Today I spoke with the Resilient Ballerina, Jazz Bynum. Jazz is a company corps artist at Ballet West. She began training at the age of 5 with Hudson Repertory Dance Theatres’ after-school program. She continued her training at Maryland Youth Ballet and Dance Theatre of Harlems’ Residency Program at the Kennedy Center. Jazz has also received her B.F.A in Contemporary Performance with an emphasis in ballet from The Boston Conservatory.
Her goals as a ballet dancer are to become a principal dancer, be a part of the change to normalize black faces in ballet companies, dismantle microaggressions in our workspace, and be an example for young brown and black ballerinas that they do belong. In addition to becoming a principal ballerina, Jazz wants to publish a few books and open her own Wedding and Event Planning business. Jazz lives to always spread love and positivity.
In our interview, we talk about Jazz’s experience with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, injury recovery, and her own personal toolbox of mental health resources that keep her resilient. Her story is really inspiring and a great listen for any dancer going through injury recovery.
To connect with Jazz:
Instagram:
And find her classes at Ballet West here:
https://balletwest.punchpass.com/classes
To learn more about Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and other hypermobile disorders, check out the Bendy Bodies Podcast https://www.hypermobilitymd.com/ (@bendybodies on IG), and The Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Society www.https://www.ehlers-danlos.com/ (@ehlers.danlos on IG)
Please remember that I am not a mental health professional, and anything you hear me say on the show is based on my personal experience and perspectives, and should not be considered medical advice. By listening to this podcast, you agree not to use any of the content to diagnose you or anyone else of any mental or health condition.
If you are in crisis, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, text MHA to 741741, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room. To find a local MHA affiliate who can provide services, check out https://www.mhanational.org/
Theme music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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