Jordan’s Journey
In HIGH SCHOOL, I was obsessed with Musical Theatre and jumped at any opportunity to perform. I was raised in a rural community in eastern Kentucky, so my parents would drive me to rehearsal, sometimes two hours each way, just so I could do shows. I was determined to be a professional performer, getting my hands on anything I could that might help me be a better artist. I took piano lessons, ballet classes, gymnastics, and even started a fully student-run theatre company in my hometown. I loved all things singing, dancing, and acting.
In COLLEGE, I discovered the core of why I was so dang passionate about performance. I did a lot of soul searching, and landed on the idea that our performances can be a ripple of understanding and impact for the world around us. We can cause social action, policy change, and at our most intimate, deeply personal reflection and inspiration. As a double major in Musical Theatre and Political Science, I bounced from voice lessons to courses on political theory; from dance company rehearsals to rallies for justice. I also studied abroad in Accra, Ghana, where I helped create a drama therapy program for youth at the West Africa AIDS Foundation. I continued to explore my own craft, but I also unpacked the ways in which my interconnected identities as an actor, educator, and activist might continue to impact the world around me.
TODAY, I find myself still as passionate as ever about the magic of acting and musical theatre to tell important stories and change hearts. I recently worked in the Obama White House where I helped initiate Arts Education programming to many under-resourced schools in America. I now work as an actor at the Kennedy Center in DC and continue my practice as an educator, working with young people who, like me, can’t stop dreaming and chasing their dreams of changing the world… one shuffle-ball-step at a time.
