When Jacob Williams was a kid, he loved singing and dancing around the house to his mom’s disco music. It was clear that he found his passion for performing and dance early in life – and this passion would eventually lead him on a journey of training and self-discovery before finding his place at BalletBC in Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Jacob is originally from a Vancouver – just not Vancouver, BC. He’s from Vancouver, Washington in the US. While growing up, he joined a youth musical theatre program called Theater Arts Group, where he took classes in acting and singing.
And although it took Jacob a few years to work up the courage to audition for musicals, once he did, he quickly built an impressive repertoire.
“I think I performed in around 20 different musical productions. Some of my favorites were Footloose¸ 13 The Musical, Seussical, Shrek The Musical, and Godspell. My all-time favorite musical theater experience was playing Phil Davis in White Christmas,” says Jacob.
Jacob as Phil Davis in White Christmas at Journey Theater Arts Group.
It was through musical theatre that Jacob started his dance training.
“One of the choreographers for a production I was in recommended taking ballet classes in order to work on my dance technique,” recalls Jacob. “I took her advice and started taking a beginner ballet class with a group of girls about 6 years younger than myself at a recreational studio, Dance Fusion NW. As I got more involved in dancing, I ended up training in hip hop, contemporary, lyrical, tap, jazz, modern, ballroom, and Afro-Haitian dance.”
Crossroads after high school
Inevitably, Jacob came to the crossroads that many people face: What path to take after high school. Two options that Jacob strongly considered were to either train with the school of Alonzo King LINES Ballet in San Francisco; or to enter the dance program at SUNY Purchase College in New York.
Jacob chose LINES, because of his growing interest in contemporary ballet, and also upon the recommendation of his dance teacher and mentor at Dance Fusion NW, DarVejon Jones.
And so, upon graduating from high school, Jacob moved down to California to train at LINES. During that year, Jacob was introduced to dawsondancesf, another contemporary dance company in the Bay area. The company’s founder and director, Gregory Dawson, was one of Jacob’s teachers at LINES. Jacob began attending rehearsals at dawsondancesf while still training full-time at LINES, and eventually performed with dawsondancesf by late spring.
Switch to classical ballet
Throughout the year that Jacob trained in San Francisco, he realized he needed to further develop his classical ballet technique. And so, he attended the summer intensive program at School of Oregon Ballet Theater. At the end of the six-week intensive, Jacob was offered a position in Oregon Ballet Theater’s second company, which he accepted.
However, Jacob realized that only focusing on classical ballet wasn’t the path for him.
He recalls, “While I think there were some good things that came from focusing on classical training, there was a lot of disfunction taught to my body during that time, especially since my body and skeleton were not best suited to the ideal aesthetics of a classical ballet dancer.”
Photo credit: Michael Slobodian
Finding a new path
That’s when Jacob discovered BalletBC through YouTube. He was captivated by the company’s style and wanted to be part of the action.
“BalletBC cultivates dancers with an impressive athleticism, dynamic range, and artistry,” says Jacob. “In addition to the dancers’ virtuosity, I was drawn to the unique perspectives of the choreographers that BalletBC engaged with.”
It was then that Jacob discovered the two-year Graduate Program in dance at Arts Umbrella in Vancouver, BC. The school is closely affiliated with BalletBC and many of its graduates have gone on to dance in the company. Additionally, a number of world-renowned choreographers including Crystal Pite, Johan Inger, and Sharon Eyal regularly work with students at the school. All of this appealed to Jacob and he felt that regardless of whether he eventually made it into BalletBC, training at Arts Umbrella would help him reach his potential.
Starting over…again
And so, for the third straight year after graduating high school, Jacob packed his bags and relocated to a different city and dance school. However, things were much different this time.
“I felt like I had finally arrived. Out of high school, I was still young in my knowledge of not only my own dancing but the dance world in general. Spending those two years moving schools, cities, and companies solidified my desires as an artist,” says Jacob. “Being my third year in a row essentially starting over, I knew what I needed to do to have a successful start. Luckily, the atmosphere at Arts Umbrella was extremely welcoming and I immediately knew I had found a home. I am so grateful to have had such a wonderful program be a part of my training.”
Letting his talent shine
Jacob’s versatility as a dancer helped him stand out at Arts Umbrella, and he even received media attention while dancing in Arts Umbrella’s Mixed Nuts, the school’s fun take on The Nutcracker, where he played the principal role of the Nutcracker Prince.
Shortly after Mixed Nuts, with just a few months to go before graduating from Arts Umbrella, it was time for Jacob to start auditioning for companies. But there was one company that had been on Jacob’s mind since deciding to move up north – BalletBC.
What Jacob could not have foreseen, was that soon after his audition for BalletBC, he needed to rush home to Vancouver, Washington to be with his family. That’s because COVID-19 had hit.
It was while at home, that Jacob received the results of his BalletBC audition.
“Funnily enough, I did not see the email for a week and a half because it got sent to my spam folder,” recalls Jacob. “I had started to hear from my colleagues that other dancers had received offers and I was starting to stress that mine was not coming. I remember being so relieved and overjoyed when I got a call from Medhi [Walerski, BalletBC’s artistic director] wondering why I had not responded to his email for almost 10 days.”
Life today, during COVID-19
This past fall, Jacob joined BalletBC as an Emerging Artist, which is similar to being an Apprentice at other companies. Initially, restrictions due to COVID-19 made it difficult for BalletBC to train and rehearse. But the company has since been granted the same status as elite sports teams such as the Whitecaps and Vancouver Canucks, allowing for full-time training and rehearsals so long as stringent health and safety measures are adhered to.
Jacob dancing in a creation process guided by Liat Waysbort. Photo credit: David Cooper
Jacob is still living his dream – although not under the circumstances he ever would have envisioned. When not at the dance studio, he sings with the men’s choir, Chor Leoni, and enjoys gaming, his favourite game being Just Dance on Nintendo Switch. He also enjoys spending time outdoors and is considering learning to ski this Christmas season since he won’t be able to return home to the states.
As for the little boy that once used to sing and dance to his mom’s disco music at home, Jacob looks back with fond memories at the performance path that took him from musical theatre to contemporary ballet – and hasn’t ruled out making a return to his roots someday.
“I cherish the memories and joy that musical theatre brought to me while growing up. In the future, as my performing career in dance comes to an end, I think I would like to try going back.”
Want to get to know Jacob more? Here are some fun facts
· What are your top 3 dance movies?
“I would have to say Ballerina, Footloose, and Center Stage.”
· What are your top 3 fav foods?
“I love Mexican, Thai, and Indian food.”
· If you could perform a solo onstage to any song, what song would it be? If you had to choose one choreographer to create it, who would it be?
“I would love for Ori Lichtik to create something using samples from Buffy Saint-Marie’s “God Is Alive Magic Is Afoot.” I would want to collaborate with Sharon Eyal on the solo.”
· What’s one thing that may surprise a lot of people about you?
“I am a pretty big nerd. I have always loved gaming since I was a kid and have played my fair share of dungeons and dragons as well.”
· Besides your dance pursuits, do you have any other dreams that you want to pursue in the future?
“I would one day love to produce my own album as a recording artist.”
Read more profiles on male dancers in Vince Kanasoot’s #BoysDanceToo series.
Vince Kanasoot is a former professional dancer and musical theatre performer, who has since transitioned into communications and journalism. His works have been published in The Georgia Straight and Daily Hive, and he is currently working on his first novel. Follow his adventures on Instagram and on his site, VanCityVince.com.