I met Jimmy at a friend's wedding in Boston a few years ago. I was so impressed by his dancing, and also by the way he and his older brother Jerry seemed to be each other's biggest fans. Their support and encouragement of each other gave the dancing even that much more signifance.
And so I was thrilled to get the chance to feature at least one of them on my blog. Here's Jimmy sharing some inspiring thoughts about what dancing means to him.
How old are you?
Jimmy: 17How old are you?
What kind of dancing do you do and where did you learn to dance?
J: I mainly do hip hop with some breakdancing here and there. Last summer I took breakdancing lessons. But for the rest of it, I watch videos of my favorite dancers and try to get ideas from them.
What advice would you give to other young people who want to learn
to dance or improve their dancing?
My advice to other people is to just have fun with it. Dancing is all about what comes from your heart. From watching a lot of videos, I realize that everyone has their own style. Everyone is different and they have different levels of creativity which they use to make up different moves. I say find out what your own style is and work at it.
Who or what inspires you to keep dancing?
The person that inspires me to dance would be my brother. He was the one that used to be dancing all the time. I started imitating him and eventually worked on getting better myself. He stopped dancing but I kept on going. But whenever I need someone's input, I go to him because I know he'll tell me straight up what's wrong with it. He is really picky and points out everything, but that's what makes me get better.
Who do you look at for new moves or tips?
I watch videos of people like Lando Wilkins, Mike Song, and Philip Chbeeb for inspiration and for ideas for new moves.
Why dancing? Why do you do it? How does it make you feel?
Dancing is something that slowly became a part of me, I guess. I started it when I was young because I wanted to be just like my brother. Now I just dance and work on getting better to be like people like Lando and Mike. They are amazing. And I just love it. The only thing I regret is that sometimes, I find myself forgetting about dancing because I get so busy with other things. But I still dance around the house and I just bust a move if I feel real inspired.
What are your favorite artists or songs to dance to?
I don't really have a favorite artist or a type of music I specifically listen to. I listen to music for its beats, so if a song has a good beat to it and I feel it, then I just bust out and have to dance to it.
Jimmy Sojan doin' his dancin' thang:
