Jay Leon, Providence-based Dance Artist and founding participant of Choreography Project
- womenschoreography
- Mar 31
- 5 min read
written by Daniella Pozo
Click here for more information about Daniella.
Jay Leon, has been part of Choreography Project since the organization’s beginning. Jay grew up in Providence and developed a strong background in ballet which would eventually lead her to pursue self-expression through various dance styles. Leon’s current practice has pushed her to grow as a teacher and a student, incorporating street styles and hip hop into live performances and social media presence. In 2023, she created ““Whatever that Means,” a performance which considers love and connection in all its variable forms for Choreography Project’s annual showcase.
This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Who are you? How would you describe yourself and your background with dance?
Who I am always feels loaded, but in regard to dance, I have danced my whole life. I started when I was two at a recreational studio. I was doing dance competitions at seven, but not super intensely. Then around nine or ten, I started taking extra classes at Festival, which is now called Ballet RI. That's where I started taking dance more seriously and realizing that it was something that I really loved. I fully transitioned to Festival Ballet for years. I think up until I was 14 or 15. It's where I was the most consistently throughout my childhood, so I definitely credit them significantly for my development as a dancer.
I ended up going to Marymount Manhattan College in the Upper East Side. I was only there for a year because I found out about a stress fracture in my lumbar in my lower back. And unfortunately, I just did not really have a support system of any kind in New York. So I ended up coming home, and it was when I came home that Choreography Project had started, and I think that was actually one of my first dance opportunities after Marymount. That sparked something in me. I remember being really excited to be dancing in a communal space.
What kind of community did you find at Choreography Project?
I really appreciate the community at the Choreography project. I think this last year with participating in the Artist Advisory Committee, I've felt a little more connected than I had in the past. Given the structure of Choreography Project, you’re really connecting with the people that you're cast with and the choreographer that you're working with. That is your community. It always feels like by the time that we're all in the space together, performing, it's this culmination of something that we've committed to for a couple of weeks. Sharing that space for a couple of days with everybody is nice and really worthwhile.
What was your creative process for choreographing “Whatever that Means”?
So like looking back onto that piece, it feels like an excerpt of something bigger. Love was very much on my mind. I feel like a lot of people make it more complex than it actually is. And I say that with a grain of salt because there's layers to love, but to me, I can love a stranger, I can love my best friend, I can love a life partner, I can love a parent. You know, there's some form of love that I can offer to anyone. That's where I was coming from with that piece wondering what is this thing that we all experience, influenced by?
The audio I created was the biggest part of the project. Thinking about what people are going to be hearing as this happens and how can I make sure that it registers in people's minds, when they hear it set to movement? For me, I dive into an idea or a concept until it's time to share it and then I just let it exist. I believe well, for one, that the things that we create don't go anywhere. You can always expand on them. You can always refine them, you can always recreate them if you want to. I've revisited things that I started when I was at Marymount ten years ago and they still register.
What does your dance practice look like right now?
Now, as a dancer, I have expanded a lot into contemporary styles. The concert world is always going to be the foundation for me. However, I've ventured more into street styles and hip hop. I'm part of a crew now that focuses on that and we have pretty extensive training. I say extensive because what we learn is very authentic to the styles and the integrity of the cultures and the history. That’s something that we leave classes being fully aware of, which a lot of dancers can't say nowadays. Now I focus more on choreography. But I taught for years. I taught as a kid! Now I'm more focused on choreography and how I can develop myself as a brand. I want people to be able to look at my work and be like, “I know who did this.”
Tell me more about your crew, how often does that group perform?
I mean, aside from my six month old son, that is my favorite part of my life right now. The crew is called Livelihood, and this is the biggest year that Livelihood has ever had. We do have a show in March called Connect that happens annually and we do both of our sets there. There are other artists from all over New England and beyond the East Coast that can submit to showcase their work too so it really is about connection. This year I was selected to showcase a piece at the Connect show. So I am in the process of figuring that out.
What’s next for you?
I have a really long term plan for myself. Right now, I'm focused on film and getting my choreography in front of cameras. But again, what I love about the Choreography Project is that it's an opportunity to keep my artistry both as a creator and a performer balanced so that I'm not boxing myself into one specific thing. I will always come back to Choreography Project for as long as I'm allowed. At this point, I'm really proud to say that it's something I've been a part of from the beginning because the evolution is something that I couldn't have imagined when I first got involved. It's a place to grow and a place to practice utilizing your voice in a way that feels efficient to you. The platform that they offer artists is definitely valued and something that I hope that they can continue to do and expand on. It could be really, really beneficial to the community for them to grow even more. To me, it's one of the places that feels like home at this point and I think a lot of other artists deserve to feel that and experience that.
Summary
Jay Leon, has been part of Choreography Project since the organization’s beginning. Growing up in Providence, she developed connections to other organizations early on in her career as a dancer. In 2023, she choreographed the piece “Whatever that Means” during Choreography Project's annual residency. This project guided Leon in new directions as she developed the audio herself in addition to choreographing the movement. Since that time, she has started pursuing opportunities to film her dance performances and learn street styles in contemporary movement.