Today we’d like to introduce you to Adam Jones.
Hi Adam, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I grew up competitively dancing in a studio in Massachusetts. So I have been a part of this community since I was 6 years old. After furthering my dance education at SUNY Purchase in NY, I went on to have a professional career that included cruise ships, theme parks, concert performance companies, and dancing with multiple recording artists. I relocated from Los Angeles to South Carolina in 2017 and began teaching at Let’s Dance. It was here that I would find that same “Home” dance community I had grown up so familiar around in Massachusetts. I became the Company Director in 2020 and oversaw the Competitive Side of both locations. Throughout the years as I evolved as an artist and educator, I started to feel the desire to take on more and dream bigger into the future. When the opportunity finally presented itself to take over Let’s Dance and continue the legacy that Amy Forde had built, I didn’t hesitate a second. I now sit here with 30 years of dance training and over 20 years of teaching experience ready to creatively expand the brand, known now as Let’s Dance Collective.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
This journey has not always been easy. The life of a dancer or any artist for that matter can be somewhat of a rollercoaster. A lot of the times as you are starting out in a dancer/teacher career you will have to find a second or third job to help with living expenses. Certain gigs are more short termed and can often leave you searching for what’s next and longing for more stability. And even when you finally feel like you find that “stability” in a good long term job, certain things can pop up that threaten that stability. Teaching through the pandemic was a chaotic and trying time for sure. Having to create new ways to connect to students and be able to have them learn through new processes was difficult for sure. The uncertainty of not knowing when we could resume “normal” in person classes and what those may look like definitely proved taxing on both students and myself. But watching the way our community came together to still be able to dance together, even if it was through a computer screen on zoom for a while, was so inspiring. I know it helped my mental health for sure to be able to still connect to my students and hear from them that even dancing with me through the computer screen was helping them cope with the stress of the situation. The power of our shared love of dance really pushed everyone through that difficulty of that time. Another big unexpected struggle dancers deal with is injuries. In 2021 I ruptured a disc in my lower back that left me questioning the future of my teaching career. I was thankfully able to work through months of Physical Therapy to get it back to where I am today, but the first few months of low to zero mobility in my lower spine were scary for sure. Through it all though remains my love for dance. It is what has always pushed me through difficult times. Loss of loved ones, dance was there. Multiple injuries, dance was there. Rejection and imposter syndrome, dance was there. Dance is and has always been my first love in life and has always been able to help me work through anything.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I love being an educator! I grew up dancing under JoAnn Jebb at the Academy of Dance in East Longmeadow, Massachusetts. She has always been and still to this day is a second mom to me. She showed me at a very young age what it looked like to be an outstanding educator and how to inspire your dancers to achieve their dreams. I carry that dynamic over into my everyday life today. I like to think that my most special skill is my passion for my dancers. I want to be able to give them every resource and tool I can to pursue their goals. I want to be there for these kids to experience their highs and lows with. I was them growing up and now to be on the flip side of it and realizing I am to them what my dance teacher is to me is so rewarding. It’s a true full circle moment for me. I also have the opportunity to travel the country and teach at different dance conventions. So not only do I get to teach my students locally, but I have the opportunity to share my knowledge and experiences with so many throughout the country. I am most proud of that little boy who started dance so many years ago that never gave up and kept dreaming on. That little boy that looked up to so many teachers growing up and now gets to be that inspiring teacher to other young dancers.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I had this incredible opportunity when I was 15 to travel to Germany for the World Show Dance Championships and won the gold medal for first place! Organized through the International Dance Organization, it was a competition where over 40 countries sent dancers to compete in a multi day, multi round elimination competition. It was so amazing to see the way dance was so different and yet so beautiful from so many different parts of the world. They even presented their awards just like the Olympics! Being able to stand a top the podium in my team USA uniform while our national anthem played is a moment that inspired me to want to continue to see where dance could truly take me in life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.letsdancesc.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/letsdancecollective
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/letsdancecollective
- Other: https://tiktok.com/@letsdancecollective
