Jade Chynoweth - On Her Journey as a Dancer, Performing with Halsey, Loving Yourself, and What's Next For Her Career

and I was at the forefront of that. I've seen so many people succeed, and I see so many people that put the work in. Might not come when you want it to, but it always does come in some shape before me. We're here with Jade ch we just learned how to say it. Well, I'm sure you've known for years. Yes, I think I should have known. I hope so. Actress dancer extraordinaire. We are so happy to have you here today. Thank you for stopping, and we have a lot to cover, obviously, there's a lot to

cover in the world of acting. Dancing is a huge part of your life, and it actually they go together at the moment. Who knows if that will always be the case. I mean you're probably gonna start in movies that don't have you dancing or shows that don't have you dancing. But it's kind of cool that you get to do two things that you love. We were actually just before we got started, we were talking about the Step Up series and helps us. Literally everyone in here

is with the step How could you not? How could you not? I mean it combines dancing, some good looking people, some good looking people. You you included, by the way, in the new iteration of the Step Up franchise. They've had a lot of movies too, haven't they Six movies coming out and it's a China I was going to ask where is that located? Or I booked the series. I did the China film. It's based off of like Chinese culture and everything, so I'm not one of the

main characters. But they battle in American crew. Oh are you in the crew that comes in with an attitude like hey, what's up? I mean, it's like they have this two competitive crews that are based in China, and then it's like the world series. And luckily they kind of kept it realistic because we did beat them, because it would have been kind of bad if we didn't because the level was different, so it was it was nice that they were still like, yeah, like, we're going

to allow our main characters not to win. But they did beat the other crew that they had the bad blood with, so okay, so that's fine. That's so cool that they get to you get to cross over into the other parts of the franchise. It was really cool. I didn't even know I was doing the series at that point. So and then, do you think that that helps get the series? I would hope. So I don't know.

I guess I just I think they really wanted somebody who who loved dancing, and I think that's what I kind of brought into it because we we're really looking for people who can act and dance, which is is a hard combo because even though we're storytelling as dancers, it's hard to use words to portray real raw emotions. So the combination of the two was really hard to find. But we got really lucky, Like, all my castmates are amazing,

Oh my gosh, that's that's incredible. So going back to the very first step up, what were you like to when that came? Yeah, somewhere around there. But I still had who didn't have a crush on Channel I know, the whole world. I mean, really, this man is just like God's gift. But to your point, I don't even think he knew how to dance. Wait was it? He didn't know how to act, but he was a dancer. It was one of the two. I think he like

a male performer before Oh oh yeah. I think he actually had some legit, authentic experience in the stripping world. So I believe that. I believe. So he brought to the screen. He brought in to the musical world. He later made Magic Mike, but it was really actually him. Yeah, and then yeah exactly. And then on top of that, he goes on to be a part of movie franchise, TV franchise, which you're a part of your regular so

you have two seasons on your belt already. For the Step Up television series Step Up, highwad It, they took it back to the school, which I think was really smart because the first movie was based in a performing our school, which makes sense. While we're dancing and there's not just random dancing happening it in the middle of

the street. Everything kind of like tied in, and it has real stories because there are hardships and problems and struggles within the dance industry that people may not know. So it's cool that they shed light on that. But we also integrate the Atlanta culture in there and the street side of things and like the struggles with that side.

So it's it's very dramatic, Oh my gosh, and also possibly a season three in the world Fingers Across, Fingers Crossed Toast Crossed, because you are actually in the world of dance and like you take classes, you're you're a legitimate dancer. Were you able to contribute some of your real life experiences to the show, Like do you go of to a director or an executive producer and be like, oh, what if we did it this way? Because this is

like very real in my world. I think our show is really good about letting us have some freedom with how we do scenes, and sometimes as we can change different wording and stuff too, maybe tie in things that we would normally say in real life. And definitely there's sometimes I'm like a like, in a real dance class, I don't think i'd actually say this during that because he's my teacher, Like i'd have this respect or so

on and so forth. There's little things that like we are allowed to contribute into the scene, which is really nice to make it more realistic. And there's definitely with my character specifically, she's a rich girl from Buckhead, but the school is for lower income families in a different area, so she kind of sneaks away why her parents think she's going to this college. She's actually going to this the school, and she's lying to everybody about who she is,

and once they find out, it's all this drama. And everyone already didn't like her because she's one of the only white girls. She's white, she's rich, she's this. This is like all those stereotypes that are generally put on too a young female dancer, and it's sometimes tied into real life. A lot of people think that white girls can't do hip hop, but that's not the case. Culture is everything, and expressing yourself is what dance is really about. It's not really about where you come from or who

you are. It's just about the passion and the love and the storytelling of it. Honestly, it made me, I think, connected to my character a little bit more to kind of show that circumstances don't define you. Where I didn't come from a rich background, but I did have some struggles trying to break into the industry and prove myself in that sense. So yeah, so we'll we'll take it

back because I think that's really interesting. You're not from l A, but you've definitely made your mark on the dance scene in l A and obviously all the things we talked about at the beginning of this interview. You're on a really successful franchise series. Everyone knows the Step Up series you You're followed by millions of people who watch you dance on your many platforms, from YouTube to Instagram to Twitter. Let's take it back to before all

this stuff happened. You're not from l A. Where are you from and how did you get involved in dance. I'm originally from Park City, Utah, and my family actually all still lives there, so that's kind of nice and makes visiting easy. I started dancing when I was about to My aunt had a studio it's called Martie's Rainbow Dancers. I definitely graduated from that, but my mom had me going there because she was teaching at the time there, and I just kind of got into dance at a

young age and my family. We were definitely middle class, but it was one of those things if we were going to invest in something, we had to put our full heart and our full energy and passion into it. So I was training and dance just for fun up until I was about ten eleven twelve. My brothers were doing football, so I had my thing, they had their thing.

My dad was with them, my mom was with me, and I started competing and as I was dancing, it went from like just running around in two twos to kind of really loving and understanding dance and for what it is, like a lot of people think it's just movement, it's just having fun, but there's really something so liberating about being able to express yourself through movement without actually

having to say anything. You can really leave all your emotions out on the dance floor, cheessily putting it, but it is. I kind of just fell in love, and I kind of had a realization that I could make something more of it when I was around ten eleven, because I started going to conventions that were out of state every weekend to kind of train myself and see what else I could do with dancing. Because I think l A is one of those places that every person

that thinks they're the best from their state comes. So it's definitely a route awakening. You think you're doing really good when you're in Utah. And I trained my butt off and I was always at every convention and I would go straight from school to dance until ten pm.

Then I do have to do homework, so it's always been a grind, and my mom had to work at the studio to pay for my dance classes, so it's never been easy, and I don't think the best things are easy, So that's why I think it drove my passion for even more because it wasn't something that I just got handed to me. It was something I had to work for and that that excited me. I've always been really competitive with myself too, so I wanted to be the best that I could be, and I've always

been super dramatic. I always was like playing pretend when I was younger, so being able to tell stories as I was dancing too was perfect for me. And from

there I kind of got recognized by some choreographers. At a specific convention, it was called the Pulse On Tour and it had many choreographers that were working in the industry like Brian Freedman who choreographs for Britney Spears, and many other people, Dave Scott who has done most of the Step Up franchises, and Chris Judd, Lorianne gibbson Me and Michael's all these people that you see featured on so you think you can dance, or maybe if you

see films, they're the choreographers of those or tours or anything like that. And I got the scholarship where I was able to assist them every weekend for a year, so I was up on stage with them, helping and teaching the rest of the students. So that how old were you at this point? I was twelve and at the time I was actually the youngest one that what were you doing at twelve? Right? It was? It was I mean I like lived and breathed dance like things that I looked back on now like that used to

be my life. And I was so dramatic, like I messed up in that class, like my life is over, like it's just changes, you know. But I was really focused on it and it was a great time for me to have that opportunity too, because although I was still one of the youngest. They had different levels as intermediate, advanced, advanced pro, so I was intermediate because of my age group.

But it really put me on the spot and kind of made me really decide if this is what I wanted to do, and it kind of opened my eyes to the possibilities of working as a professional and not just doing dance competition and competing. And they kind of really pushed me and tuned in on me, and honed in on my talent and was really trying to make me more than what I was. I think they saw my potential, which was really great because it's important to see that at a young age. Especially. It helped me

further my career. I came out to l A when I was twelve, which is crazy. I've been doing this since I was twelve. So people saying like, oh, you're only twenty and you have all these experience and it's under your belt, Like I'm eighteen, I just moved out here, I have not like I'm like, yes, but I already

went through those stages I was just twelve. I had to sacrifice a lot too, with schooling and friendships and everything because I had to start traveling every weekend for these conventions, and then from there, one of the choreographers made a little group and we auditioned for America's Best Dance Crew, and although we didn't make it to the Lives the live showings, it got me out to l A and I started taking classes out here, and I was like, Oh, I think I'm good, but I'm not

that good, and I want to be that good. And it was cool because at the time, there wasn't that many kids taking class and social media wasn't that big, so I was really able to train with these adults and and the level of respect that I had for them was crazy. I mean, that's one problem that I think we do have now is the younger generation is so exposed to the dance world that the adults don't really have their separation in class, and kids think they

can stand in front of people. But at the time, like I was so even honored to be in the class, and you had to get permission to take class when you were that age. Now you can just go in unless they say it's a certain age sixteen and up or eighteen and up. But I used to have to ask the teacher like, Hey, can I take your class because I want to train with you, or I'd have to get permission and they have to sign it. I

wouldn't even be able to go in. And my mom would travel with me on the weekends, and I started coming to l A like a couple of days and then I'll drive back and we drive from Utah. Yes, so shout out to my mom. Mom is a rock group. Yea. But she obviously saw something in you, Otherwise I don't think she and and that's something that I've always been very blessed with. It is I've had a supportive family, and I know not not a lot of people have that.

So it's nothing. It's something that I would never take for granted because I know all that many other people's circumstances are different. And I was lucky that they believed in me and they were going to see it through. Even though you know, we were sharing meals and sleeping on floors every time we came out. I would It wasn't something that I even saw is a bad thing, because I didn't even realize that it was because of

money or anything. I was just like a road trip, you know, like, oh, you want to share a meal with me because you want to share a meal with me has nothing to do with how much it got. I didn't even realize it. So my family really made the experience good for me, and it's so very fortunately. I think that makes all the difference. It does. I've always owe everything to my family, but every every time I come out here too, you it's it's different. L

A is different. People are different, and it's very competitive as well. So there's that little bit of you know, competitive air between everybody. Even when you step in a class and I was. I wasn't used to it. I was like, oh, we don't all love each other? Like what is this? Oh you don't like me because I'm good? Like what does that mean? Like? I like you because

you're good of it. It's just this big competitive thing, and you know, eventually those couple of days turned to weeks, turned two months, and then I started being in l A more than I was in Utah, and I think around sixteen, I don't even have an official move date to California, but I think around sixteen was when I was here more than I was Utah. And um I

roomed with three other people. My mom and I shared a room, a smaller room, you know, how like when you get in an apartment, there's the bigger room in the small room. We shared the smaller room with another mom and daughter. And were they also in the dance world? They were, yes, and I had met them through convention and she ended up being one of my best friends and we were roommates for seven years. So I just

actually recently got my own apartment by myself. So like I saw that, I saw your little tour and very cute design. Congratulations, thank you so much, But yeah, it was. It was. It's been a journey, for sure, and it's been a long time. I've had a long time to really get into the industry and figure out what I like and other dancers and what I don't like and kind of take all of those things that I think that I could do really well and mash them up

into the one well rounded dancer. And I always say that I have so much to work on still, like I will never stop growing. And I think that's what people commonly have misconceptions about is people are like, oh, Jade, like give me the secrets, Like how do I get into the industry, Like I want to book a tour like da da da da, And I'm like, well, you know, there are really no secrets, like you have to do it from the ground up. You have to take classes.

If you want to be booked by somebody, you have to get in front of their face, take their class regularly, have to study what they what they like and what they book and you kind of have to Dancing is one of those hard things that you have to be a full package. So you have to you know, you have to keep working out, you have to you have to look. You have to keep yourself together. Your like body is your image and it's your it's your selling point, which is it causes a lot of hardships for I

think everybody in the industry, females and males included. You are constantly being like judged and torn apart because they're they want the full look. And I think that comes

with this entertainment industry in general. You have to always be on basically, and it's been it's you know, it's been hard because it makes people competitive, it makes people a little salty towards each other, and and you just have to really like seek out the people that are gonna want to grow with you rather than I want you to say where they're at. Because it is. It does get hard, and I think l A is like this big filter system. I always use it. A's like

one of those those noodle drainers. You know. Everybody comes in and they think they can do it, and they really hope they can. But l A is so cut throat and it's it's so brutal and honest, and really only the people that are gonna really be willing to take those nose and keep going and hopefully turn them into yeses are the ones that end up here. A lot of people go home, which is it's really sad.

I see a lot of people move out here. They did really well well where they're from, and then they come out here and they're like, oh, I'm not the best out here, Like okay, given up. You know. It's it's really hard, and especially with social media, and now there's not as many auditions as there used to be. There used to be like five auditions a week and sometimes you have too a day, but now they're rarely, like maybe every couple of months because people are just

getting direct booked via social media. And there's also these like two sides in the industry of in the dance industry, specifically of people who love social media and people who hate it, and it's usually the older generation that doesn't really love it. But for me, in my eyes, I've always seen social media as a business tool, as a way to express myself and connect to people that I

would never be able to without it. And I you know, obviously it gets hard because sometimes I'm in class and I'm like, oh, I really don't think I did good, but I'm still getting called out because they want me to be in this video. Like I don't know, I'd rather not go because I don't want to be on tape today. I just want to train. I want to feel always wondered about that. So I'm gonna cut, I'm

gonna rudely interrupt you. So I always see these videos of like the playground is a playground or wherever, and and there's one person dancing in the front and then there's two in the back. Like this is a really uneducated question. I'm not in this world. Are you going to class that day not knowing that they're going to put you on tape? And then they put you on tape?

How does that work? So basically, you go to class and you have about an hour or forty five minutes to an hour to learn the combo, and then you kind of do it in groups and focus on that, and then they'll end up calling people out. So you have no idea if you're gonna get called out, But is your goal to get called out? When I go to class when I was younger, it definitely was because at the time, it wasn't really about videos. It was

about like getting seen by people. And well, I guess back in the day the social media, it wasn't There wasn't a pressure to be like I'm gonna go to class to day. It was just purely class, whereas now you go to class and you're like, my outfit needs to be on point, my makeup needs to be done, because if they call me out, there's gonna be now a video floating around exactly. And I think that's what it's really hard with social media is some people don't

like that pressure. Some people don't want the camera and them. They just want to train, They just want to be there to learn. They want to be able to mess up and not feel bad about it. They don't want to put on this show, which I completely understand. And I think there's definitely a balance and a lot of people are like, oh, Jade only goes to the classes that get filmed, but I'm like, no, if you think about it, you don't know the classes that I go

to that aren't filmed because they're not filmed. There's so many different classes, and I think a lot of people have like a bad taste in their mouth about people filming in class nowadays, but they don't realize there's always

options for other things. And for me, I really wanted to utilize social media, and I think it's smart for any person in entertainment industry that's trying to make it is to not view social media as something to be showy and to get followers, but more to connect to people and to really get yourself out there because you never know who's going to be watching at that point, and as long as you remain like a good person.

And that's something that I've always really tried to stay, is like to stay the same person that I came into this industry as because a lot of people change and it's really sad, and it's because a lot of people want to follow the mainstream of what everyone else

is doing. They want to act, they want to be friends with certain people and and make those relationships, or they don't like this person because they got the job over them, or they have social media followers therefore they're not actually great dancers because they're just social media people. And I think lately a lot of the dancers that have been getting recognition are actually some of the best dancers.

And obviously sometimes there's like people you're like, oh, that person is not, like, you know, really that good, but yeah, sure go follow them and think they're amazing. But it's always been my goal to not really prove myself, but just to stay who I am and to kind of maybe connect to somebody. And I love storytelling, which is why I love acting as well. And I think that the reason why people have connected with me is because

I didn't shy away from the camera. It's hard because you just learned, you just learned choreography, you're like, I might forget it, and it's hard to kind of strip that away and focus on a camera and focus on storytelling. And for me, I just know that there's always a deeper message within dance, and whether it's an emotional dance, a happy dance, whatever, it can really connect to somebody and someone can feel relief from watching it, or maybe

I have a realization of what they're feeling. And and that's always something that I've wanted to do with my social media per se is to really keep it raw and honest. I don't want to put this facade up that's not really me. I don't want to put images up of me on my Instagram that aren't what I really look like. I always want to keep it real. I'm not trying to be something I'm not, because the worst thing that could happen is somebody who needs me

in person. They're like, oh wait, what that's you? Your pot isn't ten ft? Why? Like what happened? You definitely love those fakes tunes when you like think they look like something and you're like, you don't look like black China. No, it's crazy, it really is. And that that like, but you're doing yourself a disservice, like you said, it's almost like, why do you even put yourself in that position? And

people do. Social media is hard, it's I mean, that's why people put these facades up is because I've actually been recently trying to stay away from my phone in general, because not that I thought I had a problem, but I was just like, Oh, this might be nice. I'm going to try it out, like a little social media cleansed thing where I'm only gonna go on for this amount of time per day and post what I need

to post and kind of exit off. Because we're constantly looking and trying to be involved in everything and everyone else rather than focusing on ourselves. And it's called the lot of people to have insecurities. And that's why I started the Self Love Sundays was because I recognized it

in myself. I was constantly searching other people and comparing myself to other people and seeing these Instagram models wondering why I didn't look like them, or seeing someone else dance and being like, oh I don't think I can do that or all of these other things, or these people have these opportunities that I wish I could have. And I found myself like which is ironic because I think a lot of people probably look at you and think the exact same thing. So it's really beautiful that

you're pointing that out. Because even someone like you, who's a series regular, you're getting booked on things. Halsey wants you to dance with her. I mean you have things going on that are incredible, for sure, And I think that that's why it's important for me to try to keep the message of like, I am so grateful and there's never, like any any situation that I'm not grateful for.

And but it's also important for me to showcase that it isn't always easy, because a lot of people think that these people have these lives that are so grand and then like, once you have this, once you achieve this, you're going to be happy. But then once you have it, you're not happy, and it's because you haven't really experienced the whole journey of it, and there's always ups and downs. This industry is really hard. It's not like a steady income.

It's always job to job to job. You never know when you're going to book it, so it's it's very high stress. And obviously I'm so thankful that I'm not I'm not working a job that I I don't love, I don't love to do. I'm fortunate that what I do and what I make money from is something that I do love. But it definitely is really hard, and it it's built for certain personalities that can can withstand it because it's as much as there's it's a small

world in a small industry. It's a very lonely industry. If you come out here, especially from out of state, there's you people come and go in your life because things are always changing and people are always trying to be something else or interests contrast or conflict with them.

And I've had so many people come in and out of my life because not that I think I'm so successful, but I think my my confidence in the fact that I believe that whatever efforts I put in, I can always make any outcome that I want, and I know that one day I'm going to make it in how I want to make it, and it's always up to me.

It has nothing to do with anybody else. And it's it's very intimidating to see somebody who's confident in their journey and confident in them and trying to love themselves, because if you don't feel that way, you you you feel a little insecure about it, and it's hard to

watch your friends get your dream job. I get that totally, but it's always been something that I've had to really seek out those people that are really going to support me and love me in every circumstance, and it's been hard because that sometimes I'm like, I don't want to tell anybody that I got this because I don't I don't want them to feel bad, like even though this is something I did work for, so it should be something that I should celebrate and people should also celebrate

and instead of turn away from be inspired by. And I find myself constantly inspired by my friends and all wakes of life, whether it be like my friends on tour with jave Alvin right now, and she's traveling the world, getting paid to travel the world and perform and do what she loves and and to me, that's that's amazing. That's living the life. That's one stepping stone closer to

what she wants to do. And it's just I want everyone to really like feel the love in the support in the community, because if we create a community, people can grow so much easier and there's not just one spot at the top. There's room for everybody. And I think that's something that people might think otherwise on but I've seen so many people succeed and I see so many people that put the work in. Might not come when you want it to, but it always does come.

In some shape or form, that satisfaction the success that you always want as long as you work hard, and you say a good person, that's really I think my key too. Yeah, what what is making it to you? Because I know that it's going to change probably every year. Right, you know, you may have never been a series regular, then all of a sudden you are, and that's like a moment. But then you're going to evolve and you're going to have another mountain that you want to climb.

What is making it or successful look like to you? When I was younger, it was different. It was booking a certain job or doing something else. But for me now, like especially because I'm in my twenties, I'm a young adult, I am not just I'm paying my own bills. Like

their stress of life. For me, it's always just to be happy in the process because a lot of times people place happiness on a certain accomplishment and then once you get it, then it's like okay, what now, Like I'm not I'm not happy, So I think, like exactly what you said. But my my my goals are constantly changing. I have life goals, I have I have relationship goals,

I have job goals. But I think the most important thing for me to do and the process is to really experience and be present in every moment in the the stepping stones, because even though like the success in the accomplishment is so great, like I learned so much more getting there than I did once I got it. So for me, it's just to really be open to everything and too kind of have to You have to think on your feet, you have to be ready for anything.

Life changes, the industry out here is constantly changing, and the rug will get pulled from underneath your feet. I wish I could put on my my resume like almost booked this, like was really close, but like no one even knows what I almost booked or how long I spent preparing for that job and then I didn't get it, because you only really promote your successes on social media, and that's all people can really see you as is

what you what you put out there. And for me, my goal is to be happy, but obviously there's career goals that I would like to accomplish as well, And yeah, I think it always changes. I think, what's your current career goal? To be a lead in a movie theater movie, so in a cinema that I mean, I think if we were to look at the trajectory, it seems like you're on that path. You really trying acting as a whole another monsters. Well, obviously you know what you're doing.

You wouldn't be booking series regulars. You would just be you know, dancing is incredible, but you would just be in that one lane. But you've kind of crossed over into bringing two talents together, which and it's working for you, right. And I think something that I've learned from being in this industry, and and because I started so young, I think I'm starting other things young as well. I've really seen that I can't just be a one trick pony. I need to be an entrepreneur. I need to have

all of I want to be a business. I want to I want to do all of these things before everyone else thinks to do them. And I think that's kind of what I've always tried to do, is to step outside what the norm is and to do things before other people do it too, maybe inspire people to do the same thing. And for me, I am trying to use my social media to actually promote positivity and maybe address certain things that people my age might be going through where people need to hear, or just little

tips and things that I've learned from my life. And and when I do these self love Sundays, I don't actually think I know everything, and it doesn't mean I'm always great at the things I'm talking about, but I always try to relate it to what's going on in my life currently, just to make it something that other people can relate to. So I want to start using

my success per se for inspiring other people. But then I'm also working on being a choreographing my own things and being a dancer in training, and then I also want to be an actress and I want to do that. And then I'm also integrating the fitness into me into my lifestyle, and I have a fitness program that I've been selling to people and helping transformations with that and

really learning about health. And I'm trying to manage my money properly before you know, you never know what's going to happen, and so that's why I really want to utilize all the time that I have and and utilize the materials that I have right now, because we we don't know if social media could die out it could be a MySpace thing and now it's not a big

thing anymore. And it's you're so evolved and already grasp that concept because I think so many people and I hate saying influencer, but if you're an influencer and you are one, you have influence. It's just a fact. They think this is forever and and they'll be and there's nothing's forever. So you always have to think five steps ahead, and it seems like you're doing that. I'm really lucky too, because my family works with me on my business side.

So my older brother he kind of is like my personal manager, and he's he's always been so intelligent and he's really into business and marketing and stuff. So he's been really guiding me and helping me with all these things. And he always tells me that Jade, like, you can't just be on on Instagram. You have to really project yourself all over because once something's gone, like what's left,

will you still be remembered without that? And that's something that I always want somebody to look up to me without social media. I don't want it to be just because I have a certain amount of followers and I think the word influencer is often missed used, and I think so many people are categorized as influencers, but what are they influencing to be anorexic and not eat, or to go party and do all this thing, or just

to take selfies all the time. Like I really want to use what I have and actually influence people for the better. And it took me a while to realize how I wanted to do that, and so I just started incorporating things that happened my day in my daily life. And I know that I have so much to learn, and I think even social media and this industry is constantly teaching me different lessons, whether they're good or bad.

And I think it's really ultimately about how you bounce back from these hardships, because this industry, like everybody says thirty knows to one yes, and it's created the amount of Like if you guys knew how many self tapes or auditions in acting that I've done, and I've I've booked this one series, Like I would really hope so I booked something because otherwise I might need to change

my career. Bath But it is hard, and it's really hard to keep going and to keep inspiring yourself and pushing yourself and trying to see new areas that you can grow in, because a lot of people plateau, especially in dancing, there's you know, you go on tour or

you become a choreographer, Like what else is there? I just always like tried to be inspired by everyone and tried to learn something new and not really allow myself to settle, because once you settle, that's that's when you start opening yourself up to the same opportunities into the same outcomes as you're you're not really trying to even see anything else, and a lot of people see failure

is something so bad. But I've really like, if I look back, you know, I'm twenty, I haven't had that many things that are super crazy happened in my life, but there have been some things that really threw me off my game, like whether it be personal or job related. Looking back, those are actually like my favorite memories because I learned so much about myself in that process. And also when you when you get these nose or or you feel a certain way, whether you let's say you're

depressed right now. I used to never be able to relate to people that were like that I was like, why don't they just bounce out of it, like they still have so much There's so much great going on, and and I actually went through a period where I was stuck with who I was as a person and I was never letting it integrate into my business, which and my dancing in my career, which was Yeah, I'm pat myself on the back for that because it could

have really messed things up. But I felt lost and and I had to really push through and find that self love. And that's actually why I started self Love Sundays, was because I realized that I wasn't giving myself the same love that I was giving everyone else. I was filling everybody else's cups, but I wasn't allowing people in my life that were filling mine back. So I was just drained and I was empty, and I lost a bunch of friendships all at once, and I just felt

lost out here. I don't have my family out here, so it's it's really tough industry. You feel isolated. And I now feel like I have this compassion for people that are going through that, and I feel like I can relate in maybe approach different aspects of my life because of those lessons I learned in failure or whatever,

however you look at it. So it's just you know this, this is it's been a journey only twenty but you know it's nothing's easy, and I think it's good that nothing's easy because it breeds you for to be able to take on so much more. Do you attribute your success to this attitude? Because it seems like, first of all, you're very young, and it's not knocking. I'm not an agist, but for you to be so evolved and to understand these concepts, some people don't understand this till they're in

their forties fifties. They haven't be life crisis. They're like, oh, this is why this didn't work out for me. What do you attribute to this, this mentality, in this attitude. One thing that I've always believed was that I have the power to create or manifest any opportunity or any job or any goal in my life. And I've always really tried to hold onto that. Most importantly, I didn't want to change who I was, and I think I

was raised in an amazing way. And shout out to my family because they always taught me that it doesn't matter how much you have or where you're at in life, like down to the tea, Like it matters if you're a good person. And I think when you have good karma, good karma comes out into the world and you get you get gifts and and success is back because what

you put out is what you always get back. And yeah, you always see those people you're like, they don't deserve that, Like they didn't even work hard, they're not even a good person. But ultimately, it doesn't really matter what everybody else is doing. And that's something that I've definitely had to learn and I think that's helped me gain the success that I have, is to not be too involved

in everyone else's successes or opinions. And it's it's a very fine line of being selfish and selfless and really focusing on yourself. Like it there's you know, it's hard. Some people would cain, girls, oh, that's selfish if you don't care about anybody else. But it's not that I don't care about anybody else. But you just always have to put yourself first in the matter of what's going to benefit you as a person and your happiness and

your overall drive. And you need to surround yourself with certain people, and if there's people that you feel like are draining you or or you don't really deal with you, you should exit that situation and you need to leave. And I think that me just I've always been competitive with myself and not really with other people. And I think that's a a good characteristic that I've carried out

throughout my career. And I think that's something that's really pushed me to gain the success that I have is because it's never been about if someone else got something or if they have something over me. It's always been about what can I do to be better? And to be really honest with yourself. That's it's really hard. It's so hard to be like, oh, yeah, I really didn't do good. They're like, I need to assess how I handled that situation and I need to be better from that.

And to be brutally honest with yourself and your career path is really hard to because you have do you take a lot of pride in what you do and you don't want to fail and stuff. But unless you you recognize you your areas of weakness, there's no way

to make those strengths. And I think I've just really just tried to stay constantly evolving and evolving with this industry because the world is evolving, like everything is always changing around you, and it's it's really important to adapt to those changes and to embrace them and to really just like have your eyes set on where you want to go in life and recognize that it's okay to take left turns. Sometimes you take a couple of steps back as long as you're taking a couple of steps

forward afterwards. But yeah, I just have to I've always stayed motivated and I don't let things get me down, which obviously there's those days where I'm just like this sucks, like dang it, like man, life sucks. But I really have to like pull myself out of that, and I've

been really focusing on that. Anytime I get any negativity or any thoughts in my head, I really have to pull myself out of that and start thinking about everything that I do have, because, like you said, like many people, I would love to have the life that I have, and I always have to realize that that, like everything that I do have is although I've earned it, I'm also very fortunate and very lucky to be where I'm at And it's all about timing too. I think I

came into the industry at a really great time. I came in and I started dancing. I was able to train under these amazing people, and then by the time social media came around, I was already adjusted to this lifestyle in this industry, and I got hit by social media at a great time where there was no other dancer that was getting popularity. So videos and dance choreography started getting popular and I was at the forefront of that.

So if I didn't come out to l a maybe at a certain time, I wouldn't have been in the same position. So everything's about timing. And I know that everything happens on its own time, and we all have our own path, and you really just gotta know that like everything happens for a reason. It's like one of my favorite quotes of life, Like everything happens for a reason, whether it be something you don't really want, and that's something that I have conversations with all my friends or

like my family all the time. It's like you usually are in a bad situation when it's not necessarily something you want and it's something that you need a lot of times things happen happen to you and you're like, but I don't want that, so you fight it and you end up being in this bad relationship with whatever it is, this this opportunity or this situation, and you've got to really see that, like, it's not always going

to be about what you want. Sometimes you're going to veer off the path of what you thought was what you were going to do for life, and your life takes a different turn, and you just really have to embrace those turns and those you know, all these things that you don't necessarily want but you need. I don't want everything that happens to me, but I definitely think I needed it, and I feel like I've grown from it, and it kind of helps me tune and hone in on what I really want to do in my life

and ultimately for me, like I just want to. I want to. Everybody says it, but I really do want to make a difference in the world, and I want to once I have the means to be able to travel and give back to people and help. I'm a big naturehead, so I I'm a total hippie at heart. I want to be able to like plant trees and go to these different places and be able to help people and give back because ultimately, like this world when we when we all die, like, is it really going

to be measured about like what accomplishments we have. It's it's more about how we change the world and how we changed other's lives. And and that's what I do love about social media. It's one of my favorite things about it is that we have the opportunity to connect with people from everywhere dancing. It allows me to have different countries and different convention people reach out to me and be like, hey, would you like to come teach

in this place? Hey, I get to go meet new people and inspire new people and embrace this new energy and see this new culture, and I get to travel and I get to do what I love. Like there's so many positives to social media. Obviously with everything, there's positives and negatives. But that's one of my favorite things about it is I can connect to some any different people and it's really cool. And you know, it's also kind of cool for for especially my mom loves it.

You know, she gets to always know what I'm doing, and and it connects with family and I'm grateful for that, but you know, it also is kind of like I get a look back on it sometimes sometimes I scroll all the way down and I'm like, oh, wow, I have gotten better. Like, you know, I think it's super important.

And with videoing and dancing, a lot of people see it as oh, you're just showing off, you know, like you're showing but like, I actually learned so much from every video that I post, and people don't know that I don't just post them a lot of times. I will watch them in slow motion and go through them super slowly and critique every little second of my dancing because I do. I want to be the best, Like why not be the best if you're capable of it?

And I've always thought that, like what are you waiting for? Like, and I have to inspire myself and motivate myself sometimes too, Like it's like when you haven't gone to the gym for a while, it's really hard to get back into it. But you just really have to motivate yourself to want to be better. You're not always going to be at your best, and that's okay. You should always have that motivation and inspiration to try to maintain that we're never

going to be perfect, but it's always a goal. So there's so many dancers on Instagram are posting videos all the time. It feels like in the last two years it kind of became like a trendy thing to do, right. What do you think sets your content apart from there's so much content out there and you have so many followers, what do you think sets your content apart from some of the others? And if you if you have some feedback or a tip to give somebody who wants to

be a dancer. And obviously being on social media has helped you book jobs and people find you there, So what advice would you give someone who wants to be the next Jade? For me, I think what has actually really like set me apart is I really embrace the story of it because people don't want to just watch for entertainment, They want to feel something. That's ultimately what we do. We do everything to feel something, We eat to feel full, we watch certain things to get a

certain emotion out. And for me, I really embraced the storyline of it. And I think what has set me apart from maybe other dancers and I can't really speak for everybody else because I don't know what they're thinking when they're dancing. But I'm really trying to be like honest when I'm dancing, and whether that's like a fun dance, I'm trying to tap into that a great memory or something like that. And for me, I never just put

out content because I need it. I really want it to be because I'm inspired by it or I feel like it could help somebody. And I don't just take classes that are because they're filmed, like I'll take certain classes that I really enjoy and I connect with and I can learn something from. So I think that the difference between I don't know, it's hard because there's so many amazing dancers that deserve all the light and but you're definitely different. You're definitely I mean, there's a difference

between you and a lot of the dancers. There's a reason why you're getting booked on things that others aren't. And I'm not knocking anyone, but there's something. I honestly think it's that I'm not trying to be anybody else. Yeah, you're super authentic. I mean it it comes across in all of your content. You're never trying to be the cool girl, which I really know what you are, but you are. I think that's what's so cool about you.

I saw so cool Amelia, Like no, but like seriously, I think that's what people really love, authenticity and you can't fake that. And I think with social media there's like a certain stigma that you have to be something, You have to be a certain person to be a social media influencer or what do you think that person is that people think they have to be. You have to be perfect. They don't want to see that you're silly.

They want to see that you have You're pretty, and you're always put together and you you only do this. And there's certain lanes like I'm the funny person, or I'm that pretty person, or I'm this person, or I'm the you know, there's so many different categories. But like I think I'm all of those things combined, and I

can be all of those things combined. And and I did realize for a while that after my videos were posted, like I have this alter ego when I dance, I call her Jo It's not actually Jade because I get really serious when the music comes on because I'm so inspired by music. I love music. And that's why I think I love dancing so much, is because I love the feeling that I get when listening to it, and

I want to portray that with movement. And I think like a lot of people are like, oh, like, you're actually nice, because I can come across intimidating if I'm doing like a serious dance or like something like maybe it's a heels class, like people might think I think

I'm something I'm not. So I always make sure that I use my social media to show all aspects of my life and all aspects of my personality because I'm not just one thing, and I don't have to be just one thing, and I want people to know that, like you can you can put like on a little show, but you can still be a good and humble person afterwards. You can go and do a solo and get called out in this awesome class which is so cool, but then come back down to earth right back after it.

And also I like to post things like even when I mess up, because it's important for people to know that I'm not perfect, because nobody is, and everybody messes up. And and I think that in regards to a little message for aspiring dancers and aspiring artists. I think it's super important for you to really utilize the means that we have now social media, or if you're not in l A and you don't have the opportunity to come to this place where it's the land of opportunity, to

really make the best of your situation at home. To train in every style because you never know which style you need. I trained in ballet, tap, lyrical, contemporary, jazz, I have a little bit of salsa, even acrobatics and all of these things and hip hop. You need to know you're you need to know your career. You need

to know what you're trying to pursue. Otherwise, how are you going to be able to tell a true story if you're not even speaking the truth because you don't know this movement or you have to know your history. Just like when you're doing a job, you need to go to school for it. This is your school, taking classes your school. So I would just really suggest to train in every style and to stay consistent and stay

honest with yourself. And if you don't have somebody filming you, ask somebody to film you on your phone and to study it and to to try to become better after each video. And if you don't have the opportunity to stay in l A and you come learn a class. If you think I didn't get all the moves, dang it, like how did they learn that so fast? Like I'm not there yet. Take that combo and take it back home and keep rehearsing it every day until you feel like you have perfected it in how you want to.

And I think it's just to stay motivated, and you have to keep pushing yourself and keep realizing new areas and watch people that inspire you and don't try to copy them, because I think a lot of people are Even in the dance industry, it's always like trends of movement that happened, Like now it's like the super hardful out trend. Now everybody's doing slinky like wavy movement, and I'm like, why can't we just do it all all

at once? And That's what I've always tried to do, is I see these people that inspire me, and instead of like, oh, I want to be like them, I'm like, Wow, that was really cool. What what about them could I add to me that would that would work well with what I already have going and just to really try to be a like a jack of all trades and to you know, be well rounded and and to really keep growing because there's always different ways that you can

keep getting better. And I think that that's super important to remember, even if you don't have the opportunity to come out to l A, to utilize the social media. Watch these answers that you love and figure out why they why you love them, and see what you can apply to yourself. So on the outside looking, and I think it'd be easy for somebody to have the common misconception, like you said, like, oh, Jade's got it easy. All these things happen. They don't know that you've been here

since twelve, the age of twelve, dancing since too. You've had a lot of big wins, but there have been days that you didn't win, and there have been days that you probably wanted to quit. How did you get out of that mind frame and show up to class the next day? Honestly for me, because yeah, it is. That is one thing that I would like always tell people, like no, like it isn't. It isn't easy. Just because it looks easy. You only get to see a glimpse

of my life through social media. You don't really know who I am, you don't know what I'm going through, and no one wants to hear the bad days, so people only showcase their great days, you know, like I slept on floors, shared meals, Like I didn't get to go to school and have that normal life of being a kid. I had to grow up really fast, and those are certain things that I had to sacrifice, but

I would do it all over again. And I think when I have these these like let downs, are these these failures or whatever it is in my eyes that didn't go well, I I just really have to tell myself. First of all, I let myself feel the feeling, because I've always been bad at that. I've always kind of internalized my emotions and I'm like, nope, can't be sad.

I'm good, I'm good, I'm fine, I'm fine. But then eventually the things pile up and I have this big, you know, big panic attack or something like that where I'm like, oh, like everything's wrong, but like really it's just built up emotion. So I really let myself feel the emotion of of not having what I want, and I allow that to be okay. I give myself that day to really sit in it, to to you know, like allow myself to be sad, but to realize that

that means that it just wasn't meant for me. And I think that's always what I have to keep in my mind, is that if I didn't get something, it wasn't meant to be mine. And it's a hard pill to swallow. It's it's a kind of an ego bruiser, but it's it keeps me going that I know that something else is on the horizon. And it's always when people have these really hard times that these great things

happen for me. When I had my my little moment at the end of this last year beginning of this year, I ended up getting Halsey right after, and during the process, I was like, why did this happen to? Like why am I in this place? Like why am I so negative? I don't see a way out. I at the time, I didn't have an apartment because I just got back from filming in Atlanta and I gave up my apartment,

so I didn't have my own space. I didn't feel I wasn't sleeping enough, Like it was just all these pile of things, and I didn't know why this was happening to me, and I didn't know why I wasn't happy because I still had so much to be grateful for. And then, although like I was in this depressed state, I was still fighting to be better. I wanted to be happy and I wanted to figure out what it

was that wasn't making me happy. And once I started allowing myself to embrace that side of me, but to see the positive and the positive, the silver linings of everything, that's when I got this great job and I was able to actually you is those emotions that I was going through in the story that I told with Halsey.

That was a beautiful performance, by the way, and you've got a lot of a lot of press for that because it was just I think it really resonated with a lot of people, and for me, with that job like it was, it was such an honor to tell such an important story. And that's why I respect Halsey so much, is because she utilizes her platform to actually address things that need to be addressed. You should be able to love whoever you want and there should be

no judgment on that. And I love that her music video had a mail, but then she used the female for this story. And I also love that she's so confident and loving of herself that she's able to share her light with somebody else. It's also not like even on beyond the story that we were telling, in the message that we're portraying as a dancer, that's huge. No dancer has ever been put on an equal level as

the artist. Were always behind them. You were performing with you, guys were rumming together, and that's what I love about it. And she was so willing to do that. She didn't She doesn't always dance, so she was like, oh, this is nervous, nerve wracking for me too. And I'm like, were you teaching her how to dance? We we had, we had a choreographer for the job, but she already could move, really killed it. She's amazing. So I was like, Okay,

I mean, you were clearly the dancer, but she killed it. No, she's she's amazing, And I think she's like really tapping. I have such a crush on her, I haven't I were going down that like maybe I'd consider it. I would too. I don't really follow a lot of celebrities, but She's somebody that I love following because she just

doesn't give a ship. She's so authentically all the time, unapologetically herself, and I love that about her, and I hope that artists start doing that more because I think it's really empowering, especially for this new generation that to me, feels kind of lost, like everyone's like who am I? What am I? A Jake Pauler, like everyone who's just

you know, like whatever into ay, whatever trend is. And then you see someone like Halsey, who one minute she's doing a pop song, the next minute she's doing like alternative rock, which is so incredible. And also like from a dancer perspective, you don't get treated very well on tours or things like that. Dancers are kind of like at the bottom of the food chain in that sense, we don't make nearly as much money as artists or actors or singers were probably at the bottom of that.

But I also think it's one of the most physically demanding, So it's it's always been unfair like, oh, like, why are we all in one trailer when I like, one time I was on a show and we're dancing and they, let's say, upgraded me and I had a line. I got my own trailer, people asking me what I needed. But before I was in this hot room with fifteen other dancers that was the same size as my my room that I had now by myself. It's it's like and you you're like always like okay, you gotta keep going,

like hey we're going again. You're like I need a breath, like my body is gonna die, like and people don't realize that. And and a lot of people just think that because dancing is so entertaining, it's kind of like a dance monkey dance, Like they don't realize like, no, this is this is hard, Like even with Step Up, because we incorporate so much dancing into it. I think like even the producers and and everybody on the set had to learn that, Like our time is very valuable.

Our bodies are valuable because you can you can't do this forever. You can't just do take after take after take. And what I love about Halsey as she made sure all my needs were met. She's like, oh, do you need your nails done? Like I'll have my my nail artists come get your nails done. And no one would ever do that She's like, oh, come chilling my trailer and I'm like, wait, wait what you don't want me outside? Like no, like co hang out or like make sure

she's there. And I did the Billboard Awards with her recently and I was in dancer holding before and and all the people that were working with Billboard were like, no, you can't. You can't go backstage with her. You can't go there. And she's like, I was like no, but like my outfit is in her trailer and they're like, yeah,

we'll bring it out. And then she sent one of her people to come get me so that I could come into this zone with all the artists and everything, and and honestly, like it's kind of crazy, Like no

one does that for for dancers. And that's why I respect her so much as she she knows her worth, but she doesn't think she's better than anybody in that sense where I think that's this industry has a lot of people who have entitlement issues, and I you, right, and you know I've never interviewed one of those, right, you know, ultimately, like we're all on the same level if you strip all the like fluff in the sparkle away from everyone. We're all just human beings, so like

we should all be treated fairly. And I think that's like something that she's great about. And she really just sees like passion and genuine energy and people. And that's what I love about her too, is I see the same and I'm attracted to people that are genuine. I'm attracted to people that are going to add to my life rather than try to keep me down because they want to succeed and it's hard, but we can all grow together. And I think that's what she's doing for us.

And she's opening up this whole world for dancers and for artists to utilize dancers in a whole another way because we really are artists in our own sense too, and we we can really portray a story and really help with the performance rather than just cater to them.

You know. So, so you you're booking these incredible opportunities like the Halsey opportunity, and you have these series regulars, There's going to come a point in your career, I'm assuming where there's going to have to be I don't want to say you have to choose between one or the other, but dancing, like you mentioned, requires so much maintenance, Like you can't just say I'm gonna go do a movie for a year and then not dance, and you know, you kind of have to focus on one thing. Is dance?

Do you envision it always being a part of your package or is it something that do you have a game plan in that sense? Honestly, for me, my career is definitely going in more of the acting side, so that's definitely what I want to be my thing. But dancing is just kind of like at this point a part of me. I dance all the time. When I hear music, I can't help but to move. So for me, I don't think I've gotten to a certain point where

I don't need a train anymore. But I have trained enough where I think that if I were to step away from it and it wasn't my goal to be the best, greatest dancer ever, I would still have it

in my life. There's always ways to take class, and even when I'm in Atlanta filming or if I'm in New York, there's there's classes that I can go take just to dance, and I can also turn on music and dance for myself and film myself freestyling or I can choreograph while I'm not on set, so I definitely want to pursue more the acting, But there is like I've always been a little a little like scared that

I'm gonna have to give it up. But for me, it's it's just a part of who I am, Like I'm always going to be a mover and I'm always going to be genuine with that, and it's always going to be something that's special to me. But that doesn't

mean that it can't branch off into different ways. And for me, it's actually helped me with my acting career because ultimately I want to be like a heroin action, badass female superstar, movie star, like I want to do like Avengers roles, like I want to do all my own and Avengers have to do some choreographing, so like you already have that down. The fighting is all choreographed.

But actually my first job as an actress was for three hundred the second three hundred, and I got to sword fight and they were actually very impressed with how I was able to learn the sword choreography because for me, it's like movement, like I'm learning the choreography. It was easy for me to retain and to kind of mimic how they were doing it, and they're like, yeah, like

and and that's what they kind of realized. They're like, oh, like, you can't just tell her to do it, like show her and she'll be able to really mimic how it is, because that's what we do as dancers. We are learning choreographer choreography from what's one person, and we're mimicking how they're doing it, and then we're adding us into it after and so I think it really helps me with

where I want to go. And I've always been super sporty and kind of I have two older brother there, so I'm definitely more of a tomboy than I am a girly girl in that sense. I want I don't care to get dirty. I want to be like I want to get beat up in a film. I want to you know, I want to beat somebody else up

in a film like. I want to utilize my strength, and I think that's also what I have in dancing that kind of sets me apart, is I have this strength behind it, and I utilized my athleticism into the dancing as well. Because it's for me. I want to be like a real life superhero if that was possible. So I'm gonna do everything my power to do it. And that's why I love fitness as well. There's just so many aspects in my life that I think are all kind of helping me to really go down the

path of acting. And I think dance will always be there no matter what. Well, I'm just going to speak for myself, but I feel like there's nothing that's stopping you from anything that you put your mind too. And you know, this last hour of talking to you, I think we've all learned some things. And right really though, like I people think that I don't get like even like a couple of weeks ago, I got told like

I was going back and forth to New York. I was getting flown out for this like acting to be a lead on a series that would have changed my life. Literally it would have changed my life. And I got told no, and I was like what why? And like instead of like sitting there and soaking, like I actually started filming myself. I was like, guys, I'm really going

through it right now. But I want you to know I'm gonna push through this, like I want people to realize like I do get told no, Like you know what I mean, But it really there's just always like a bigger plan or a bigger opportunity waiting around that. I mean literally every every super A list person that I've I look up to where I've interviewed, has always said that they've been told no more than they've been told yes. But it's those few yes is that are

game changers. So the nose don't really matter in the big picture of the knows don't matter, and they're all learning lessons to Like, I learned so much auditioning for that part, Like I actually think I got the best acting lessons of my life I've ever had, So like, I'm like, now I can utilize this for the project that I am going to book. So well, I feel like if we called you back a year from today,

we have a lot of new content and new stories. No, I really, I really feel that from you, and I think it takes a very unique type of person with a type of attitude, and that's why we want to do on this show, because not only are you successful in the lanes that you are choosing to focus on, but you're also influencing in a positive way the people that are following you. So I think that's really inspiring

and it makes me happy for our future. Doesn't make me as scared as certain I will not name names, but some people scare me. I'm scared for our future, but you give me a little bit of hope. But yeah, so congrats on everything you have going on. Make sure you come back in a year when you've booked that like next Avengers when they decide to redo it even though they said they wouldn't, and they will, and you'll be the lead. But yeah, thank you so much for

stopping by. I mean, I feel like we just so much. Yeah, I talked a lot, but it was good, like no, no, it was a gift from God, like so many good nuggets, lots of good content. We hope you guys enjoyed. Jade say your last night for us? One more? Did you get that? Guys, that's chanoff. Don't mess it up on my watch? All right. We'll see you guys next time or listener here. I don't even know. I'm so not used to not being on camera. I'm like, I'll see you,

but but I won't see you anyway. Bye. Behind the Influences, a production of I Heart Radio and TDC Media