Today we’d like to introduce you to Jana Mitchell.
Hi Jana, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
When I was two years old, I started taking ballet, tap, and jazz classes in Lewisville, Texas until I was in 8th grade. I had become very involved in school as co-captain of the cheerleading squad, a member of the newspaper staff, president of the student council, and an aid in the office. But as the school year went on, I realized I was miserable without dance. That summer, I returned to dance and never looked back.
I was a part of the studio’s dance company and performed around the metroplex at least once a week. My freshmen year, I went to Marcus High School and was a lieutenant on the Marquette Drill Team. I ended up auditioning for Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing Arts and was accepted. I attended school my sophomore year by riding the DART bus and then driving from Lewisville to Dallas my junior year. My senior year, I returned to Marcus due to my dad losing his job because we could no longer afford the out-of-district tuition. I then went on to graduate from Marcus, where all three of my children also graduated from.
While still at Booker T., I started teaching dance at the local YMCA. The classes were taught in a small, tiled preschool room. There were no mirrors, and the floor was slippery for tap shoes. I had 22 students in my first year. By my senior year, I had amassed 120 dancers. My dream up until this point of my life was to pursue a career as a commercial dancer in Los Angeles and found myself in a dilemma.
The choice was made for me when my dad surprised me with a studio space right after my high school graduation. I took most of the 120 dancers from the YMCA with me and founded my first dance studio, Dancin’ Feet. My first studio was just a lobby and one dance room. I was fortunate enough to have plenty of dancers from day one. By year three, I had a waiting list for classes, and I started a performing company that went on to become a renowned competing company.
I owned my studio for 17 years and had the best teachers on staff and the best parents and dancers. Dancin’ Feet was even named a “Top 50 Studio” in the nation by Dance Spirit Magazine. Dancers drove to Lewisville from all over to take part in our company. I had devoted dancers that lived in DeSoto, Mesquite, and Bedford who commuted 5 days a week. Their commitment to the company was a huge reason why our dancers did so well.
After 17 awesome years, I closed the studio during a tumultuous divorce. Due to my schedule of working nights and weekends, I was worried about the custody of my young kids.
Because of this, I didn’t teach for several years, but eventually, I picked up some hours at a local studio where my oldest took classes. Slowly, I began to get immersed in the industry again and found a group of dancers that reminded me of the golden age of my career. These six young women inspire my art in the best way, so I decided to rent space and work only with them.
The timing couldn’t have been better. I had recently been diagnosed with EPI and sucrose intolerance. The stress from teaching at big studios was too much for my health. Once I started JMDance Company, things fell into place. I rented space from a local gymnastics gym and got my dancers set up with their external P.E. program. They take tumbling lessons once a week and I get to work with the gymnastics team. The staff at Excite Gym and Cheer is wonderful. They have accepted us into their family. So now I have six dance members ranging from 13-17 years old.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Social media has changed the dance industry more than anything else in the last 30 years of my career. Now, dancers as young as 10 are expected to have a digital portfolio with headshots, action shots, video footage, and ambassadorships. The kids they are competing against sometimes have 30,000 followers on Instagram and are treated like celebrities at conventions and competitions. This has added a whole new element to my role as a company director. I now am responsible for helping these young girls navigate the digital world professionally while I’m still learning how it all works myself. However, it has been fun to watch them get creative and have fun with it.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
The most rewarding part of my career is seeing what my past dancers have gone on to accomplish. I have one dancer go on to be a creative producer on The Voice and American Idol. She has worked with every major artist imaginable: Mariah Carey, Justin Timberlake, Jason Derulo, to name a few. She has appeared on every award show and can be seen in films and commercials. I’ve had multiple dancers go on to be professional dancers for NBA and NFL teams, appear in Broadway musicals and films, others that own their own dance studios or continue to teach dance around the country. I also have dancers who have become entrepreneurs in PR, talent agencies, musicians, and even a few lawyers. Dance is a great way to learn discipline, focus, and teamwork.
I take great pride in working directly with each dancer that I teach. I understand that each child walks into the dance room with their own struggles in life. It is my job to connect with them on a deeper level to get the best out of them. My hope is that I can have a positive impression on them and help motivate them to be the best person they can be.
I’m known for being strict and expecting nothing but the best from my dancers. I love to see a child realize that they have more in them than they even know. Seeing how proud they are of themselves motivates me to put 100% into my dancers.
The group that I have now is a dream. They work so hard, and their families are very supportive. Our competition season starts soon and their commitment to class will show on stage.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Success to me is seeing my dance program work. Not only are my dancers good at what they do in dance, I want them to build a better relationship with their parents and other family members. I want them to get involved in the community. I want to help them learn to be good people and grow into healthy, happy adults.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: jmdance_company
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/JMDanceCompanyTX
- Other: jmdance_company (tiktok)
Image Credits
JMPhotography
Brian Balloon Photography
