moving, so she thought, “This kid is going to be a dancer. There’s nothing else he can do.” Turns out, this IS the only thing I can do! My parents were in theater, so I think that’s part of my draw to performing. I think it’s in my genes. What do you aspire to do? My teachers joke that when they’re old and retired, I’ll be running the studio. But when I’m out of college, I’d like to audition for professional dance studios and Broadway musicals before getting into teaching. So there’s a lot of things I hope to do. What’s your typical dance week look like? Mondays, I take an hour-and-a-half of ballet and an hour-and-a-half of modern. Tuesday is one of my teaching days at the studio, so I help with the little kids from 3:30pm-8pm and then from 8pm-9pm I’ll take my Broadway jazz class. Wednesdays I teach from 4pm to 7:30pm, then sometimes, if there are dances that need to be finished, we’ll call rehearsal until 8 or 9pm. Thursdays I dance from 4pm-9pm. And Saturdays are my very long day, where I can be there from 9am to 9pm. That’s a lot. When do you do schoolwork? My parents have always been strict about homework, but they also know I’m a hard-working student. If I don’t get it done, I will be mad at myself. I panic more than them! I can get very worked up over due dates, but, fortunately, my teachers are very understanding of my work schedule. I missed a history assignment recently and I was so upset, but my teacher said, “Trust me, Jackson, after what you’ve been through recently with competitions and musical rehearsals and the broken ankle, I understand.” They know I will turn it in. What is it about dance — which is so demanding — that keeps you in it? There is the athletic piece, and there is the self-expression component. And I love all of that. But because of the studio I go to, what I love so much is the positive energy that dance gives everyone. We’re very supportive of one another. You can mess up, but at the end we’ll all be hugging you and saying, “You did great! Don’t even worry about it!” I would say the most important thing, and the thing that appeals to me most, is that supportive energy and connection with everyone. Your dad Terry writes the Exit Zero weekly Undertow column. How’s it feel to be the son of a famous Cape <strong>May</strong> columnist? It’s very cool! Though I don’t always acknowledge it. exit zero 28 april-may We’ve been hearing about the millennial generation for so long. Focus is now starting to shift to Gen Z in a big way. What do you think the principal value of your generation will be? We’re very determined. For me, it’s getting certain steps down or learning certain styles of dance. But all my peers are the same way. We want to work hard, and we know if we put our minds to it, whatever it is, we’ll be good. Do you think there’s still a stigma around guys in ballet. Or is that eroding? It’s still there, but I don’t think it’s as noticeable as it used to be. Reality TV dance competitions have helped with that. And I’ve seen male dancers going viral or appearing on the Ellen DeGeneres show. I played a dancer and choreographer in this year’s high school musical, a murder-mystery-comedy called Curtains which had a lot of dancing in it. My brother Owen was in the show as well, and he said to me, “After this, I have so much respect for what you do.” It’s cool to see how people have a better appreciation for guy dancers and male ballet dancers in particular. Who are your heroes? My parents. Also my dance teachers. They’ve been my second parents since I was five. I owe them all so much.
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