Jayden Wall

Jayden started dancing quite late, although his mum owns a dance studio so he grew up surrounded by dance. A keen basketball player, he was studying sports therapy at university when a friend asked him to come and take a class at Patrick Studios Australia, under Todd Patrick. Todd invited him to come back the following year and train more seriously, so he did. Despite a serious injury to his ACL in his first year, Jayden has emerged as a key player in the Melbourne dance scene and is excited to join the GODDESS tour, finishing up in his home city for the final performances of 2019.

What would you say is your signature dance style?

I trained mainly in jazz technique, and kind of evolved into finding other styles. After full time I jumped into more of a contemporary pathway; I love dancing on the floor. I ventured into my own open classes and training, and just gathered information from a lot of other people, which led me to more of an urban hip hop style as well. The two really blend for me. Really, it’s all movement. There are styles and genres but I like movement as a whole.

This is the first season of the Dream Dance Company that saw Marko holding auditions in and scheduling tour dates for Melbourne. What has the experience been like for you, as a Melbourne dancer?

The audition in Melbourne was pretty special. The Dream Dance Co haven’t come down there before, so it was like opening up to a whole other board of dancers. I have a very big place in my heart for Melbourne, I really feel connected with the energy the city has, very much grounded there, and for the show to finish the tour there is going to be really special for me. I’m going to get to showcase what I’ve been working on in front of good friends and my family. I’m currently performing in Sydney with Opera Australia and then I will go home, and I’m actually doing another show in the gap between jobs. But I haven’t danced in Perth before, so this will be my first national tour.

What are you most excited for?

The rehearsal process, I think. All of us as humans are just going to grow a lot. But then it’s going to be coming back to Melbourne. 100% coming back to Melbourne! As much as the show is going to evolve through every show, it’ll be so nicely settled by then, and I don’t live at home so I don’t see my family too much. So that’s going to be the highlight for me.

What are you looking forward to in terms of working with Caetlyn?

Her style, I’ve always enjoyed it. I’ve been training under her and taking her classes for a few years now, and we’ve made a friendship through that. It’s always a challenge though, it’s always evolving. It’s tricky but once it settles it feels very nice on the body.

And working with Marko and the rest of the cast?

It’s my first time working with Marko. It’s going to be really interesting, I haven’t really delved into anything too much yet, but I’m coming in very open minded, no ego and willing to take on what’s happening. I’m tight with a few of the cast already, I went to Los Angeles with Shivawn, under the Dance Immersive programme, and I know a few of the others, but some are new to me. And even today, the first day we’ve all been together, it seems to just be blending so well. So I think it will be a challenge and a push, but it’s going to come together beautifully.

What advice do you have for aspiring dancers?

From what I know now and what I’ve taken on, it’s just to really come in open minded and ready to learn. An open mind is key I think because any hesitation is some form of block that could hinder your learning. I think coming in grounded and staying humble is a huge thing that I’ve learnt as well. And willing to try different styles. Work hard and train hard.