Rising Stars: Meet Jamie Skye

Hi Jamie, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born and raised in Toronto (Canada) and I have been dancing since the age of three. When I was 23, I packed up my car and drove across the country in five days with my two best friends to Los Angeles, California. Dance has always been a part of who I am, a part of my soul and who I am to the core. I always knew I was different and had to pursue my dreams. I was never the most talented dancer or the most technically trained but I had a burning passion for dance, movement and working in the entertainment industry. As a kid, I was obsessed with pop culture. I would be glued to the computer watching music videos and MTV, listening to CD’s on my walkman, the radio and albums at Future Shop. I specifically remember when Goodies by Ciara was released and I would go to Future Shop (the Canadian version of Best Buy) at lunch or after school and stand against the wall with the big headphones on listening to that album. I was and continue to be inspired by strong female artists.

As a kid, I was that girl who would choreograph dances and perform at my school talent shows, fashion shows, summer camps, parties and even weddings. I grew up dancing at The Martha Hicks School of Ballet from ages 3-17. I went on to become Co-President of Flow Dance Club (hip hop) at Queen’s University, running recreational hip hop classes and choreographing for the performance crew. Fun fact, I actually had to audition three times before they let me on the performance crew – and ever since the first time I auditioned, I told myself I would become the Co-President by my 4th year. After University, I knew I had to continue dancing somehow, someway. Even with a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology, I knew I did not want to work a regular full-time job. I worked part-time as a receptionist at City Dance Corps downtown Toronto. I really loved working there, I got to train for free and even sub some dance classes! I went on to train with Leah Totten in Boss Dance Company (hip hop) and with Tamina Pollack-Paris in The Girls Club (heels).

In 2015 one of my most memorable jobs was working for Luther Brown as a dancer in the Opening Ceremony for the PanAm Games in Toronto. By the end of 2016, I wanted more, a lot more. I attended the You Got This Girl workshop by Kim Gingras and Melanie Mah and they inspired me and told me it was possible to move to Los Angeles and pursue a professional career in dance. Ever since then, I made the commitment to work hard and to never give up on myself. I ended up getting a new job as a full-time administrative assistant at a property management company where I worked for six months. It was not very long but the purpose was for me to save up some money, quit and then move to Los Angeles. I am fortunate that I was able to move without much resistance as I am both a Canadian and American citizen. My dad was born in raised in Toronto and my mom, Connecticut. My parents have always supported me since I was young; financially and emotionally. I have now lived in Los Angeles for over three years and it has been a wild journey to say the least. I have trained in many dance styles at all of the studios here and various training programs.

In 2018, I first joined DNA (Developing Next Artist) program at Boogiezone under the direction of Elm Pizzaro. In 2019, I was a dancer in the KreativMndz training program under Antoine Troupe and Kolanie Marks. Currently, I am a member of the Kim Gingras Experience and the Cameron Lee Mentorship programs. During my time in Los Angeles, I have been working as an independent contractor booking music videos, live/stage performances and commercials. I have also created my own visuals and enjoy featuring in the works of my artist friends. Los Angeles is filled with amazingly creative, ambitious individuals there is hardly a dull day here… I love it!!!!

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Haha, it has not been a smooth road but I will say it’s been the most fun and rewarding. I’m so glad I decided to follow my dreams and experience life. I would have regretted it if I never tried. The biggest struggle along the way has been my mental health. I know everyone can relate because we are all human. I was teased as a kid until senior year of high school for dancing. As a kid, I always had a lot of energy and wiggles that I did not know how to channel or be confident with. I danced everywhere, on the street, at the bus stop, the grocery store, the mall, at school. I became very insecure and shy around everyone except for other dancers. This ultimately led to finding myself in an extremely controlling and abusive relationship from ages 19-23.

For about four years, those relationships weighed heavily on my mental health and my dance career. I suffered severe depression, anxiety, migraines, panic attacks, sexual assault and psychotic attacks. I struggled to get my university degree and even after, I was unclear about which direction I should head in for a career. My ex would repeatedly tell me I would never make it as a dancer in LA. I always knew I was different from everyone around me. I had a dream and that dream is what kept me alive through the abuse. I knew I would make it someday I just didn’t know how or when. Let’s not even talk about what it’s like moving to a new country, alone at the age of 23!!! I was pretty fearless and always put my faith in the universe. First, it took months to renew my American passport, it took months to get my social security number, I had no credit in the States so I was staying in living rooms and at friend’s studio apartments.

I started working as a bottle-service waitress, a hostess and eventually a server again (I was hesitant to re-enter the restaurant industry even though it’s the best job for an artist temporarily) so that I could build up enough credit to rent my own apartment. I have been homeless twice in Los Angeles and I was blessed to be with a man who supported me and cared for me during the hardest years of my life. It took over six months and thousands of dollars later to get my car registered and licensed in the state of California. I am also a cat mom and have taken care of my six years old baby through all of this; I always told her we would move away someday together and have our own peace and quiet. It was also very lonely and scary to be alone. Knowing that my friends and family weren’t in the city or nearby. It was also my first time in Los Angeles, I never visited before I moved, I just moved like a psychopath. It just takes time to explore, get comfortable, meet people and make friends.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I do a lot. For myself. I am constantly setting new goals and pushing myself to the limits. Hard work is my family’s number one value. You caught me at an interesting time because while I have accomplished almost all of my goals from 5+ years ago, I have so many new goals that I’m currently working on but will not be complete for another 5+ years. Dance wise, I work as a professional dancer and specialize in hip hop, jazz-funk, heels and contemporary. Other styles I love are salsa, tutting, ballet, jazz and kpop. I work as an independent contractor and have booked commercials, music videos and live/stage performances with artists. I love love love performing live on stage…that’s my favourite place to dance and where I feel so much joy all throughout my body. Now through the pandemic, I am loving dance in so many other forms; my favourite right now is dancing in my apartment in the dark with very low lighting, free-styling and letting out my feelings. I have been dancing commercially for a long time and was always scared to freestyle: to find out what kind of dancer I am – because I knew it would be weird. I’m loving the weird!

Furthermore, I am a 200 hour certified yoga instructor, currently pursuing my 500 hour certification with The Kaivalya Yoga Method. I teach a weekly yoga (zoom) class to connect with my students in Los Angeles and back home in Toronto. I would say that I am most proud of my hard work. I was never the most talented or technically trained dancer however since I wanted to be a professional dancer, I knew I would have to start training a lot harder and at a later age than most. That’s also why I started yoga, to gain strength and flexibility. I did not know I would love it so much and get a certification to teach! Coming to LA, I already had really tough skin so I never let this city break me down no matter how rough my life was at the time. I am proud of working hard to accept myself that I now have a strong mind and body. I sacrificed a lot over the years to get where I am today and I know it sounds cliché but it’s true. I gained a lot more confidence and now I know I have my own back. So, no matter if no one is there for me in times of need, I am there for me.

What sets me apart from others here is being Canadian!!! Haha, no but what sets me apart is my dedication, hard-work (I’m a virgo lol), loyalty and positivity. Every morning I repeat my affirmations and one of them is from Gabrielle Bernstein, “I bring light with me wherever I go.” I used to carry a lot of dark energy with me from my past until I became aware of how I carried it to every corner and to every human interaction. It is extremely important to be my truest self around others and to bring joy and positivity to every situation. There are a lot of different energies in LA and the most important one is your own because it goes with you everywhere!!!

What’s next?
I have short and long-term goals for my future however, I also choose to live each day with a clear mind and without resistance. I am always open to new creative opportunities that present themselves to me daily. I do set goals for myself but it’s funny that they never turn out exactly as how you pictured them. This is why I believe it is so important to be open-minded and non-resistant to the universe. As long as you work hard and are aligned with yourself and the universe, you will achieve anything you put your mind to. I plan to stay working in the entertainment industry in Los Angeles as a dancer and work towards modeling and acting. I have a deep passion and purpose to help people and plan to work as a Yoga Therapist as my personal business. One day I will be a published author and I would also love to explore creative direction. I currently teach Yoga Saturday mornings at 8am PST // 11am EST.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://jamieskye.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamieskye__/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JamieSkye

Image Credits
Elisa Pittella