How old were you when you started dancing?
"4 years old! In the country at a local Barn dancing school!"
Tell us about your training. Where, who with, what styles etc?
"At 8 years old I started at the Rosebud Ballet School. At 12 I attended the Victorian College Of The Arts. At 16 I joined the Australian Ballet school. At 17 I was touring with the best dancers in the country in show called Dancing Man."
What was your first professional job?
"Dancing with Whitney Houston and Frank Sinatra at the opening of Sanctuary Cove for David Atkins."
What has been a favourite on stage or professional moment?
"Oh so so so so many moments! How can one choose just one? Chicago - Devine. A Chorus Line - very special. Dancing Man - my first show. The Rhythm of Life - my last show!"
What do you wish you had known as a young dancer that you know now as a professional, or what advice to can you give to young dancers in training?
"Be versatile. The more strings to your bow the more likely you are to work. Don’t be myopic about styles! Be the dancer that gets every job! My mentor called me a “one percentor” 1%. When I asked him what that meant he said it is the person who gets 99% of the jobs the auditions for! This is my strongest advice to younger versions of myself! Be the right person for 99% of the work!"
What advice would you give to dancers who want to become professional?
"Work out what is unique about you as a performer and exploit it! What is your point of difference? What makes you special? Know your limitation. Plus...... technique technique technique technique! This will sustain you a long career as styles come and go!"
What does 2019 hold for you?
"Creating work for dancers! Driving the best production house and production team in the country. Travelling the world delivering corporate and world scale events. Delivering and producing white night! Procuring and creating for the major TV networks. Writing and producing my own shows. Focusing on the next generation of possible performers at my studio." Jason has performed/appeared in:
1. Olympic Games Ceremonies in Sydney, Doha, Manchester, Glasgow.
2. Performed, choreographed, and or dance captained in 18 Broadway musicals.
3. Produced and choreographed for all three major TV networks
4. I featured as a motion capture performer in “Happy Feet”!
5. Choreographed, performed and toured the world with Tina Arena, Chaka Kahn, C and C music factory.
6. Worked and choreographed for Sony Music Australia incorporating nearly every major pop artist in the country for well over a decade.
and he will be teaching at VDF2019! Do not miss his classes!