We had the good fortune of connecting with Jasmine Huang and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jasmine, what do you attribute your success to?
It’s hard to pin it down to only one factor, but if I had to choose I would say it was my resilience/adaptability. Any career path is going to be filled with ups and downs, and what defines who you are or how successful you become is how you choose to learn from your mistakes and grow, both as an artist and a human. My life experience prior to committing to a career as a professional artist, including my business school degree and my previous interest in medical science, and even my previous romantic relationships, all have molded me into the person that I am today. I pride myself in making a conscious effort on a regular basis to reflect on what I’ve learned in pursuit of being a happier, more successful person.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Since I can remember, I was told that the arts wasn’t a viable career option and was encouraged to be a doctor, which my mom was when she was in China (she and my dad immigrated to Canada when they were in their late 20s early 30s). I loved dance and studied it since I was young, but I struggled with the idea of being able to pursue it. In 2008 and 2009, I even received the highest score in Canada for the Beijing Dance Academy of Dance Examinations in Chinese dance.

At a certain point I had convinced myself I was not good enough and that it would be too difficult of a career option. So, I studied at Ivey Business School in Canada, a prestigious business school, and graduated and began working in the corporate world. Over the course of a year and a half, I realized that corporate life was not for me and that I truly loved dance. So, in August 2019, I had a career switch and have never looked back!

My family was not supportive at all at first, but after a few months of booking gigs and doing well for myself, they became warmer to the idea of me being an artist. And today, they are my biggest supporters!

I have since moved to New York City and graduated from Broadway Dance Center’s Professional Semester Program. I have gone on to dance for Kendrick Lamar, Disney+, and New York City based dance companies Royal Thieves, Gotham Dance Theater, J CHEN Project. This past summer I performed in The Music Man at Thousand Islands Playhouse. I continue to perform, teach dance, and choreograph my own works. My creative mission is to tell untold AAPI stories and amplify the voices of artists within this community.

A huge challenge I faced, a part from my family’s unwillingness to accept my career decision, was my own self doubt. From a young age I had convinced myself I wasn’t “good enough” to be a professional dancer. I had been told by others and even told myself I wasn’t skinny enough, tall enough, flexible enough, technical enough, and the list goes on. Even once I began my professional career, and even to this day, I would have a lot of moments of self doubt, fear, and anxiety surrounding my career. But I am very happy and proud to say that I work through those challenging times every time. My mental health journey has been a huge part of my life, and I continue to work through my past trauma and negative thoughts to be a better, happier person.

When I think about what is unique to me as a performer, I think of my versatility, my ability to captivate an audience, and being able to story-tell through movement. I am very fortunate to have had high-level training in many dance styles, including hip hop, contemporary dance, ballet, jazz, musical theater, heels, jazz funk, and Chinese dance. I also received intense acting, piano playing, and singing training. I can perform in music videos or on stage with an artist, dance with a contemporary dance company, perform traditional Chinese dance, or perform in a musical. In regard to what has been a factor in my success thus far, choreographers I worked with have described me as a breeze to work with because of how adaptable I am, my professionalism, and my creative ideas to help enhance the choreographic and rehearsal process.
To anyone that is debating whether or not to pursue their dream career, my biggest advice would be to surround yourself with people that support you and can help you grow as you go through the process of deciding and then actually realizing your dreams. It’s hard enough to make a decision that could change the direction of your life, and it only makes it harder to move forward when there are voices around you doubting and questioning you. You are truly a product of the people that you surround yourself with, and I would not be where I am now without the support of certain people early on in my career.

As a choreographer, my work reflects my multi-faceted abilities, to include original dance choreography, music, and acting dialogue. A lot of the work I have created, such as a short-film called “To My Parents’ Generation of Chinese-Canadians: Why Black Lives Matter” and the live performance “Imagining You”, tell my unique story as a Chinese Canadian with a strong hold on my Chinese roots, having grown up studying Chinese dance and music from a very young age, while full understanding North American life as a Canadian-born and raised person.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would love to dedicate my Shoutout to the incredible community of people that have guided me, believed in me, and supported me through all the ups and downs I’ve been through. That includes my parents, my brother Justin, my partner Matt, all of my teachers and mentors that have helped me progress while I was in Toronto, my many mentors in New York with a special thanks to Neil and Deshawn, the many choreographers and artists I have worked with thus far, and all of the wonderful friends I have made along the way.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jasminehuang__/

Image Credits
Jenna Maslechko, Christine Abbate, Willy Airaldi, Dave Hawks, Alexei Malakhov, Michael Pham, Hilary Gauld

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