Meet the Young, Energetic Connecticut-based Dancer Who Built Confidence & Discovered Artistic Freedom Through the Performance Art
Bridney C.
Connecticut-based dancer Jazmin Hall is a talented young dancer active in the performing arts sector in Southeastern Connecticut. Two quotes that inspire her, which she finds encouraging, are "Everything happens for a reason" and "The only dancer you should compare yourself to is the one you were yesterday."
Growing up in an artsy household, the half Jamaican and Puerto Rican dancer enjoys playing the guitar with her sister, and her family enjoys listening to music and dancing. Her grandfather played the trumpet, and her father was a dancer turned DJ.
"There is never a moment when music is not playing in the house... Well, except, maybe when I'm doing a class on zoom," says the 14-year-old.
Dancing since the age of 2, Jazmin believes she gained a strong foundation from dancing at a young age. The first dance team she joined was Elev8 from the Kiks Dance Center, coached by Michelle Mauro, Alley Jenkins, Jordyn Brooks, and Anthony Maneri.
"When I was 10-years-old, my teacher Alley Jankins trusted me with my first solo at the NAACP Gala, and it was that pivotal moment when I knew how much I truly loved being on stage and entertaining," says Jazmin.
As a member of the Elev8 dance team, Jazmin had the opportunity to dance at World of Dance Boston and won the "crowd favorite" award, a memorable moment.
Then, she joined the Sunbeams Dance Team at Mohegan Sun, coached by Rachel Pirie and Mackenzie Sagun. Jazmin is thankful for those who have inspired her throughout her dance journey, including her family. She is grateful for her strong work ethic, instilled in her by her parents.
She describes her dance style as "pot luck," a self-coined term where people "never know what they're going to get" when they watch her perform. Her "pot luck" dance style incorporates all of the dance styles she has learned, such as ballet, lyrical, tutting, hip-hop, tap, and modern.
Jazmin is currently on the TigerEye Dance Team, a well-known youth dance company in New London, Connecticut. Coached by Monica Fish, she credits TigerEye, coached by Monica Fish for pushing her out of her comfort zone with freestyling and for the many opportunities to film professional dance videos.
"I love dancing to songs that challenge me to use dance to portray a story. Doing this allows me to bring people into my world and hopefully make them feel something."
Whenever Jazmin dances on stage, the music takes over her body and in a different world filled with happiness and euphoria. According to her, she enjoys snapping back into reality once the crowd starts clapping after her performance.
She practices her dances in full costume at least twice a day up until the performance. Building her stamina as she practices allow Jazmin to dance on stage tirelessly. She owns over 100 costumes and has a closet in her house that houses her costumes.
One of Jazmin's favorite dances is the first-ever solo she presented at the NAACP Gala. Choreographed by Alley Jenkins, her solo inspired her to continue to dance.
"Dance for me is a release of emotion, whether that be anger due to the inequality in this world, sadness due to natural disasters that affect so many people, or happiness of just being onstage and doing what I love."
Her second favorite dance routine is her "Earth Dance," dedicated to the 2017 Puerto Rico disaster that happened after Hurricane Maria destroyed homes and structures on the island. As a result, it left residents without power for almost a year, and families were left homeless.
She felt connected while creating the choreography and put a lot of emotion into the dance. Her critically acclaimed "Earth Dance" received positive feedback from supporters and her dance team.
Finally, "Glory" is a dance created to support the BLM movement that helped her release her emotions and frustrations about the current social justice issues. "I am disgusted with the inequality in this world," says Jazmin.
Throughout 2021, Jazmin aims to perfect the Aerial, an acrobatic dance move where someone does a cartwheel without their hands touching the floor. She also plans to work hard and continue to practice with TigerEye.
For updates on Jazmin Hall, be sure to follow her on Instagram
@_jazmin.18 and Snapchat.