Jordan Ward Dances the Night Away

Junior Jordan Ward was a finalist in The Fox Teen Talent Showcase on Friday, April 20 in a competition to win a $5,000 scholarship.  The competition was run by the Fox Charitable Performing Arts.  He choreographed and danced in 1 of the 11 final acts in the showcase.  Jordan didn’t win the showcase, but because he was a finalist he won a $5,000 scholarship to Lindenwood Belleville.

“Being able to perform on Fox Stage was amazing,” Ward said.

Ward choreographed his own hip hop solo dance for the showcase.  He put different elements of hip hop into his dance to make it unique.

“I love to make my own dances and put what I want into them, I get to use my creativity to do more,” said Ward.

Ward describes his experience as “more of a show than a competition.”  To get to be able to perform, he went through a series of eliminations and made it through every time. There were two practices before the show, each lasting over six hours.  He performed his solo at the Fox last Friday in front of 4,200 people.

“It was very fun. I got to meet cool people and do networking,” Ward said.

Ward has been dancing for seven years.  Jordan dances anywhere from 30-50 hours a week all year.  He dances many types of dances including ballet, modern, jazz, contemporary and hip hop.

“Hip hop is my main [type of] dance, but I love all types of dance,” Ward said.

Ward puts a tremendous amount of time into dancing but he says it all pays off.  He loves being on the stage and dancing is something he really loves.  Jordan has tried many sports, but dance is something that he has always loved and stuck with.

“When I started dancing I was doing a lot of things but this just stuck.  There’s always something new to learn,” Ward said.

There are many things Jordan loves about dance.  When it gets tough and he feels like the world is crazy, dance is his release.  Ward hopes to continue dancing in college.

Ward said, “It just feels right.”

Written by Mary-Kate Mudd