WEBVTT - Jade Chynoweth - On Her Journey as a Dancer, Performing with Halsey, Loving Yourself, and What's Next For Her Career 0:00:00.120 --> 0:00:02.600 Welcome to Behind the Influence, a production of I Heart 0:00:02.640 --> 0:00:06.920 Radio and TDC Media. You know, like I slept on floors, 0:00:06.920 --> 0:00:10.240 shared meals, Like I didn't get to go to school 0:00:10.240 --> 0:00:13.200 and have that normal life of being a kid. I 0:00:13.200 --> 0:00:16.160 had to grow up really fast, recognize that it's okay 0:00:16.160 --> 0:00:17.960 to take left turns. Sometimes you take a couple of 0:00:18.000 --> 0:00:19.640 steps back as long as you're taking a couple of 0:00:19.680 --> 0:00:24.239 steps forward. Afterwards, videos and dance choreography started getting popular, 0:00:24.239 --> 0:00:26.360 and I was at the forefront of that. I've seen 0:00:26.400 --> 0:00:28.680 so many people succeed, and I see so many people 0:00:28.760 --> 0:00:31.080 that put the work in. Might not come when you 0:00:31.120 --> 0:00:33.839 want it to, but it always does come in some 0:00:33.920 --> 0:00:38.919 shape before me. We're here with Jade ch we just 0:00:39.200 --> 0:00:41.360 learned how to say it. Well, I'm sure you've known 0:00:41.400 --> 0:00:45.239 for years. Yes, I think I should have known. I 0:00:45.240 --> 0:00:50.000 hope so. Actress dancer extraordinaire. We are so happy to 0:00:50.000 --> 0:00:53.800 have you here today. Thank you for stopping, and we 0:00:53.960 --> 0:00:56.840 have a lot to cover, obviously, there's a lot to 0:00:56.840 --> 0:01:00.320 cover in the world of acting. Dancing is a huge 0:01:00.360 --> 0:01:02.720 part of your life, and it actually they go together 0:01:02.880 --> 0:01:05.040 at the moment. Who knows if that will always be 0:01:05.080 --> 0:01:07.280 the case. I mean you're probably gonna start in movies 0:01:07.319 --> 0:01:09.880 that don't have you dancing or shows that don't have 0:01:09.920 --> 0:01:12.319 you dancing. But it's kind of cool that you get 0:01:12.360 --> 0:01:14.640 to do two things that you love. We were actually 0:01:14.680 --> 0:01:17.399 just before we got started, we were talking about the 0:01:17.400 --> 0:01:20.600 Step Up series and helps us. Literally everyone in here 0:01:20.840 --> 0:01:24.759 is with the step How could you not? How could 0:01:24.800 --> 0:01:28.720 you not? I mean it combines dancing, some good looking people, 0:01:29.280 --> 0:01:32.240 some good looking people. You you included, by the way, 0:01:32.240 --> 0:01:35.759 in the new iteration of the Step Up franchise. They've 0:01:35.760 --> 0:01:39.880 had a lot of movies too, haven't they Six movies 0:01:40.600 --> 0:01:43.440 coming out and it's a China I was going to 0:01:43.520 --> 0:01:47.120 ask where is that located? Or I booked the series. 0:01:47.200 --> 0:01:49.800 I did the China film. It's based off of like 0:01:50.160 --> 0:01:52.600 Chinese culture and everything, so I'm not one of the 0:01:52.600 --> 0:01:55.680 main characters. But they battle in American crew. Oh are 0:01:55.720 --> 0:01:57.520 you in the crew that comes in with an attitude 0:01:57.560 --> 0:01:59.600 like hey, what's up? I mean, it's like they have 0:01:59.760 --> 0:02:03.400 this two competitive crews that are based in China, and 0:02:03.440 --> 0:02:06.680 then it's like the world series. And luckily they kind 0:02:06.680 --> 0:02:09.080 of kept it realistic because we did beat them, because 0:02:09.080 --> 0:02:10.720 it would have been kind of bad if we didn't 0:02:11.000 --> 0:02:13.720 because the level was different, so it was it was 0:02:13.800 --> 0:02:15.520 nice that they were still like, yeah, like, we're going 0:02:15.600 --> 0:02:18.840 to allow our main characters not to win. But they 0:02:18.880 --> 0:02:21.239 did beat the other crew that they had the bad 0:02:21.240 --> 0:02:25.240 blood with, so okay, so that's fine. That's so cool 0:02:25.280 --> 0:02:27.000 that they get to you get to cross over into 0:02:27.080 --> 0:02:29.800 the other parts of the franchise. It was really cool. 0:02:29.960 --> 0:02:32.320 I didn't even know I was doing the series at 0:02:32.360 --> 0:02:34.760 that point. So and then, do you think that that 0:02:34.800 --> 0:02:38.920 helps get the series? I would hope. So I don't know. 0:02:39.000 --> 0:02:42.160 I guess I just I think they really wanted somebody 0:02:42.200 --> 0:02:44.920 who who loved dancing, and I think that's what I 0:02:44.960 --> 0:02:47.480 kind of brought into it because we we're really looking 0:02:47.480 --> 0:02:49.679 for people who can act and dance, which is is 0:02:49.720 --> 0:02:53.919 a hard combo because even though we're storytelling as dancers, 0:02:53.960 --> 0:02:58.600 it's hard to use words to portray real raw emotions. 0:02:58.639 --> 0:03:00.880 So the combination of the two was really hard to find. 0:03:00.880 --> 0:03:03.720 But we got really lucky, Like, all my castmates are amazing, 0:03:03.919 --> 0:03:07.680 Oh my gosh, that's that's incredible. So going back to 0:03:07.720 --> 0:03:09.519 the very first step up, what were you like to 0:03:09.800 --> 0:03:13.120 when that came? Yeah, somewhere around there. But I still 0:03:13.160 --> 0:03:16.280 had who didn't have a crush on Channel I know, 0:03:16.440 --> 0:03:19.040 the whole world. I mean, really, this man is just 0:03:19.080 --> 0:03:22.079 like God's gift. But to your point, I don't even 0:03:22.080 --> 0:03:23.959 think he knew how to dance. Wait was it? He 0:03:24.000 --> 0:03:26.079 didn't know how to act, but he was a dancer. 0:03:26.160 --> 0:03:28.200 It was one of the two. I think he like 0:03:28.280 --> 0:03:31.480 a male performer before Oh oh yeah. I think he 0:03:31.560 --> 0:03:35.280 actually had some legit, authentic experience in the stripping world. 0:03:36.480 --> 0:03:39.320 So I believe that. I believe. So he brought to 0:03:39.360 --> 0:03:42.040 the screen. He brought in to the musical world. He 0:03:42.200 --> 0:03:45.160 later made Magic Mike, but it was really actually him. Yeah, 0:03:45.320 --> 0:03:48.560 and then yeah exactly. And then on top of that, 0:03:48.880 --> 0:03:51.600 he goes on to be a part of movie franchise, 0:03:51.680 --> 0:03:54.520 TV franchise, which you're a part of your regular so 0:03:54.560 --> 0:03:56.640 you have two seasons on your belt already. For the 0:03:56.720 --> 0:04:00.840 Step Up television series Step Up, highwad It, they took 0:04:00.880 --> 0:04:02.680 it back to the school, which I think was really 0:04:02.720 --> 0:04:06.000 smart because the first movie was based in a performing 0:04:06.000 --> 0:04:09.360 our school, which makes sense. While we're dancing and there's 0:04:09.360 --> 0:04:11.480 not just random dancing happening it in the middle of 0:04:11.560 --> 0:04:13.840 the street. Everything kind of like tied in, and it 0:04:13.880 --> 0:04:18.000 has real stories because there are hardships and problems and 0:04:18.080 --> 0:04:20.720 struggles within the dance industry that people may not know. 0:04:20.839 --> 0:04:22.520 So it's cool that they shed light on that. But 0:04:22.560 --> 0:04:26.320 we also integrate the Atlanta culture in there and the 0:04:26.600 --> 0:04:29.000 street side of things and like the struggles with that side. 0:04:29.040 --> 0:04:31.719 So it's it's very dramatic, Oh my gosh, and also 0:04:31.800 --> 0:04:35.679 possibly a season three in the world Fingers Across, Fingers 0:04:35.680 --> 0:04:39.320 Crossed Toast Crossed, because you are actually in the world 0:04:39.320 --> 0:04:42.520 of dance and like you take classes, you're you're a 0:04:42.600 --> 0:04:45.479 legitimate dancer. Were you able to contribute some of your 0:04:45.800 --> 0:04:47.800 real life experiences to the show, Like do you go 0:04:47.880 --> 0:04:50.839 of to a director or an executive producer and be like, oh, 0:04:50.880 --> 0:04:53.120 what if we did it this way? Because this is 0:04:53.160 --> 0:04:55.880 like very real in my world. I think our show 0:04:56.000 --> 0:04:58.479 is really good about letting us have some freedom with 0:04:58.520 --> 0:05:00.840 how we do scenes, and sometimes as we can change 0:05:01.240 --> 0:05:04.400 different wording and stuff too, maybe tie in things that 0:05:04.440 --> 0:05:07.040 we would normally say in real life. And definitely there's 0:05:07.080 --> 0:05:09.080 sometimes I'm like a like, in a real dance class, 0:05:09.080 --> 0:05:11.560 I don't think i'd actually say this during that because 0:05:11.560 --> 0:05:14.560 he's my teacher, Like i'd have this respect or so 0:05:14.600 --> 0:05:16.600 on and so forth. There's little things that like we 0:05:16.640 --> 0:05:19.320 are allowed to contribute into the scene, which is really 0:05:19.400 --> 0:05:22.760 nice to make it more realistic. And there's definitely with 0:05:22.800 --> 0:05:27.359 my character specifically, she's a rich girl from Buckhead, but 0:05:27.440 --> 0:05:31.159 the school is for lower income families in a different area, 0:05:31.279 --> 0:05:33.480 so she kind of sneaks away why her parents think 0:05:33.520 --> 0:05:36.200 she's going to this college. She's actually going to this 0:05:37.040 --> 0:05:39.360 the school, and she's lying to everybody about who she is, 0:05:39.400 --> 0:05:41.919 and once they find out, it's all this drama. And 0:05:41.960 --> 0:05:44.200 everyone already didn't like her because she's one of the 0:05:44.200 --> 0:05:47.640 only white girls. She's white, she's rich, she's this. This 0:05:47.760 --> 0:05:50.560 is like all those stereotypes that are generally put on 0:05:50.760 --> 0:05:56.000 too a young female dancer, and it's sometimes tied into 0:05:56.040 --> 0:05:58.320 real life. A lot of people think that white girls 0:05:58.320 --> 0:06:01.839 can't do hip hop, but that's not the case. Culture 0:06:01.880 --> 0:06:06.120 is everything, and expressing yourself is what dance is really about. 0:06:06.160 --> 0:06:08.440 It's not really about where you come from or who 0:06:08.520 --> 0:06:10.720 you are. It's just about the passion and the love 0:06:10.760 --> 0:06:14.520 and the storytelling of it. Honestly, it made me, I think, 0:06:14.640 --> 0:06:16.760 connected to my character a little bit more to kind 0:06:16.760 --> 0:06:20.800 of show that circumstances don't define you. Where I didn't 0:06:20.800 --> 0:06:22.960 come from a rich background, but I did have some 0:06:23.000 --> 0:06:26.600 struggles trying to break into the industry and prove myself 0:06:26.640 --> 0:06:29.359 in that sense. So yeah, so we'll we'll take it 0:06:29.360 --> 0:06:31.800 back because I think that's really interesting. You're not from 0:06:31.960 --> 0:06:35.320 l A, but you've definitely made your mark on the 0:06:35.400 --> 0:06:37.839 dance scene in l A and obviously all the things 0:06:37.839 --> 0:06:39.800 we talked about at the beginning of this interview. You're 0:06:39.839 --> 0:06:43.839 on a really successful franchise series. Everyone knows the Step 0:06:43.920 --> 0:06:47.280 Up series you You're followed by millions of people who 0:06:47.320 --> 0:06:51.360 watch you dance on your many platforms, from YouTube to 0:06:51.520 --> 0:06:55.599 Instagram to Twitter. Let's take it back to before all 0:06:55.640 --> 0:06:58.560 this stuff happened. You're not from l A. Where are 0:06:58.560 --> 0:07:01.159 you from and how did you get involved in dance. 0:07:01.640 --> 0:07:04.640 I'm originally from Park City, Utah, and my family actually 0:07:04.680 --> 0:07:06.800 all still lives there, so that's kind of nice and 0:07:06.800 --> 0:07:10.280 makes visiting easy. I started dancing when I was about 0:07:10.320 --> 0:07:14.000 to My aunt had a studio it's called Martie's Rainbow Dancers. 0:07:15.200 --> 0:07:17.720 I definitely graduated from that, but my mom had me 0:07:17.760 --> 0:07:20.640 going there because she was teaching at the time there, 0:07:21.200 --> 0:07:23.800 and I just kind of got into dance at a 0:07:23.840 --> 0:07:28.360 young age and my family. We were definitely middle class, 0:07:28.400 --> 0:07:29.880 but it was one of those things if we were 0:07:29.880 --> 0:07:31.680 going to invest in something, we had to put our 0:07:31.720 --> 0:07:34.200 full heart and our full energy and passion into it. 0:07:34.880 --> 0:07:37.400 So I was training and dance just for fun up 0:07:37.440 --> 0:07:40.280 until I was about ten eleven twelve. My brothers were 0:07:40.320 --> 0:07:43.120 doing football, so I had my thing, they had their thing. 0:07:43.240 --> 0:07:44.960 My dad was with them, my mom was with me, 0:07:45.600 --> 0:07:49.120 and I started competing and as I was dancing, it 0:07:49.200 --> 0:07:51.120 went from like just running around in two twos to 0:07:51.400 --> 0:07:55.840 kind of really loving and understanding dance and for what 0:07:55.920 --> 0:07:57.920 it is, like a lot of people think it's just movement, 0:07:57.960 --> 0:08:01.080 it's just having fun, but there's really something so liberating 0:08:01.120 --> 0:08:04.520 about being able to express yourself through movement without actually 0:08:04.520 --> 0:08:08.200 having to say anything. You can really leave all your 0:08:08.200 --> 0:08:11.480 emotions out on the dance floor, cheessily putting it, but 0:08:11.720 --> 0:08:14.200 it is. I kind of just fell in love, and 0:08:14.240 --> 0:08:16.200 I kind of had a realization that I could make 0:08:16.280 --> 0:08:19.520 something more of it when I was around ten eleven, 0:08:19.560 --> 0:08:21.760 because I started going to conventions that were out of 0:08:21.800 --> 0:08:25.440 state every weekend to kind of train myself and see 0:08:25.480 --> 0:08:29.160 what else I could do with dancing. Because I think 0:08:29.280 --> 0:08:32.120 l A is one of those places that every person 0:08:32.240 --> 0:08:35.480 that thinks they're the best from their state comes. So 0:08:35.920 --> 0:08:38.320 it's definitely a route awakening. You think you're doing really 0:08:38.320 --> 0:08:41.240 good when you're in Utah. And I trained my butt 0:08:41.280 --> 0:08:43.280 off and I was always at every convention and I 0:08:43.280 --> 0:08:45.960 would go straight from school to dance until ten pm. 0:08:46.000 --> 0:08:48.439 Then I do have to do homework, so it's always 0:08:48.480 --> 0:08:50.120 been a grind, and my mom had to work at 0:08:50.120 --> 0:08:53.280 the studio to pay for my dance classes, so it's 0:08:53.280 --> 0:08:56.400 never been easy, and I don't think the best things 0:08:56.440 --> 0:09:00.040 are easy, So that's why I think it drove my 0:09:00.120 --> 0:09:03.720 passion for even more because it wasn't something that I 0:09:03.920 --> 0:09:06.199 just got handed to me. It was something I had 0:09:06.200 --> 0:09:08.319 to work for and that that excited me. I've always 0:09:08.320 --> 0:09:11.040 been really competitive with myself too, so I wanted to 0:09:11.080 --> 0:09:13.480 be the best that I could be, and I've always 0:09:13.480 --> 0:09:16.240 been super dramatic. I always was like playing pretend when 0:09:16.240 --> 0:09:18.360 I was younger, so being able to tell stories as 0:09:18.400 --> 0:09:21.760 I was dancing too was perfect for me. And from 0:09:21.800 --> 0:09:26.480 there I kind of got recognized by some choreographers. At 0:09:26.480 --> 0:09:28.960 a specific convention, it was called the Pulse On Tour 0:09:29.000 --> 0:09:31.320 and it had many choreographers that were working in the 0:09:31.320 --> 0:09:34.839 industry like Brian Freedman who choreographs for Britney Spears, and 0:09:35.280 --> 0:09:38.080 many other people, Dave Scott who has done most of 0:09:38.120 --> 0:09:42.280 the Step Up franchises, and Chris Judd, Lorianne gibbson Me 0:09:42.320 --> 0:09:44.400 and Michael's all these people that you see featured on 0:09:44.440 --> 0:09:46.520 so you think you can dance, or maybe if you 0:09:46.520 --> 0:09:49.439 see films, they're the choreographers of those or tours or 0:09:49.480 --> 0:09:52.320 anything like that. And I got the scholarship where I 0:09:52.360 --> 0:09:55.600 was able to assist them every weekend for a year, 0:09:55.800 --> 0:09:58.400 so I was up on stage with them, helping and 0:09:58.480 --> 0:10:01.800 teaching the rest of the students. So that how old 0:10:01.840 --> 0:10:04.160 were you at this point? I was twelve and at 0:10:04.200 --> 0:10:06.280 the time I was actually the youngest one that what 0:10:06.360 --> 0:10:09.400 were you doing at twelve? Right? It was? It was 0:10:09.679 --> 0:10:12.520 I mean I like lived and breathed dance like things 0:10:12.559 --> 0:10:15.280 that I looked back on now like that used to 0:10:15.360 --> 0:10:17.640 be my life. And I was so dramatic, like I 0:10:17.679 --> 0:10:20.200 messed up in that class, like my life is over, 0:10:20.400 --> 0:10:22.880 like it's just changes, you know. But I was really 0:10:22.880 --> 0:10:25.000 focused on it and it was a great time for 0:10:25.080 --> 0:10:27.880 me to have that opportunity too, because although I was 0:10:28.080 --> 0:10:31.280 still one of the youngest. They had different levels as intermediate, advanced, 0:10:31.320 --> 0:10:34.000 advanced pro, so I was intermediate because of my age group. 0:10:34.640 --> 0:10:36.680 But it really put me on the spot and kind 0:10:36.679 --> 0:10:40.560 of made me really decide if this is what I 0:10:40.600 --> 0:10:42.720 wanted to do, and it kind of opened my eyes 0:10:42.760 --> 0:10:45.600 to the possibilities of working as a professional and not 0:10:45.679 --> 0:10:50.360 just doing dance competition and competing. And they kind of 0:10:50.440 --> 0:10:54.040 really pushed me and tuned in on me, and honed 0:10:54.080 --> 0:10:57.319 in on my talent and was really trying to make 0:10:57.400 --> 0:10:59.000 me more than what I was. I think they saw 0:10:59.040 --> 0:11:02.560 my potential, which was really great because it's important to 0:11:02.840 --> 0:11:05.240 see that at a young age. Especially. It helped me 0:11:05.760 --> 0:11:07.840 further my career. I came out to l A when 0:11:07.880 --> 0:11:09.880 I was twelve, which is crazy. I've been doing this 0:11:09.920 --> 0:11:12.000 since I was twelve. So people saying like, oh, you're 0:11:12.000 --> 0:11:15.040 only twenty and you have all these experience and it's 0:11:15.120 --> 0:11:17.439 under your belt, Like I'm eighteen, I just moved out here, 0:11:17.440 --> 0:11:19.440 I have not like I'm like, yes, but I already 0:11:19.440 --> 0:11:22.120 went through those stages I was just twelve. I had 0:11:22.160 --> 0:11:25.040 to sacrifice a lot too, with schooling and friendships and 0:11:25.080 --> 0:11:27.960 everything because I had to start traveling every weekend for 0:11:28.040 --> 0:11:31.160 these conventions, and then from there, one of the choreographers 0:11:31.200 --> 0:11:33.520 made a little group and we auditioned for America's Best 0:11:33.600 --> 0:11:35.920 Dance Crew, and although we didn't make it to the 0:11:36.000 --> 0:11:40.120 Lives the live showings, it got me out to l 0:11:40.160 --> 0:11:42.040 A and I started taking classes out here, and I 0:11:42.040 --> 0:11:44.880 was like, Oh, I think I'm good, but I'm not 0:11:45.000 --> 0:11:47.360 that good, and I want to be that good. And 0:11:47.400 --> 0:11:49.360 it was cool because at the time, there wasn't that 0:11:49.400 --> 0:11:52.520 many kids taking class and social media wasn't that big, 0:11:53.040 --> 0:11:55.360 so I was really able to train with these adults 0:11:55.440 --> 0:11:58.160 and and the level of respect that I had for 0:11:58.200 --> 0:12:00.680 them was crazy. I mean, that's one problem that I 0:12:00.679 --> 0:12:03.560 think we do have now is the younger generation is 0:12:03.600 --> 0:12:06.840 so exposed to the dance world that the adults don't 0:12:06.840 --> 0:12:09.600 really have their separation in class, and kids think they 0:12:09.640 --> 0:12:11.600 can stand in front of people. But at the time, 0:12:11.640 --> 0:12:14.680 like I was so even honored to be in the class, 0:12:14.679 --> 0:12:16.679 and you had to get permission to take class when 0:12:16.760 --> 0:12:18.760 you were that age. Now you can just go in 0:12:18.840 --> 0:12:21.720 unless they say it's a certain age sixteen and up 0:12:21.800 --> 0:12:24.040 or eighteen and up. But I used to have to 0:12:24.080 --> 0:12:26.080 ask the teacher like, Hey, can I take your class 0:12:26.160 --> 0:12:27.880 because I want to train with you, or I'd have 0:12:27.880 --> 0:12:29.360 to get permission and they have to sign it. I 0:12:29.360 --> 0:12:31.680 wouldn't even be able to go in. And my mom 0:12:31.760 --> 0:12:34.240 would travel with me on the weekends, and I started 0:12:34.240 --> 0:12:37.480 coming to l A like a couple of days and 0:12:37.480 --> 0:12:41.440 then I'll drive back and we drive from Utah. Yes, 0:12:41.480 --> 0:12:44.719 so shout out to my mom. Mom is a rock group. Yea. 0:12:46.120 --> 0:12:48.720 But she obviously saw something in you, Otherwise I don't 0:12:48.720 --> 0:12:51.360 think she and and that's something that I've always been 0:12:51.440 --> 0:12:53.640 very blessed with. It is I've had a supportive family, 0:12:53.720 --> 0:12:55.960 and I know not not a lot of people have that. 0:12:56.120 --> 0:12:58.880 So it's nothing. It's something that I would never take 0:12:58.920 --> 0:13:01.680 for granted because I know all that many other people's 0:13:01.720 --> 0:13:04.760 circumstances are different. And I was lucky that they believed 0:13:04.760 --> 0:13:06.200 in me and they were going to see it through. 0:13:06.320 --> 0:13:09.640 Even though you know, we were sharing meals and sleeping 0:13:09.679 --> 0:13:11.960 on floors every time we came out. I would It 0:13:12.040 --> 0:13:14.680 wasn't something that I even saw is a bad thing, 0:13:14.760 --> 0:13:16.880 because I didn't even realize that it was because of 0:13:16.920 --> 0:13:19.040 money or anything. I was just like a road trip, 0:13:19.120 --> 0:13:20.600 you know, like, oh, you want to share a meal 0:13:20.640 --> 0:13:22.120 with me because you want to share a meal with 0:13:22.160 --> 0:13:24.560 me has nothing to do with how much it got. 0:13:24.720 --> 0:13:27.520 I didn't even realize it. So my family really made 0:13:27.520 --> 0:13:31.359 the experience good for me, and it's so very fortunately. 0:13:31.360 --> 0:13:34.840 I think that makes all the difference. It does. I've 0:13:34.880 --> 0:13:38.360 always owe everything to my family, but every every time 0:13:38.400 --> 0:13:41.319 I come out here too, you it's it's different. L 0:13:41.400 --> 0:13:44.920 A is different. People are different, and it's very competitive 0:13:45.080 --> 0:13:49.200 as well. So there's that little bit of you know, 0:13:49.360 --> 0:13:51.880 competitive air between everybody. Even when you step in a 0:13:51.960 --> 0:13:53.600 class and I was. I wasn't used to it. I 0:13:53.640 --> 0:13:55.400 was like, oh, we don't all love each other? Like 0:13:55.440 --> 0:13:57.640 what is this? Oh you don't like me because I'm good? 0:13:57.679 --> 0:13:59.480 Like what does that mean? Like? I like you because 0:13:59.520 --> 0:14:02.360 you're good of it. It's just this big competitive thing, 0:14:02.440 --> 0:14:05.280 and you know, eventually those couple of days turned to weeks, 0:14:05.280 --> 0:14:07.680 turned two months, and then I started being in l 0:14:07.720 --> 0:14:09.520 A more than I was in Utah, and I think 0:14:10.080 --> 0:14:13.000 around sixteen, I don't even have an official move date 0:14:13.120 --> 0:14:16.520 to California, but I think around sixteen was when I 0:14:16.559 --> 0:14:19.880 was here more than I was Utah. And um I 0:14:20.160 --> 0:14:23.120 roomed with three other people. My mom and I shared 0:14:23.560 --> 0:14:25.600 a room, a smaller room, you know, how like when 0:14:25.600 --> 0:14:27.440 you get in an apartment, there's the bigger room in 0:14:27.440 --> 0:14:30.080 the small room. We shared the smaller room with another 0:14:30.120 --> 0:14:33.160 mom and daughter. And were they also in the dance world? 0:14:33.280 --> 0:14:35.720 They were, yes, and I had met them through convention 0:14:35.880 --> 0:14:37.960 and she ended up being one of my best friends 0:14:37.960 --> 0:14:41.160 and we were roommates for seven years. So I just 0:14:41.240 --> 0:14:44.200 actually recently got my own apartment by myself. So like 0:14:44.280 --> 0:14:48.360 I saw that, I saw your little tour and very 0:14:48.440 --> 0:14:55.440 cute design. Congratulations, thank you so much, But yeah, it was. 0:14:55.520 --> 0:14:58.440 It was. It's been a journey, for sure, and it's 0:14:58.480 --> 0:15:01.120 been a long time. I've had a long time to 0:15:01.240 --> 0:15:03.960 really get into the industry and figure out what I 0:15:04.040 --> 0:15:06.680 like and other dancers and what I don't like and 0:15:06.760 --> 0:15:09.120 kind of take all of those things that I think 0:15:09.120 --> 0:15:11.560 that I could do really well and mash them up 0:15:11.600 --> 0:15:14.720 into the one well rounded dancer. And I always say 0:15:14.720 --> 0:15:16.600 that I have so much to work on still, like 0:15:16.880 --> 0:15:20.440 I will never stop growing. And I think that's what 0:15:20.520 --> 0:15:25.680 people commonly have misconceptions about is people are like, oh, Jade, 0:15:25.720 --> 0:15:28.440 like give me the secrets, Like how do I get 0:15:28.440 --> 0:15:30.720 into the industry, Like I want to book a tour 0:15:30.840 --> 0:15:32.760 like da da da da, And I'm like, well, you know, 0:15:32.800 --> 0:15:36.080 there are really no secrets, like you have to do 0:15:36.160 --> 0:15:38.360 it from the ground up. You have to take classes. 0:15:38.400 --> 0:15:40.320 If you want to be booked by somebody, you have 0:15:40.320 --> 0:15:43.040 to get in front of their face, take their class regularly, 0:15:43.120 --> 0:15:45.640 have to study what they what they like and what 0:15:45.680 --> 0:15:47.960 they book and you kind of have to Dancing is 0:15:47.960 --> 0:15:49.760 one of those hard things that you have to be 0:15:49.760 --> 0:15:52.520 a full package. So you have to you know, you 0:15:52.520 --> 0:15:54.560 have to keep working out, you have to you have 0:15:54.600 --> 0:15:56.880 to look. You have to keep yourself together. Your like 0:15:56.960 --> 0:15:59.440 body is your image and it's your it's your selling point, 0:15:59.480 --> 0:16:02.800 which is it causes a lot of hardships for I 0:16:02.800 --> 0:16:07.440 think everybody in the industry, females and males included. You 0:16:07.480 --> 0:16:12.920 are constantly being like judged and torn apart because they're 0:16:13.000 --> 0:16:15.040 they want the full look. And I think that comes 0:16:15.080 --> 0:16:18.960 with this entertainment industry in general. You have to always 0:16:19.080 --> 0:16:23.840 be on basically, and it's been it's you know, it's 0:16:23.840 --> 0:16:26.600 been hard because it makes people competitive, it makes people 0:16:26.720 --> 0:16:30.800 a little salty towards each other, and and you just 0:16:30.840 --> 0:16:32.760 have to really like seek out the people that are 0:16:32.800 --> 0:16:35.560 gonna want to grow with you rather than I want 0:16:35.600 --> 0:16:37.920 you to say where they're at. Because it is. It 0:16:37.960 --> 0:16:39.600 does get hard, and I think l A is like 0:16:39.640 --> 0:16:42.920 this big filter system. I always use it. A's like 0:16:42.960 --> 0:16:46.680 one of those those noodle drainers. You know. Everybody comes 0:16:46.720 --> 0:16:48.520 in and they think they can do it, and they 0:16:48.560 --> 0:16:50.680 really hope they can. But l A is so cut 0:16:50.720 --> 0:16:54.560 throat and it's it's so brutal and honest, and really 0:16:54.560 --> 0:16:57.600 only the people that are gonna really be willing to 0:16:57.640 --> 0:17:01.160 take those nose and keep going and hopefully turn them 0:17:01.160 --> 0:17:03.400 into yeses are the ones that end up here. A 0:17:03.440 --> 0:17:05.760 lot of people go home, which is it's really sad. 0:17:05.800 --> 0:17:08.120 I see a lot of people move out here. They 0:17:08.200 --> 0:17:10.840 did really well well where they're from, and then they 0:17:10.880 --> 0:17:12.439 come out here and they're like, oh, I'm not the 0:17:12.480 --> 0:17:16.160 best out here, Like okay, given up. You know. It's 0:17:16.200 --> 0:17:19.440 it's really hard, and especially with social media, and now 0:17:19.800 --> 0:17:21.919 there's not as many auditions as there used to be. 0:17:21.960 --> 0:17:25.879 There used to be like five auditions a week and 0:17:25.960 --> 0:17:29.199 sometimes you have too a day, but now they're rarely, 0:17:29.240 --> 0:17:31.560 like maybe every couple of months because people are just 0:17:31.560 --> 0:17:36.280 getting direct booked via social media. And there's also these 0:17:36.320 --> 0:17:39.960 like two sides in the industry of in the dance industry, 0:17:40.000 --> 0:17:43.440 specifically of people who love social media and people who 0:17:43.480 --> 0:17:46.840 hate it, and it's usually the older generation that doesn't 0:17:46.880 --> 0:17:49.720 really love it. But for me, in my eyes, I've 0:17:49.760 --> 0:17:53.760 always seen social media as a business tool, as a 0:17:53.800 --> 0:17:57.240 way to express myself and connect to people that I 0:17:57.320 --> 0:18:02.080 would never be able to without it. And I you know, 0:18:02.200 --> 0:18:04.720 obviously it gets hard because sometimes I'm in class and 0:18:04.760 --> 0:18:06.280 I'm like, oh, I really don't think I did good, 0:18:06.280 --> 0:18:08.240 but I'm still getting called out because they want me 0:18:08.280 --> 0:18:11.199 to be in this video. Like I don't know, I'd 0:18:11.280 --> 0:18:12.960 rather not go because I don't want to be on 0:18:12.960 --> 0:18:14.679 tape today. I just want to train. I want to 0:18:14.960 --> 0:18:17.560 feel always wondered about that. So I'm gonna cut, I'm 0:18:17.560 --> 0:18:21.200 gonna rudely interrupt you. So I always see these videos 0:18:21.240 --> 0:18:24.879 of like the playground is a playground or wherever, and 0:18:24.880 --> 0:18:27.639 and there's one person dancing in the front and then 0:18:27.680 --> 0:18:29.800 there's two in the back. Like this is a really 0:18:30.200 --> 0:18:33.600 uneducated question. I'm not in this world. Are you going 0:18:33.640 --> 0:18:35.760 to class that day not knowing that they're going to 0:18:35.840 --> 0:18:37.639 put you on tape? And then they put you on tape? 0:18:37.640 --> 0:18:40.520 How does that work? So basically, you go to class 0:18:40.680 --> 0:18:43.359 and you have about an hour or forty five minutes 0:18:43.359 --> 0:18:45.600 to an hour to learn the combo, and then you 0:18:45.680 --> 0:18:47.560 kind of do it in groups and focus on that, 0:18:47.600 --> 0:18:50.040 and then they'll end up calling people out. So you 0:18:50.040 --> 0:18:51.800 have no idea if you're gonna get called out, But 0:18:51.920 --> 0:18:53.679 is your goal to get called out? When I go 0:18:53.720 --> 0:18:56.719 to class when I was younger, it definitely was because 0:18:56.840 --> 0:18:59.280 at the time, it wasn't really about videos. It was 0:18:59.320 --> 0:19:01.560 about like getting seen by people. And well, I guess 0:19:01.640 --> 0:19:04.199 back in the day the social media, it wasn't There 0:19:04.240 --> 0:19:06.119 wasn't a pressure to be like I'm gonna go to 0:19:06.160 --> 0:19:09.080 class to day. It was just purely class, whereas now 0:19:09.119 --> 0:19:11.080 you go to class and you're like, my outfit needs 0:19:11.119 --> 0:19:13.440 to be on point, my makeup needs to be done, 0:19:13.480 --> 0:19:15.320 because if they call me out, there's gonna be now 0:19:15.359 --> 0:19:17.919 a video floating around exactly. And I think that's what 0:19:18.280 --> 0:19:21.160