“SJJ CREATIVE” – THE NEW IDEA
Meet choreographer/dancer, Sarah Jane Jones. Creative director and principal of SJJ CREATIVE, a dance and acting studio based in Brisbane which was founded in January 2014.
Sarah Jane Jones started dancing at the age of 3 and choreographing at age 13. By the time she was 16, Sarah was creating winning routines at Eisteddfods around Brisbane & Gold Coast, choreographing performances for fashion parades, Disney displays, fundraising functions and industry events. Apart from working on dance projects, Sarah spent her life choreographing and teaching dance at her parent’s studio, Wild Child, her main passion and focus for over 11 years.
Wild Child Acting and Dance Studios, a successful performing arts school in South-East Queensland, established in 1987 by Sarah’s parents, Julie and Philip Jones. After 27 years of operation, Julie and Philip Jones decided to take a break, closing the studio in 2013.
“The contrast inspires the new idea” – a saying that Sarah held onto everyday when this change and uncertainty arose in her life, reminding her that something great could come out of the situation.
Since Sarah was a little girl, she always knew that one of her goals in life was to have her own dance studio, but she never thought it would happen at 24. The opportunity came around unexpectedly, forcing Sarah to make a decision quite quickly about what she was going to do. Sarah knew what she wanted to do but didn’t think it was possible.
Having received so much support from former Wild Child students and parents is what helped Sarah make her decision and take a leap, opening her own dance and acting studio, SJJ CREATIVE.
“Opening SJJ CREATIVE was very scary but it’s that feeling of being scared that lets us know we’re doing something outside of our comfort zone. That’s what makes us grow, that’s where the magic happens. Taking risks and doing something that will push and change you. It’s a scary feeling but it’s very exhilarating,” says Jones.
Sarah Jane Jones is now 25 years old, with a fast growing list of credits to her name. Sarah has been involved with choreography and performance projects for music artists, including Chance Waters (Universal Music), Jacob Lee (The Voice), Emily Williams (Australian Idol), Gold Coast Indie Film & Networks, corporate events, functions, Warner Bros Movie World’s ‘Fright Night’, Gold Coast Indie 600 V8 Superfest and TV commercials.
For the past few years, Sarah has also been combining her passion for dance with her love of film as another way to express her creativity, creating numerous successful dance videos on YouTube. Sarah’s videos have gained her a fast growing following online with almost 10k Subscribers on her Youtube channel, with a viewcount of over 2 million.
With over two decades of experience and training, Sarah Jane Jones wishes to continue to grow as a choreographer and performer and also pass on her knowledge and love for dance through her creative studio “SJJ CREATIVE”, offering students quality training with inspirational teachers in a positive and supportive dance environment, while giving them many performance opportunities.
“I think it’s important to offer students more than just competitions and Eisteddfods. Some competition is good but I feel the art of dance isn’t truly appreciated at Eisteddfods. I want to push the art and I want my students to be apart of that. The love, passion and joy is important and I want them to truly love what they do, whether they win or not. I’m thankful that my studio has developed a family-like atmosphere where everyone is supportive of each other. I have some fantastic teachers as well, including my parents who came back to assist.”
Since SJJ CREATIVE opened in 2014, students have had the privilege of performing at Warner Bros Movie World’s “CARVIVALE” and “WHITE CHRISTMAS” shows, Gold Coast Indie 600 V8 “Superfest”, “Christmas on Tedder” with Jacob Lee (The Voice), Kingston Park Raceway “Halloween Zombie Event” (featured on NINE NEWS), QLD Film TV Events “Gold Coast Meets Hollywood”, Chance Waters “Break of Dawn” Music Video (Universal Music) and many more events and performances around Brisbane and Gold Coast.
In the future, Sarah also hopes to give her students the opportunity to be taught by industry professionals, offering masterclasses and workshops throughout the year. Last week, SJJ CREATIVE had “So You Think You Can Dance” choreographer MITCHELL WOODCOCK teaching at the studio, and this coming August, two international choreographers, direct from New York City will be visiting the studio to share their talent.
“You’ve got to do it for the love. It’s important for dancers to be able to grow and express themselves through doing what they love. Dance is my passion and I’m thankful that I get to share that with others. I express myself through choreography and therefore through dancers. My dancers bring my visions to life, they physically bring forth my ideas and everything I create, and everything I create comes from something real inside of me. It’s expression of thyself, co-creation and creative growth. That’s what I think this is all about.”
SJJ CREATIVE is located in Loganholme, QLD and offers classes in jazz, commercial, tap, classical ballet, contemporary, lyrical, hip hop, A.D.A. exams and TV, film and stage acting. Beginner to advanced levels for ages 3 to adult in large, fully-equipped studios.
Go to WWW.SJJCREATIVE.COM to find out more, or email [email protected]
