I think reality TV for dancers has changed for the better. There are more opportunities and the platforms that we are being given are better. We have more job security and TV is allowing different levels of dance to come through to the forefront. People can now take their abilities and turn them into brands and make these top dollars.
Youngsters are selecting dance as a profession and are aiming for an aspiring career in the field of dance. I am happy to see that we brought about that change and encouraged young people to opt for dance as their path.
Unfortunately, my dancing skills never came to the fore, as I got involved in acting on television, where an actor doesn't get too many opportunities to dance.
Today, dancers have so much more information and are much more mobile. Kids are traveling everywhere to go to summer programs, funding themselves with Kickstarter - putting their dreams on the Internet and seeing if they will pan out.
I feel an obligation to use black dancers because there must be more opportunities for them, but not because I'm a black choreographer talking to black people.
My idea for the Jamison Project was rather like a pickup company. The idea was to give the dancers a taste of the menu. Today, dancers need to try as many companies as possible without having a drop-dead loyalty to me or anyone else. They like to have the leeway to go their own way.
The best thing you can say about Hubbard Street is that if you were a dancer, this is a company you'd fight to get into.
I don't see myself going back to 'Strictly' as a professional in the same capacity as I started. But I'll definitely keep dancing.
I would have young dancers come to me and ask me questions and want to know what my experiences were like: 'What's it like being a black dancer?' So I just felt like it was necessary for me to share my experiences with them.
They improve greatly, and sometimes I go and see the performances they do and I am consciously aware that there isn't enough work for the good dancers.
