Today we’d like to introduce you to Jade Mendoza.
Hi Jade, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
2002 the year where my story begins. The very same year that Missy Elliot released the song “Work It” and when Y2K fashion was at its peak, a Libra baby fought for her life.
My name is Jade Mendoza, a young and aspiring Filipina artist. For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a deep love for the arts: music, cinema, theater, and painting… The list goes on, but I always truly had my eye on dance. BUT let me backtrack a little bit. Born in Lakewood, California, and raised in the San Fernando Valley, which may appear to be somewhat of a “dull living” in comparison to the rest of Los Angeles, but it’s all I’ve ever known. The gems, sights, community, and happenings – that’s what made my youth so memorable. Having only one parent is also all I’ve ever known. Traveling overseas from the Philippines, Mom was in search of a better life for me and had a tough responsibility to raise and provide alone for my entire life. With many health complications that could’ve tremendously affected the both of us, she took the risk and after DAYS of labor, a “miracle baby” was born.
At the early stages of my life, I grew up as a “Disney Channel kid”. I spent my childhood singing along and memorizing all the dance scenes from movies like Camp Rock and High School Musical, which later inspired me to perform chunks of them in those little talent shows in elementary school, where I also participated in my school’s orchestra playing the violin, but it didn’t quite satisfy me as much as dance did. Since money was tight, it didn’t make sense financially for Mom to send me to attend dance classes, academies, and conventions, even though that’s all I longed for growing up. To try and fulfill my fascination, I spent hours learning off of free dance tutorials and lessons on YouTube and would spend my free time, after getting home from school, on my XBOX 360 Kinect that my uncle had gifted me for Christmas, playing essentially an older (and much cooler) version of the game “Just Dance”, which was called “Dance Central”. The game included so many iconic songs that are still constantly being played today and many hip hop fundamentals, like popping, locking, house, 80s and 90s social dances, that definitely shaped the type of dancer I am today.
With all of these influences that little Jade had, I give my greatest thanks to the Step Up movie series. As a little Asian girl who was just fascinated with hip hop dance, I didn’t really have much “Hey, she looks just like me!” moments and people to look up to in that way until the 2nd Step Up movie (The Streets), I was introduced to the character “Jenny Kido” played by Mari Koda. With dance, especially at the time, there were strong gender stereotypes, where the majority of men only did masculine styles of dance, like breaking, Krump, popping, and women tend to only participate in feminine styles, like contemporary and ballet. Seeing “Jenny”, an Asian female dancer (who was also my same *super short* height), made me feel seen and truly made me believe that “girls can do anything guys can do” and motivated me to continue dancing the way I loved to, despite all the pressure of these gender norms and the controversial opinions of my traditional and old school Asian family. It was simply just cool overall to see, on the big screen, an inside look on the highs, lows, and obstacles that dancers have to face.
Let’s fast forward to high school, where I had built up the courage to join a dance team. I had started off as a regular member, but with my extreme enthusiasm and commitment, I later became the captain throughout the 4 years. At the age of 14, I would choreograph and teach around 3 times a week after school, constantly prep for pep rallies, showcases, and other performances. It definitely added a lot of pressure and stress on top of the regular load of projects and assignments while also navigating through the not so great aspects of being in a public high school, where you were labeled as “lame” for being involved and having school spirit, and where it was also “cooler” to not care. However, this leadership responsibility gave me a purpose and left me feeling extremely accomplished and I was grateful to have the amount of creative liberty I had with everything dance related at my school.
This takes me to the one of the most important chapters of my life. Halfway through high school, 15 years old Jade knew in her heart that she wanted to pursue dance as a career, instead of just as a hobby. Using all the money I had accumulated in a tiny box I kept underneath my bed – the year of 2018, I started professionally taking dance classes at Movement Lifestyle, Millenium Dance Complex, and then later on at The Mob HQ, Artbox, and T Milly. Out of all these studios and only 2 years of training there, nothing ever compared to the way mL (Movement Lifestyle) made me feel. I’ve never experienced a place as special as mL. A home, a place that had only been in my life for 2 years, yet felt like it’s been a part of it for forever. A place were I was greeted with open arms and an overwhelming amount of love and support from the staff and teachers as soon as I stepped inside. I truly wouldn’t be where I am today without mL. mL also gifted me with meeting the ladies that changed my life for the better. Where the majority of my training came from. An all female-collective called “The Gentle Ladies”, where each lady specialized in a certain style, yet were all versatile at the same time, and was a force to be reckoned with as a whole. I like to call them my sisters that I’ve always wished for but never had.
Skipping a couple of years forward, when the pandemic first started, my graduation year – 2020. After not having the opportunity to attend prom, enjoy the last moments of senior year, and graduating through Zoom on my living room couch, I struggled with depression and anxiety while overcoming many “firsts”. Getting a driver’s license. Starting to work. Being in a dance group and teaching an official class, outside of school. First concert. Parties. Travels. The list goes on. While navigating through post-graduation thoughts and worries of what to do in my adult years, I got blessed with the opportunity to work in 2 jobs that connect to my passion for dance, dance studio and also a high school dance coach. Soon after, I decided to figure out a way to attend college while still doing something I love, majoring in Kinesiology-Dance. I’m now training in other styles of dance, like modern, ballet, contemporary; you name it.
With more years of training and finding a better understanding of who I am as a dancer and person overall, I continue to keep pushing forward, while being my truest self. I hope to be that someone that the future generations look up to with moments of “she looks just like me!”, just like how I felt with all the great influences and mentors I had. I hope to be an artist that motivates others to continue to pursue their passions while creating for themselves, not the satisfaction of others. I hope to simply inspire.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I have definitely had quite a bit of bumps in my road thus far.
As much as I enjoyed performing, I was a fairly quiet kid so I’m very grateful to have dance and music as an outlet where I could express myself and escape. I’m also an only child, so the introvert in me has always been there. I also struggled a lot with self-confidence and many insecurities, mostly from being in certain environments, especially attending predominantly white schools. In middle school, I felt like an outcast with my “stinky” cultural lunches and inability to fit in and afford with the “cool” fashion trends everyone else wore. This was also the time that affected me much more than expected, an exposure: getting rejected from the performing arts program. I remember blaming myself for not trying hard enough and comparing myself to my friends too much. It often would feel like a huge bump to not have the privilege of enough money or to be connected to the proper people at the time. Having half the normal amount of parental support and finances to afford things like proper dance education, something I longer for at a young age.
The pandemic was also the time where I faced the most difficult of obstacles. As a dancer/creative, human connection plays a big part and having that be stripped away unexpectedly and for a long amount of time with the uncertainty of when we’ll be able to leave our homes safely and reconnect with friends and family definitely took a toll on me, especially since great losses occurred as well. This was also around the time where I had my first major injury. Twisted my knee and partially tore my meniscus, which definitely set me back. I couldn’t walk for days and still have fear in putting too much weight on it to this day. In efforts of strengthening it, I’ve learned to become a smarter dancer and be more aware of my movement to prevent it from happening again. I also took this as a sign to slow down because at the time, I was dealing with a swamped schedule due to me having a hard time saying “no” to things, which later led to burnout and an injury. A time where I had no choice but to rest. Put on pause.
All of the hardships that were put into my path have not only made me stronger but have taught me great lessons that I try to take into every day. Being grateful for what you have because it can easily be taken away at a certain point, all of a sudden. A closed door opens a new one. Rejection is better than never knowing and not trying. What’s meant to be is meant to be.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I consider myself an artist because I do many things. Most people know me as a dancer and I’ve always had a bigger fascination with dance than the other art forms. Being a shy kid, dance allowed me to express myself in ways words couldn’t. Being able to use my body movements to evoke emotions. What started off as a hobby turned into a passion. And as soon as I found out that I could potentially make a career out of it, BOOM, I was determined. I also hope to become that person that someone will see themselves in. A full circle moment of “Jade could do it, I can too”, like how I saw myself in my role models.
Growing up, everyone around me referred to me as the creative and artistic child. Instead of writing and journaling, I documented my life in drawings. Drawing things as I saw them. In my point of view. I liked to say that my eyes were like a camera and I would illustrate the pictures my eyes took.
Despite being the only child, I didn’t expect nor have the experience of things “being handed” to me and that’s the main reason why I always feel the need to work twice as hard as others. Especially since being an artist, today might seem quite hopeless if you aren’t considered “famous” or have those types of connections.
With background of leadership positions in dance in high school, it felt right for me start coaching. It’s made me well aware of how I specialize working under pressure while being able to maintain my thoughts and make my creations become reality. I also find deep joy and purpose in passing down what I’ve learned from mentors, and so on, to my very own kids that I have the honor to guide and teach.
In college (and while still navigating through it), I found myself wanting to venture out into acting and modeling. Especially post-knee injury, I was figuring out different ways to get myself out there without straining my knee. With acting, it’s an interesting feeling to be able to transform into a whole other person. With modeling, it was another story. It wasn’t as smooth to get into because of all of the insecurities I had circling in the back of my mind. Also being 5’1, It. Was. Difficult. But as time goes on, I grew fond of some of the things I used to be extremely self-conscious about. We all still have those moments but the self-love journey definitely has come a long way.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
Luck is an interesting thing to think about. I sort of see it as destiny or fate, more than luck, because whatever happens or doesn’t happen, is what’s meant to be. The choices we make that alter our paths. The right situations at the right times, knowing the right people or landing in fortunate situations. Yet also, the right moves but at the wrong time. One of my past teachers described luck with an example of a successful person and a non-successful person who is equally talented and has the same confidence level.
Looking back, the successes I’ve had were mainly driven by motivation and passion, with loads of concealed hard work and the encouragement from my circle of people I hold dear. What has been extremely beneficial in my life as a dancer is networking. It continues to provide me with the support to thrive in more situations while making many connections that turn into the greatest friendships and mentorships.
The dance world is alas heavily influenced by “luck”, both positively and negatively. It may give the first opportunity, but traits like perseverance, perception, and communicating transform it into success, which leads to a sort of “domino effect” with opportunities sometimes. Or there may be times where the right decisions were made, but the conditions weren’t set for success at the time. It honestly does take a lot for me to truly acknowledge it from time to time, but many things in the world are out of our control. I do believe that “it’s less of what happens to you and more of what you make out of it”.
Contact Info:
- Website: linktr.ee/jadey.mendoza
- Instagram: instagram.com/jadey.mendoza
Image Credits
CSUN Kin-Dance, Backstage, Costello Captures, Jacob Museo, Heather Wood Broderick, The Sky We Share, Red Diamond Makeup, Universety
