mother drove an hour and a half to and back from Orlando 4-6 days out of the week to help make my dreams come true. It was my senior year of high school in which I would go to school from 7:30am-3pm, take a nap, then do homework in the car on the way to the studio to dance and train with the “Nomads” from 6pm-10pm (sometimes till 2am) , then drive home and do it all over again the next day.
I am currently the President on the UNF Elite Dance Club going on three years choreographing performances, projects, and classes with up to 20 mixed level dancers. In my junior year I choreographed and created a four-minute hiphop and contemporary production piece in just two weeks with 20 mixed level dancers. A piece such as this usually takes around 3-6 months to complete and I accomplished it in just two. This was one of my proudest moments as a choreographer and creative as this was performed at a National Dance Day event in Jacksonville, Florida at the Riverside Arts market in front of hundreds of people.
These milestones represent the foundations that fuel my desire to this day to keep pursuing dance professionally.
My mother always had me in art activities aside from dance at home and especially during the summers. As Florida is known for its hurricanes, my mother would set up a table covered in newspapers and painting supplies which fostered my love for painting. I also grew up spending a lot of time at “The Plaster Cottage” in Clermont Florida which is where I put my painting into more practice. I have always been an entrepreneur at heart as I made and sold duct tape wallets, bows, pens, and even clothes selling them at school in third grade. At 11, I attended a summer camp where there was a class doing polymer clay and that is where my love for clay began. Through the years I always did polymer clay for fun and one day I created my own version of polymer clay angels. My mom found it so beautiful she proposed I start a business one day. With my clay art, paintings, and tie dye I began to take it seriously during quarantine as I found this time to be the perfect time to create. It was during this time I wanted to pursue art professionally creating my own business “Jcreations”. This past year I also became a children’s art teacher at a local studio in Jacksonville. My small business has had an official successful two years in business participating in well-known art markets and shows in Jacksonville such as “904 pop up,” “Jax beach arts market,” “The Riverside Arts Market,” and online services.
Jessica, 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?
As a gifted creative visionary, I am passionate about creating dance performances and video productions. I find so much fulfillment in teaching dance and training students at dance studios as well. Hip hop and pointe (ballet), the two opposite sides of the dance spectrum, have grown to be my two loves and strengths in dance. I am well known for hip hop, contemporary, and other styles although my dance style mix of pointe and hip hop (aka hiplet) is what makes me unique in the dance world. My expertise derives from diverse professional dance training of 19 years, being a protégé of former Radio City Music Hall dancer Ron Holiday, choreographing since the age of 8, and competing and winning many awards from ages 6-17 years old. Additionally, experience dancing in the “Nomads” hip hop dance crew at World of Dance Championships, being the president and choreographer of the UNF Elite Dance Club, experience in the street hip hop Jacksonville dance community, being a featured panelist speaker at a Jacksonville 50th hip hop anniversary event, and teaching at various dance studios in Jacksonville has equipped me with proficiency of this art.
My services in the dance profession include teaching, training, choreographing, performing, competing, creative directing, and assisting. I am capable and experienced in teaching and choreographing for any level of dance from beginner to advanced. I have not only choreographed for recitals, performances, videos, and competitions, but fun wedding dances as well! Services are provided via in person or zoom. My love for the arts and creativity is what pushes me to keep spreading positivity and confidence through dance to every individual possible.
Inhale ingenuity, exhale creation. My art business “Jcreations” provides original watercolor & acrylic paintings, clay art, jewelry, and signature tie-dye apparel and accessories all handmade and created by me! Polymer clay art and jewelry are handmade with intricate molding and curating of the clay. Polymer clay figurines include but not limited to angels, wizards, gnomes, princesses, mushrooms, roses, and more. The jewelry includes necklaces, earrings, and bracelets with flower, mushroom, wizard art and more! Original acrylic and watercolor paintings are created from the brain of the artist producing one-of-a-kind visuals. The paintings include a variety of vibrant colors and unique themes among nature, jellyfish, mushrooms, space, and more. My paintings can take up to 2-60 hours. Lastly, signature handmade tie-dye apparel includes bucket hats, sweaters, hoodies, shirts, and bags. “Jcreations” also provides art classes to any age group and am capable of creating anything requested in the form of clay or paintings in which my commissions are open!
Overall, I strive to bring my creative visions to life bringing joy, positivity, and encouragement for all. I aspire to uplift others with the light and love I hold within myself through dance and art.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
I am dedicated to my mission of bringing my creative visions to life using dance and art as vehicles to spread positivity and inspiration to all. I desire to show youth and adults that anything is possible in life with passion, commitment, and faith in God’s path. I strive to be a role model and motivation for the younger generations to pursue their passions and creative elements within.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
I have been truly blessed with my gifts in art and dance. At times I underwent wrongful treatment with political actions and behaviors from jealous dance moms, teachers, and peers in many aspects of my journey. Being raised by a single mother and not coming from wealth put me in a position of not being recognized or given fair opportunities at times. My mother and I were isolated many times at various dance studios due to this as well as intentional damage to solo props made for my successful solo dances.
One situation that showed resilience in my journey was when I was aspiring to be a part of the “Nomads” professional hip hop crew in Orlando to compete with them at the World of Dance Championships in California. The coach and choreographer of the crew recognized my talent and passion for hip hop and wanted me to audition. The director of the dance studio’s daughter was a member of the crew but was soon leaving to focus on schooling. The director of the studio knew my talent but kept telling my mom I was not ready or capable of making it on the crew. My mother would not stand for this, and because of her stance it resulted in her being kicked out of the studio. I auditioned for the crew and made it with conditions from the studio director of my mother still being kicked out. As rehearsals would go on from 6pm-2am, my mother would be sitting outside her car with a dinner try watching movies on her computer and doing work as she waited for rehearsal to be concluded. Her sacrifices and support with my drive to be on the crew made my dreams come true of dancing in Los Angeles. This achievement not only let me participate in the World of Dance Championships but opened the door of my dreams of meeting well known dancers like “Just Jet” and taking classes from my favorite dancers in the industry such as “Dytto” and “Sean Lew.” My mother always said throughout my life General Patton’s WWII quote, “illegitimi non carborundum” which translates to “don’t let the bastards get you down.” We both let this saying shine through in every hardship of my artistic journey forming the ultimate resilience in that anything is possible.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jcreationsbyjessie.com/
- Instagram: @Jessiexmovement @Jcreations777
- Youtube: @thatgiftedhippie
Image Credits
@sydraphotography @flicksby.jm