Today we’d like to introduce you to Jasmyn Griffin.
Hi Jasmyn, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My name is Jasmyn Griffin, and I’m originally from Columbia, South Carolina. I moved to Dallas, Texas, in 2021, and after moving here, I really wanted to find new hobbies, build community, and find things that made Dallas feel a little more like home.
Line dancing has always been something I’ve loved. Growing up, I was doing all of the old-school line dances—the Wobble, Cupid Shuffle, Biker Shuffle, K-Wang, and so many others. But over the last few years, I’ve watched trail ride line dancing really take off and become its own culture and community. Back home in South Carolina, there’s a huge line dancing community, especially one that DJ Payme has helped cultivate over the years. When I moved to Dallas, I wanted to find that same type of community here, but I really couldn’t find a group that represented exactly what I was looking for.
I started attending different local line dance events, and over time, I noticed that I kept seeing some of the same women showing up. Eventually, I decided to reach out to a few of them—my “original eight blazes,” as I jokingly like to call them—and simply asked, “Would y’all be interested in starting a line dance group together?”
That’s really how Southern Blaze Steppaz was born. It started with me trying to create my own little piece of home here in Dallas and finding people who shared the same love for line dancing and community. What started as a simple idea has grown into something much bigger than I originally imagined, and it has been amazing watching that happen.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I definitely wouldn’t say it has been a completely smooth road. Starting your own business comes with a huge learning curve, and over the past year, I’ve learned just as much about myself as I have about running Southern Blaze Steppaz.
One of the biggest lessons has been learning how to work with so many different personalities and navigate the entertainment industry—understanding who genuinely has your best interest at heart, who doesn’t, and how to move accordingly. There has also been the challenge of navigating the industry as a woman, especially in spaces that can still be very male-dominated. Through all of that, I’ve had to learn how to stand firm in our vision and make sure we stay true to who we are as a group.
There’s also a balancing act that comes with what we do. We’re in the business of creating experiences for people, so whether we’re hosting our own event or working with someone else, there are a lot of moving pieces. I want the venues we work with to be happy, I want our guests to have a great experience, and I also want the people in my group to feel valued and enjoy being a part of what we’re building.
It has definitely been a journey finding our footing, but it’s been a good one. Every challenge has taught me something, and I can genuinely say I’ve grown into a better leader and businesswoman because of it.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Southern Blaze Steppaz?
Southern Blaze Steppaz is a Dallas-based line dance organization that really sits at the intersection of dance, entertainment, community, and Southern culture. Of course, line dancing is at the center of what we do, but I’ve always wanted us to be bigger than just a group of people who dance together. We perform, teach line dancing, host events, collaborate with other organizations and brands, and create experiences that bring people together.
I think what sets us apart is our energy and the culture we’ve built around the group. Our motto is “Built on Family. Fueled by Fire.” and that really represents who we are. We take what we do seriously, but we also genuinely enjoy one another. When you see Southern Blaze Steppaz at an event, I want you to feel that energy. Whether we’re performing, teaching a room full of people, or just out supporting another event, we want people to feel welcomed and have a good time with us.
We also bring our own Southern flavor to the Dallas line dance scene. Because my roots are in South Carolina, I’ve been able to take some of the culture and experiences I grew up around and blend that with the culture that already exists here in Texas. At the same time, the members in SBS come from different backgrounds and bring their own personalities and styles to the group, so we’ve been able to create something that feels uniquely ours.
Brand-wise, I’m probably most proud of how much we’ve grown while still staying true to why I started the group in the first place. We’ve had opportunities to perform, teach, host our own events, travel, be on television, collaborate with other organizations, and give back to our community. Seeing people recognize the Southern Blaze Steppaz name and genuinely want us to be a part of their events is something I don’t take for granted.
More than anything, I want people to know that Southern Blaze Steppaz is about community. We love line dancing, we love entertaining, and we definitely know how to have a good time, but there’s a bigger purpose behind what we’re building. I want SBS to be a space where people can come together, make connections, experience Southern culture, and leave feeling like they were part of something—even if it was only for one night.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
I would say resilience, paired with a strong work ethic. Even from a young age, I’ve always pushed myself to work hard and be the best that I can be. I have a pretty long history of doing things that people told me I couldn’t do—or that they didn’t expect me to do—and not only doing them, but pushing myself to excel at them.
That same mentality carries over into Southern Blaze Steppaz. I push myself, but I also push my group. Sometimes that means saying, “Hey, I know we’re tired, but we need to practice.” Sometimes it means getting on the road, showing up for an event, or locking in and focusing when we may not necessarily feel like it. I believe that if we want people to take what we’re building seriously, then we have to be willing to put in the work behind the scenes.
I think you can see the results of that in how far SBS has come. When we step into an event, I want people to know that Southern Blaze Steppaz is there. We want to make a statement, and that doesn’t happen by accident. It comes from the hours of practice, preparation, sacrifice, and commitment that people don’t always get to see.
So, while resilience has helped me keep going regardless of the challenges or what people may have said I couldn’t do, I think hard work has ultimately been one of the biggest contributing factors to my success. I’ve learned that you can have all the talent and great ideas in the world, but you still have to be willing to put the work behind them.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Southernblazesteppaz.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southernblazesteppaz?stkn=MTh6N2F4YXdoMjF1Ng==
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1Ek6A33QeX/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@southernblazesteppaz?_r=1&_t=ZP-99WWAvG4tX4
