Dance As A Life Compass - With Emmy Nominated Choreographer Jennifer Hamilton

A lot of creative careers look linear from the outside. Jennifer Hamilton’s story is way more useful: learn fast, earn trust, pivot when the path stops fitting, and keep your heart in the work. Jennifer is an Emmy-nominated choreographer (Apple TV+’s Physical) with decades in film and television, and she joins me for an honest conversation about what actually builds longevity in dance and entertainment.

We talk about confidence that comes from being thrown into big rooms before you feel ready, and why kindness is not the opposite of high standards. Jennifer shares how she works with actors who feel vulnerable in movement, how she builds trust quickly, and why “telling a story” matters even if the choreography is simple. If you’re a dancer aiming for professional jobs, you’ll hear exactly what she looks for in auditions and classes: presence, intention, and the ability to connect the steps to something real.

We also go beyond the industry. We get into motherhood, work life balance, the mental load many women carry, and the small practices that keep us grounded. Jennifer tells us about her new offering, The Room LA, designed for non-dancers who want movement as release, therapy and fun.

 If you’ve been wrestling with identity, you’ll love the line that keeps echoing for both of us: how do we stay a verb and not become a noun?

Jennifer is the founder and artistic director of The Floor Dance Academy in Los Angeles. You can learn more about her studio here:

thefloordanceacademy.com

@thefloordancela

To inquire about booking an event with The Room LA you can email: theroomlabookings@gmail.com

Connect with Jen on IG here:
https://www.instagram.com/jhamla?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

Thank you so much for being here. If you feel called to, please follow Essence Embodied, share the show with someone who needs it, and leave a rating or review so more listeners can discover these conversations. 

You can keep up with Tyne on instagram here:

https://www.instagram.com/tynestecklein?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr 

Join Tyne's email list here: https://shy-band-100.myflodesk.com/mrxyszsu5h

I'd like to say a massive thank you to my editor and dear friend, Nikki Dalonzo, for supporting me on this journey! 

Transcript

Welcome And Guest Bio

Tyne Stecklein 0:00

Welcome to Essence Embodied by Tyne Stecklein. I can't wait to share this guest interview with you today. You're going to hear me have a conversation with Jennifer Hamilton, who is an Emmy nominated choreographer as well as a professional dancer herself, a mama to two incredible boys, and a dance studio owner. This conversation provides so much goodness. If you are a dancer on the path to becoming a professional, you will definitely want to tune in, as well as maybe if you're a mother trying to navigate the busyness of life, then this one is for you. I'd love to give you some context into just how incredible this guest is, so let's take a listen to her bio. When you work with Emmy-nominated choreographer Jennifer Hamilton, expect a trusted industry professional with over 75 film and television projects under her belt. She was most recently the series choreographer of Apple's hit show Physical, starring Rose Byrne, for which she received a 2024 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Choreography. Her work will next be seen in The Accountant 2 with Ben Affleck. On film, Jennifer's credits include Voyage of Time, directed by Terrence Malik, The Runaways, Easy A, Yogi Bear, Zookeeper, and The Layover, directed by William H. Macy. She has been an associate choreographer on projects like Charlie's Angels, The Austin Powers trilogy, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, No Strings Attached, Fame and Rush Hour 3, Spider-Man 3, Little Miss Sunshine, Meet the Falkers, and 13 Going on 30. Jennifer's television credits include the 92nd Annual Academy Awards, Little America, Kidding, Saved by the Bell, My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and Dancing with the Stars, to name a few. She has worked on numerous commercials and music videos, as well as trained actors such as Leslie Bibb, Dakota Fanning, Elle Fanning, Kate Bosworth, Toby McGuire, Elizabeth Berkeley, and Rose Byrne on multiple projects. A Southern California native, Jennifer has been choreographing and teaching for over 25 years and dancing since she was four years old. Jen is a commercial dance professor at Pace University in LA. Outside of her continuous work as a choreographer and dancer, Jennifer owns and operates the Floor Dance Academy, a dance studio for kids in the heart of Los Angeles. She resides in LA with her husband and two young sons. Wow, what a bio. Welcome to the show, Jen.

Jennifer Hamilton 2:35

I'm happy to be here. Thanks for asking me.

Tyne Stecklein 2:38

Of course, you know, when I was making a list of people that I would be honored to have on the show, you were one of the very first that came to mind. And that is because we've known each other for decades now, like literally decades. And, you know, whether that be that you were teaching me and I was a student, or we were dancing on a job together, or you brought me in to teach your students at the floor, or you hired me to be a dancer on one of your sets. Yeah. Yeah. You you show up as the same person. You show up consistently. And that person is so professional, so knowledgeable. You require excellence from everyone around you.

Jennifer Hamilton 3:15

I'm already gonna cry, stop. We haven't even started.

Tyne Stecklein 3:21

But you know, it's true, like you, you, you require this really high standard, but you do it with grace and you do it with respect for everyone around you. And that really is a rarity in this business. And so I've been so grateful to know you in all of these different facets and just be kind of under your wing. So thank you.

Jennifer Hamilton 3:42

And when you are saying all that, I'm like, gosh, we have done so much together. And it's just like been so many years and watching each other grow and supporting each other, you know, side by side all the way. It's just, it's it's beautiful, you know, and thank you for your words. Thank you. I really appreciate it.

Mentors And Learning Fast On Jobs

Tyne Stecklein 3:57

Yeah, yeah. You know, we've had so many kind of intertwined like life moments we've gone through together. I think you were teaching, you know, with my mom at the studio when you had your first son, you brought him with you, and you hired me when I was pregnant with Ocean to come dance on physical. And yeah, I think I danced in your recital when I was pregnant with Brecken. And oh my gosh, it's crazy. It's crazy. Yeah. So we've been we've been through a lot of the life together. We've been through life. Yeah. And so that's why, you know, I can say for our listeners that Jen is someone who really does embody her unique essence. And I think, Jen, that you know who you are, and so you're able to walk into any space with a lot of confidence in a really beautiful way. Do you know how you came to be this lovely human that you are?

Trust And Vulnerability With Movement

Jennifer Hamilton 4:53

Well, I'll thank my parents for that. But when I started out, you know, I started out dancing at four, and I I met Marguerite Derek's amazing choreographer and teacher and mentor of mine when I was 12 years old. And I just I think from a very young age had a really big passion about this art of dance, and it was a way to express, and I didn't realize it at the time, just how wonderful it was gonna be, but it just always felt right to do, and so I kept doing it. And when I met Marguerite, I luckily got taken under her wing, and she was someone that saw something in me, and I had a passion and a really big drive at that point in my life where I just wanted to do this, you know, and I wanted to be in this world of dance and just see where it took me. And I guess, you know, I was obviously guided and trained, but I just kept getting myself into situations or finding myself in situations where I had to learn how to swim very quickly. Like I'd be thrown into a pool on a job with her, or I'd be thrown into this situation that I'd really never done. You know, I trained in dance and all of this, but you can't prep for everything in the entertainment industry. And I was with a choreographer who was doing every type of job under the sun and every type of work, and it spanned like from belly dancing to like, you know, contemporary like ballet. Like it was just all over the place. And I had so much to do in terms of research and figure things out really quickly that, and then I'd be thrown into rooms with people much older than me that I had to teach and they had to listen to me. And I really had to develop and find a way at a very young age to get their trust and get their respect. Otherwise, I wasn't gonna get anywhere with them and I wasn't gonna deliver for my choreographer who I was working under, you know. And for some reason, and I guess a good reason, I was trusted and I was given that opportunity. Of course, I, you know, probably failed many times, but I did find a footing and I did find a way that I because I think it at my heart, like my core, which it like, and thank you for saying that about I show up the same, the same way in every room. And I do believe that because I truly I have a really good heart and I really care about people, and I really care about making a difference for people and getting having you know, people had get results from what I'm happy to share with them or to do with them. And and so that's where I think I got that confidence to walk into any room is because I just kept getting put into that situation and it was discovering that okay, I can do this while also being a good person, you know, and and making that happen. And I and I continue to do that to this day, no matter, you know, what room or what person I'm working around.

Tyne Stecklein 7:52

Yeah, I love that. Like you can you can be a confident and strong person and be a kind person, be a good person. You know, and speaking to that, you you work with a lot of actors, some of whom have maybe had some dance training prior and some who haven't. So being able to kind of like see the person first, right? And maybe try to connect with them because that I would imagine would require a lot of trust on their end.

Jennifer Hamilton 8:18

That's exactly what it is. And it's like if I don't get their trust, then they're not gonna give me the best part of themselves and allow themselves to open up and dive in because movement is very um vulnerable for some people, you know. It's fun for a lot of people, and a lot of people I'm sure do it like, you know, in the privacy of their own homes or whatever, you know. But if they're not a dancer, but it's hard to just like go there. But if if they're able to give me their trust and I'm able to tap into them and make them feel comfortable, then we get a really good result.

Tyne Stecklein 8:49

Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. Do you have advice for people who maybe don't consider themselves a dancer, but they want to just kind of bring movement or dance into their life, like how to start?

The Room LA And Letting Go

Jennifer Hamilton 9:00

I think I mean, start by throwing some music on in your house and move. I think that I get the most joy. I remember when I was at my wedding, there was, I mean, the day of a wedding goes by so fast, it's like the blink of an eye, right? And your whole day is over and it's the most glorious day, you know, for most people. And I remember there was a point where I was off the dance floor and I was not dancing. And I looked at the dance floor, and probably 85% of our guests were dancing on the floor, just having the time of their lives. And they aren't dancers, they're just people. And to watch that joy and to see that, just that movement. Movement is so freeing and just music and movement together, it's so healing, it's so therapeutic. There's so many, it's a release, you know, there's so many benefits to it that I'm just realizing even more so now, later in my life, that I wasn't thinking about in my 20s and 30s, right? But I don't know what I would do without movement in my life. So if there are people who don't do this, I would highly advise that you put on some music, you know, you dance in your house, you dance with your kids, you dance at a wedding, you dance in your car, you sing in your car, you make an idiot out of yourself. I mean, it's really so much fun, you know, and and classes. I mean, there's a thing I've develop developed called the room, which is basically a space for non-dancers to come in and to express and to feel free and to just lose themselves for, I don't know, an hour of their day when before they have to go back into the craziness of being a mom or being an attorney or just trying to figure out life or, you know, the struggles of getting it from A to B in LA, you know, just like anything that causes stress, you know. I've developed this kind of curriculum and formatting class that can be placed into any setting. It can be like done at a retreat or done at like a company or a corporate event or a birthday party or just in a classroom or just in a dance studio. And, you know, if you just get into the room sometimes, I find that the room is such a safe space for many people. Like, I can't tell you how many people have walked in, not only not only into my dance studio walls, but other dance studios. Like anytime I feel like someone comes into a dance studio room and you close that door, magic happens. And it doesn't matter if you're the best dancer in the world, it doesn't matter if you've never danced a day in your life. It somehow becomes a really like safe environment, at least in the spaces that I've been working in or tried to create. I I get that compliment a lot when people come into my studio, is this is such a great energy in here. And it's on purpose, and that's by design because it it's a it gives people permission to just let go. And that's something I think you know, we hold on to so much in life, and it's just nice to like have a place where you don't have to have it all together, you know, and so that's sometimes what the room becomes.

Tyne Stecklein 11:56

I love that. Like I've seen videos of you in your kitchen, you know, where you do exactly what you're saying. I think it's important even for the dancer, the young creative on their path, or a professional that's been doing this, for us to keep in mind this is also like therapy for us. But when we've been doing it at a professional level for a long time, it that can be stripped away. It can feel like work and it has to be perfect. And it's this thing that you now do to support your life or you want to do to support your life. And I think sometimes we forget about the art and how good it should feel. And I've seen an example from you, you know, in your kitchen or when you go take class. And I think it's just a really beautiful reminder for anyone listening, whether you have much dance experience or not. And this this concept of the room, is this something that anyone could, you know, if they were interested, anyone could check this out and look into your offerings with this?

Jennifer Hamilton 12:50

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I talk about it on in on my Instagram and we have our own page called The Room LA. And it's just getting started in more buzzes being created about it. But yes, I mean, I teach a weekly class for it, and and then there are other opportunities that come my way, like if people just want something more private or more curated for either themselves, their friends, or their business, and I kind of design it to that grouping so that everybody kind of gets gets something out of it, you know, depending on what kind of group I'm working with. But yes, it's open to anybody and anybody can can have access to it. Amazing reaching out to me.

Tyne Stecklein 13:23

Yeah, yeah.

Jennifer Hamilton 13:24

We'll be sure that in the show notes so that yeah, anyone in and I say it like that because it doesn't just have one, like, it's not just like one fixed class per week, right? It's not just like it's just that. It's it's and I think that's going back to me being thrown into all these situations in my career, like it's very easy for me at this point to someone come to me and be like, I want to do this kind of a thing with my friends, or I want this kind of a thing for my company, or I want this kind, like I'm able to be like, okay. And once I get some information from everybody on what they're needing or what they're wanting and hearing them, you know, it's very easily easy for me to curate and deliver what they'd like because I've just been placed in so many different types of settings. And so when I sit and listen to people, and when we can actually hear them and and and then I know I can what I can do through movement, it's just it becomes magic again, you know, it becomes very beneficial for everybody.

Tyne Stecklein 14:21

Yeah, I I I can imagine that hour or however it, you know, could be like this kind of little life-changing moment for people in the space.

Jennifer Hamilton 14:30

And that's like it's a really beautiful moment to watch when that happens. Either they finally have picked up a combination of steps, or like, you know, I did this like a private birthday party for like a dance off, and and there was teams or like teams of people that like wanted to just dance and they've never danced, and they just created their own teams. They came to me with a song or like song choices and were like, I kind of want to do something like this. And then we made like a whole piece out of it, and they did costumes and they did it, it performed in front of 400 people. They've like never done this before at this like birthday party, and everybody's having the best time, and they're finding this like sense of accomplishment within themselves and unlocking something that they didn't think that they could do. When I see people like that they're capable of something that they didn't believe that they could do, and I know I'm giving that to them through our art of movement, and like it's like the biggest gift in the world. There's nothing better. There's really nothing better.

Pivoting When A Path Expires

Tyne Stecklein 15:22

No, that's amazing. Yeah. And, you know, part of what I want to leave with this show is just this kind of idea of like flowing with life and where it takes you and just being really open to things that are inspired coming in and seeing where it goes. And I it sounds like, you know, this is kind of something that's just really formed itself naturally.

Jennifer Hamilton 15:41

Yeah, and I guess Tynan, that's a great point you bring up because it's like, I think I've learned, you know, I've been in this business and doing this art long enough that I would come up against these kind of challenges or these moments where I was out of alignment or I was not, it wasn't working or things weren't really hitting, you know. I remember the moment that I was auditioning as a dancer a lot. And this was in my like, you know, teens and twenties. And I remember being at this one audition, and I had just been auditioning, auditioning, auditioning. I kind of was getting to a point where it just like wasn't becoming fun anymore. And I'd been doing a lot of work and I'd or I'd worked a lot, you know, but it's just like for whatever reason, the auditioning as a dancer kind of had it like it kind of expired. And I remember looking at a friend next to me. I was like in a lineup, like for like a like a typecast or whatever. And I I was like, I just looked over it and I was like, I think I'm done with this. Wow. And like I was just that moment and I was like, it's not working right now. Like it doesn't fit and it doesn't feel right. I mean, that's such a bold statement to say, but I do remember myself being like, okay, now it's like I've got more teaching and choreography that I was putting my efforts toward, you know? I did that for so long, and I was still working with Marguerite, and I was, you know, that was going, and then I pivoted and that started to go. I mean, of course, took like a a minute, you know, and it was hard to like make such a shift of just like, I'm not dancing anymore. I'm just making more of a choice to do the next kind of phase or the next path for myself. And and then I remembered doing that, and it was going great, and doing, and then I hit another wall of I wasn't like getting a lot of work as a choreographer and I wasn't getting a lot of teaching stuff, and it was like looking over to my right and my left and at what everybody else was doing. And I was like, I had a really another challenging moment where I was up for a really amazing film and I fought so hard for it, and I thought I was gonna get it, and I was I knew I was gonna get it. I thought it was mine and I knew it was gonna change my life, and I knew it was gonna like open up doors for my career, and I was gonna be this amazing, like huge choreographer, and it was La La Land, and I was not the choreographer of La La Land. It was my Mandy Moore. And I was so close to getting it and so far away. And I remembered that moment, that moment was another wall hit out of alignment. I have to pivot, I have to change again. I opened a dance studio and had my second child and moved in that direction because that was like taking me that way now because this part wasn't happening anymore. And I went that way and I opened up a kids' dance studio, which I never wanted to open up dance studio. I just like never thought that would happen, right? But like it kind of took me that way. And I, because at that moment in life I felt, oh my gosh, like I feel the need for kids and and like, you know, this new generation to learn how like you and I learn, like go back to like work ethic, professionalism, how to show up, how to be accountable, how to be disciplined, how to look at yourself in the mirror, how to give yourself a compliment, how to feel good, how to express, and not just like dance, dance, dance and be like, you know, the best and the this and this many turns and this leg up here, which is also great. But for me, I was like, why would I want to do something like this? And that was why. And so then I did that. And now it's like 10 years in for the dance studio, and my kids are growing up, and I'm still doing, you know, now I'm back in like now. I want to get to have more choreography back in my life, you know, and now this thing developing with the room and you know, helping more like normal people. And it's like kind of just like takes you there, right? Because when you are faced with these challenges and you're faced with these things that keep knocking you down, I've learned that you need to pivot and you need to let life kind of just take you where it's supposed to go, and you don't really know what's around the corner until you just kind of trust your faith or trust your intuition or the universe or whatever it is spiritually you believe in. To just uh open yourself up to doing that because there usually is so many lessons and gifts when you allow yourself to stop forcing something and allow something in.

Tyne Stecklein 19:46

Oh my goodness, this is the show right here. Like this is like you just left us with so much goodness. Because I think as you pointed out, it it's not necessarily going to be easy. These challenges are real challenges and obstacles. And at the time, you know, we're also have families and mortgages, and you know, so it's not like it's easy as it's happening, but I think I know for myself, when I when I let myself really try to keep muscling through something that's no longer a fit, it doesn't make it any easier. The challenge doesn't go away, just holds on for longer. And so, like you said, you know, being able to pause and and I think listen in. And I think it's incredible. You knew at such a young age, like this isn't for me anymore, because once you're a performer, it's it's supposed to be desirable. We're supposed to want to do this forever, you know, in air quotes, but that's a really big thing to know that, to recognize it, to listen to it. And then you've done so many incredible things, and then to pivot into having children and opening a studio, and then you're raising these other, you know, dance children. Like, can you imagine what the path would have been if you didn't listen to that voice when you were so young? Like, wow, it's just taken you on such an incredible journey.

Jennifer Hamilton 21:00

Yeah, you know, and I think that's what happens for all of us, and it's like we don't really control like where where we're going, you know, after at least what I believe. So it's if you allow yourself that wherever you are and where you're placed, that there is opportunity, there is a purpose, there is a reason, and there is an intention and an impact to be had. If you can find that and see it, then you know it can be wonderful.

Tyne Stecklein 21:27

Yeah.

Jennifer Hamilton 21:28

Yeah. But you're right, it doesn't come without the hardships and the crying, like and the devastation and grief and loss and you know, ups and downs, and and you know, fails and you know, or whatever you consider failing, you know, it's it's mistakes, it's all necessary to, you know, to get to help us grow and to get us individually to where we're supposed to be headed next.

Timing Alignment And Stripped On Stage

Tyne Stecklein 21:54

Absolutely. And I think to get us to our potential, you know, and to get us to And to these different versions of ourselves. Yeah. I I believe, you know, similarly that kind of everything is just for our growth. And of course, at the time when it's when it's a challenge, it's hard to view it that way. But I'm I'm learning just as I get a little bit older, the more that I can step into that understanding and give myself grace and give myself time and pause to reframe things. Okay, how could this maybe actually be a blessing in disguise that I just can't see or won't see for many years? And it it definitely helps move through the challenging moments a lot. And you know, I think it's so cool, Jen, because I feel like these parts of you, like you you still are all of these amazing things. I got to go see you star in Stripped in December, a new wave ballet production by Kalia. And, you know, that was your your young dancer self, but you looked, I was like, she has not aged like a day since the day that I met her. You looked incredible, and it was a very like OG cast, the dancers that were up there. And I left so inspired and blown away by all of you on that stage. I would love for you to talk about that experience if you'd like to.

Jennifer Hamilton 23:15

I would love to. Yeah. So, you know, Stripped was a concept of a show that Kaleya's had for many years. And I she talked to me about it a while ago, like years ago. And it went away, kind of came back in a different form. She'd talk to me about it. We'd kind of discuss it. It went away. And then, like, I mean, years had passed. And then I had been in class, and you know, and I don't dance much anymore at all. You know, it just, I mean, I take class for myself, but I don't, you know, generally am not doing performances and and, you know, like still training at that level. And so, uh, but she brought it back around to me. And it's this, I this show that I went to her house one day and she acted out the whole thing from top to bottom, all with Annie Lennox and Arhythmics music. This whole show she conceived was just incredible how she just did it for me and explained the whole show with movement and this and then this and then this. And she walked me through this 90-minute like thing that was this new wave ballet that just like kind of was this incredible story. And it, you know, it's about addiction, it's about the armor we wear, it's about vulnerability, it's about being stripped down to losing yourself and having to sit with yourself and how to be okay with yourself. When she brought it back to me, again, with just timing and life and flow and allowing something in, it all just aligned. It was like, this makes so much sense, not only for me personally and where I was going, what I was going through in my life, that was not identical, but there was there were parallels for sure in the story. And I also connect with her very well as a collaborator and I understand her language as a director and choreographer. Like I understand the movement and I understand what she's trying to say. And so I felt very connected to that because I knew that I'd be able to deliver that for her because it I understand it. I made the choice to star in this show, in this 90-minute show that, like, you know, it's not like it's not the best choreography dance kicks or blah, blah, blah. You know, it's that wasn't what it is. It's it's a story that needed to be told. And I just happened to be the vessel and the person to be able to tell it to people. And, you know, at this point in my life, if it has, if there's an alignment, right, and it's got a purpose and it's something that I believe in, I'm gonna do it because it makes sense, because then there's an impact to be had again. And there's, I knew with this story that a lot of us deal with all of these things. Like a lot of people battle addictions, a lot of people battle deep, dark secrets, a lot of people battle being insecure and vulnerable and not knowing where to fit in and not knowing what to do in their life, and failing and making mistakes and making stupid choices and making like, you know, over and over again, and then not losing themselves and not knowing who they are. We all deal with this. And so it felt very human to me and cathartic. So it's interesting, like I never really looked at it as like like I was never really nervous to do it, which is weird because, like, I mean, of course, nerves nerves like kicked in, like, you know, right before you go on stage, because that's just adrenaline, and that's like, but like, never for a moment for this did I didn't think I couldn't do it, or like it wasn't because I was looking at it from such such a different perspective than I have ever approached work, like as a performer. I guess there was just maybe a more of a maturity and just kind of what I've learned as a creator and as a choreographer and as a mother and as a wife and as a teacher and as an educator, I just approached it in such a different way. And I think that the way I was able to kind of just be like, no, I just have something to tell people with my body, and I know I can do it. Like I don't are, I might not, I might not tell a great story with my words, like I can't articulate things very well all the time, but like I know I can do that with my body. I know I can do it. I know I can. So if I can, you know, translate that from her what she wants to say, and I can give it out, then that's all my job was. And so it became a really incredible process. And like, yeah, and dancing again and just being on a stage, like I don't know, it was a little transformative. It was a little kind of out-of-body experience, I guess, in a way. Well, in body, but like it wasn't like me doing it. It was just a message I was delivering. Yeah.

Tyne Stecklein 27:33

I mean, it actually makes perfect sense. And I feel like I could see that watching you in the show. I think it's such a good lesson because I think it's so easy to get in our head about how we are going to do the thing, whatever the thing is, if we're gonna do it justice, if we're gonna do a good job, if we're gonna get the job. And when we can kind of step back from that and scope out and be like, no, this is me being a vessel to tell this story, right? Or I was, I mean, I love you, I know you love me, but I was so nervous to do this podcast interview with you because you're who you are. You have this huge resume. Oh, but my first thought before we rolled. I'm like, okay, I'm just gonna be a vessel for Jen to share her goodness, you know. And when we can kind of align into that, then it takes the pressure off of ourselves and gets us a bit out of our ego and our head. You it's you said it perfectly.

Jennifer Hamilton 28:24

You kind of just push aside, like, that's not what it's about. You're right.

Tyne Stecklein 28:28

That's especially with art, you know, with storytelling, with art, with creating. It's bigger than that. It's about expressing and then our audience getting to feel that. I left just like so inspired, so touched. And I just was like, wow, I've really missed, well, first of all, live, live performance. It had been so long since I had seen, you know, but I just saw you and everyone on that stage, like your heart just so on display and connected in such an authentic way. And it was really beautiful. Yeah. I'm really, really glad you you took that on. And I hope the show will continue at some point.

Jennifer Hamilton 29:03

Yeah. I mean, we'll see what's next for it. But like I also know that it the time and space that it also happened was also it was in alignment. It was, it, it was perfect, you know, and it was meant to be when it was when it you know. I think about like, oh, doing that maybe five years ago when she first brought the project to me. And no, it wouldn't have it wouldn't have landed right. Like it's the timing, right? And the the flow of it. Yeah.

Physical The Audition That Clicked

Tyne Stecklein 29:27

I know always like I I keep tapping back into that, just trusting the timing of my life, trusting the timing of when we don't get something we thought was meant for us or something that we wanted, that it's all divinely perfect. We just can't, we just can't quite see why in the moment. I mentioned earlier you hired me when I was pregnant with Ocean to come dance on physical. And you knew, I told you, you know, you asked, I think my agent if I was available, and and I was, but I was honest about it because I had definitely experienced in my first pregnancy a lot of sharing. I was so excited that I was pregnant. I I told everyone, but then I experienced a lot of, oh, good for her, we'll get someone else, you know. But I just, I mean, I want to say thank you and I want to talk about this idea of just supporting other women, yes, and mothers, because I can say the people that have hired me still as a performer since I had children are mothers for the most part, you know, and I I appreciate it and respect it so much. And I think we grow so much as artists after we've had a child. And so to still be able to express our art is such a beautiful thing. So thank you. And I would love for you to, you know, dive in a little bit about physical as well, if you'd like.

Jennifer Hamilton 30:43

Yeah, I mean, physical was this gem of a job that came about in COVID. I it's actually a really funny story of how I got it. You know, I think at this point in my career, I get mostly I get people like directors or producers or actors or people connected already to a project that will call me or, you know, call my agent and say, hey, you know, we'd like to look at Jen for this. It's not so much anymore where I get submitted for work where I like actually have a meeting and go in. It happens from time to time, and I love when that happens, you know, because it's like new relationships and everything. But I remember my agent called me and said, Hey, can you just like there's this new like aerobic show? And they just want you to like go into a studio and put like some aerobics moves together, but you have to name them, like name the aerobics moves. And I was like, okay, and they're like, it takes place in the 1980s. I was like, I love it, like amazing, great. And so I took my assistant Kelly Allen into a room and where it was just such a silly like audition or meeting, like you know, film that I had to put on film. And I just had a ball with it. I was just like, this is hilarious. Like, I'm like doing these like 80s like moves and every like naming. I'm like, what the hell is this called? Oh, that's like a ski slice. That sounds right. Like, like cut me these names out of my ass. And like, but I had so much fun doing it. And, you know, and I kept it in the 1980s, like, you know, I grew up in that era, so it was easy for me to tap back into like, you know, watching my mom do like jazz or size and aerobics in my living room, you know, and and I submitted it and they I he called me, he's like, You got it. I was like, what? Like, you gotta be kidding me. Like, you're kidding, right? And so what it turned into though was one of the best jobs of my life. It had so many pluses. It it had no negatives. It had no negatives, and that never happens. Like, it's that's why I say it's like it sits in such a special place in my heart because I was a resident series choreographer for three seasons on it. I met the amazing Rose Byrne, who is just the most insanely lovely person in all shapes and forms. Like she's so wonderful, and I had a blast with her. Our showrunner was great. I got to hire like hundreds of dancers over the seasons, you know. It was fun work. It wasn't like, yes, it was challenging on my end, but I think for the dancers who got to come in, like it wasn't so over the overwhelming. We all had a really great time, you know. Um, I got along so well with the director, I got to see so many people, I got to create, I got to be in LA, and I got an Emmy nomination for it, you know. It was it was a pretty awesome job, and they don't come along that much, you know. I mean, we're grateful for any jobs that we get to do or choose to do, but this one was just one that will always be in my heart and like just be very grateful that I was given the opportunity to not only meet all these incredible people, but to to do this work and to to make and create with these people.

Tyne Stecklein 33:40

That's amazing, and it's probably because you had as much fun with the audition as you did that you got the job. You know, it it would have been a totally different thing if you like if you knew the scope of what that show was gonna be when you first had it, it probably would have maybe I would have felt very stressed because the show, you know, has been massive. Um but yeah, I I think again it's like that alignment of like you had fun with it and you enjoyed the process and then you ended up being the perfect person for it.

Jennifer Hamilton 34:09

Yeah, and it was great. I had so much fun working with all the actors too, you know. I I have realized in my career too that I'm like that's I I get work that is a lot of with a lot of actors, you know, and but I love that. I love being able to, again, it's like going back to just any average person trying to dance or learning to dance. It's it's so rewarding and gaining their trust and kind of helping them and guide them on their journey of this role or whatever they're playing or whatever, you know, the scene is or whatever character they are. I think it's been I love that. It's such great work and such fun work for me.

Motherhood Work Life And Presence

Tyne Stecklein 34:42

Yeah, yeah. Let's talk a little bit just about you know, motherhood and like the work life balance that comes with that and all the many hats that you wear.

Jennifer Hamilton 34:54

Like you, right? It's like you're a mother of three, you're working, you know, you're doing the thing every single day. I'm a mom, I'm working, we have careers, we have businesses, we have lives. It's women are amazing. I was sitting in my bathroom this morning, actually, and I was like, you know, and it was like a maybe it was 11 o'clock. So oh, it was at my studio. I was at my studio, it was 11 o'clock, and I was like, the amount of things I have already done today is insane. Like, and it's like all over the place too. It's not like I was just doing one thing, right? It's like you're waking up, you're getting the kids' lunches, you're taking time for yourself. Maybe you're trying to meditate for five minutes so you can like center in. You know, I've got like a dog, I've got to feed him, I'm getting him on his walk, you know, I've got the kids to school, I'm helping them with their backpacks, and then I've got to teach a class, and then I've got to go over here to another rehearsal, and then I've got to, oh, I have to go to the bathroom. And like, I'm like, I you know, you're like, what the hell is this? Like, and it's amazing. But I was just sitting and having a moment where I was like, wow, we do a lot, like a lot. And I think I'm realizing this even more. And I don't know if you feel like this. I've and I think I know why, but I feel like the last two years, I blink and it's like four o'clock, and I'm like, I barely got to like scratch the surface of the things that actually like not actually needed to be done, but just other things that needed to be done that like keep getting not getting done, you know, and you're like, it's just wild. And I think it's just because there's now so much distraction in life. It's the phone, it's the notification, it's the call, it's the oh, like going to pick a kid up, you know, or be oh, I have this. It's just the constant ping-ponging around. And it's like, then your day is done, you know. So, which leads me to trying to just be grateful of like be okay with, I'm only getting a couple of extra things done today.

Tyne Stecklein 36:50

Yeah.

Jennifer Hamilton 36:50

And that's okay. And I'm not going to tackle it all. Like, you know, yeah, in my 20s, I had a to-do list and they all got checked off. But it doesn't happen when you've got a fuller plate in life. And and that's okay because it's also, I mean, motherhood, as you know, right, is like it's the hardest job ever and challenging, but so incredible. You know, you're responsible for help to shape these humans that are gonna grow up in this world that I'm already having trouble learning knowing how to navigate what we're up against and what we're going through and what's to come. And so to know that I'm need to help these little people be okay and safe and feel confident in themselves and you know, raise them to be good humans, you know, in a crazy world is is sometimes very overwhelming. An overwhelming thought. Yeah. Um that's the word for it for sure.

Tyne Stecklein 37:47

Yeah, yeah.

Jennifer Hamilton 37:48

But I think like finding those moments, like I've I I try to balance it all out. And you know, sometimes, yeah, do I just get that like you know, little voice in my head that was like, oh like I wish I was off like doing a tour and I was doing a movie. But like I just have to, I I have to go back and be like, you know what? No, because that the whole part of what I'm why I feel like I'm here and what we're all supposed to learn is like how to kind of balance everything out. And you can have a really full life, but you don't just have to throw it all into one area. And so yeah, if that means I'm going to my kids' basketball game and I'm being a mom and I'm taking care of that and I'm not off doing this, that's okay. You know, I I still get to to work, I still get to have a career, I still get to have, you know, time with my friends, I still get to go out to dinner, I still get to go on vacation with my kids, I still get to sit and do homework with them, you know. And maybe when I was a younger mother, like when they were younger, I would fight that a lot, you know, like I've gotta be doing this, I gotta be doing this more. And I think I've really just kind of relaxed into I don't know because it goes by so fast, you know, and it goes so quickly. And there's just so many things to learn every single day as a parent. It's nice to just stop and to just be still and to just be okay with the pace of it all or the landscape of it all, and not looking to the other things of what it could be, what it should be, what it isn't, you know, those are all such negatives to bring in. And hard as a woman, I think, because you know, I was even talking to Zach about this, my partner Zach. He's like, you know, you're so hard on yourself. And I'm like, well, I think it's women. Like we, it's a really daily thing, I think, for most women to like, there's a lot of criticizing thoughts that go into in our head at a like rapid pace, very quickly before it hits like probably 9 a.m., right? And the way that we critique ourselves or the way that we, you know, think about ourselves and think about how we're showing up in the world, or showing up as mothers, or showing up as wives, or showing up as in the career space, or in your business and or feeling inadequate or feeling insecure. And I'm like, wow, like, you know, we have we have a lot of work, I feel like, in that, you know, in that way that we have to, that we put on ourselves to like look at ourselves in the mirror and say, we're doing okay. I'm doing okay. Or like go to lunch with a girlfriend and be like, how are you doing? Like, let's talk this out, or you know, what's going on, you know, and and we are by nature hard on ourselves, you know, and we always want the best for our family and for caretakers, you know, by design, most of us. And so it's a lot of pressure sometimes that I feel like we have to take care of ourselves and take care of ourselves first. And I think I'm learning that more too, right? As you go on, and I'm sure you're experiencing this too with your kids growing older. And you, if you're not good with yourself, you know, you're not being a good mom or a good wife or good anywhere for anyone.

Tyne Stecklein 40:47

Absolutely. Yeah, I think everything you said is relatable, no matter you know, kind of where people are on their journey. Because I I agree, I think most women, whether you have kids of your own or not, we are caretakers, we are very empathetic. We care, we care so deeply about everything that we have our hand in. And it's really beautiful, and it's also a lot to hold, you know, and a lot to take on. And I think even with conversations like this, it's always just it feels good to be like, oh, yeah, it's all of us, you know.

Jennifer Hamilton 41:20

This is this is what it is to be a woman. You know, because when I because when Zach said that to me, he's like, You're so hard. I'm like thinking, I think I I don't think I'm alone in this. Like, I'm pretty sure there's I'm pretty sure there's other women that are experiencing this. You just don't live with them. Right. Yeah, you you are not alone.

Tyne Stecklein 41:39

I I feel like, you know, my husband, he's just better about like compartmentalizing almost, whereas I feel like it's all in the back of my brain all the time. So even though I'm doing one thing, I'm still thinking about all the other things that need to happen. It's something I'm working on. I'm really working on presence because I want you when I'm soccer mom on Wednesday afternoon, I want to just soak it up because I know how fast it'll go. And so, you know, I am trying to work on that and I'm trying to work on the to-do list being these are the absolute essentials for the day. These have to get done. These are the things that eventually will have to get done. And this is just the bonus, you know, cleaning the toilet. Like when does that really ever get done? But, you know, like I'm trying to give myself a little space with that because I don't know that we were ever intended to live in such a busy, chaotic way, like we are. And so allowing for a little bit of a a rest and like it's okay, it's okay. What I get done is enough. What I don't get done is also okay.

Jennifer Hamilton 42:42

And what you said too, like I think that I've learned that, and like, especially when we are having so many places to be and things to do. Like, like I was saying, you're at a rehearsal, you're at a soccer game, you're at a dinner, you're at a meeting, you're at this. Like, the only way to be able to do that all is to really try to drop in and be present and just be there when you're there. And then when you're done with that, then you're there. And then that's it, you know, and then to kind of shut off that noise a bit. I've have found that that's been really helpful for me because otherwise I was driving myself crazy. Think like it just then it takes you out of being engaged and really dropping into like what you're doing and why you're doing it, like why you're you're the soccer mom. Because you want to, you want to be there for your child and you want to see that team and you want to be be there to cheer and you want to help, and and then that's that's the job. That's the job for the hour, you know, and that's what you're doing, and that's all you're doing, you know. And like you said, the other things you worry about them later. But yeah, that's it's it's really good to keep remembering. And and I think, especially for a lot of younger dancers or a lot of younger moms or younger women, like to hear is like just be where you are when you are, and that's it. It that's helped me too, just kind of release a lot of my anxiety or pressure about like even.

Tyne Stecklein 44:00

putting like on a job like like even for this I was like you know with the questions and things that you knew that I knew that you were gonna ask me or talk about or discuss you know loosely I I was like God I really should put more time and work and effort and and energy and and prepping and that and I was like all you gotta do Jen is just drop in and tell your story like you know your life you know what you've been through you you know what it nobody knows it better so you know you just have to say it yeah you just you just gotta like I'm reminding myself like I just gotta be you know I just gotta be here and be connected I mean yeah I I do have this list of questions I want to ask guests and I feel like it's so much more beautiful of a conversation if I just let us go where we go. So it's like I I feel that so much and I feel that with everything in life. And I want to circle back because when you were talking about the balance, you know, you really quickly mentioned like if I get a five minute meditation and like that's something I I try even if I get 60 seconds before you know I try so hard because it's a tool that I found I really need to ground as a start of my day. But you know that or anything else that you are using for yourself as self-care or just kind of a way to help you and you know your busy life that you would want to share.

Quiet Practices Golf And Authentic Self

Jennifer Hamilton 45:20

For me, I like to get up in the morning and have my coffee or tea and sit just in silence because a lot of boys in my house that it just gets very loud very quickly. So I I sit and I I try to do a meditation every morning. I'm not a big journaler. I've always wanted to be a big journaler but I'm not but I'll sit and I do my meditation. So you sh if somebody if you can find a hobby that is not what you do for your profession or not what you do like daily like something that's just a little different that you is a little extra bonus or an extra treat that you can find that you're good at or that you are interested in I always think that that's good. I am a big golfer and that is my therapy. Like that is a place I have found that I love so much that I'm outdoors I generally will golf alone or golf by myself and I know it's typically a social sport but for me I use it as a time to think and to focus on something else and to get good at something else that isn't dance. And it's a sport that requires so much focus. It takes my mind off of things. It's a place I can go that I don't have my kids distracting me. I don't have people at the studio asking me questions. I don't have a lot of noise around me. And so I have found for me I just need quiet for a second and I need to process thoughts and I need to like I can't have a lot of noise around me for distractions, you know, with distractions. So I don't take all day to do it. I do like nine holes and it just takes an hour and a half of my day and it's usually like you know before my kids get out of school or right when they're out of school and they're going to an activity and I'm and I don't have to be back in my dance studio or I don't have a rehearsal or something and that's when I'll go out and I'll just use that time because it grounds me and it makes me feel and I'm in touch with nature. I think you know I was listening to this this philosopher and poet whom I love David White and he was talking about humans are really like the only creation that try to get away from being themselves or can change themselves and like a tree is a tree. Leaves are leaves grass is the grass the animal is the animal that it is they're not trying to be anything else. They just are what they are and I think that's like why nature is so nourishing to us because it's everything just pure and it's as it is and they're not trying to hide behind anything. And I think as humans like we have the ability to hide behind ourselves or put on a mask or put on a front or put on a performance or put on a thing and we're the only creatures that can do that you know and it's it's a fantastic ability. It's also sometimes you just need to be yourself. That's something I think is very important. So when I say golf for me finding something for yourself that really feels authentic and the real you like the real what you are and like the essence you embody you know and and exactly what your show is about. You know it's it's what brings you back to just the person you are and not who you're supposed to be or should be but just who you are at your core. And that changes right it's like it evolves. I'm not who I was when I was 20. I'm not who I I mean yes deeply right but not it it it does evolve and change but it's really just being okay with who you are when you are at the time and space that it happens in.

Tyne Stecklein 48:43

Yeah and I and I love that because I think in wanting to help guide you know young artists, creatives on a pathway to finding their authentic voice and self, I think this is such a it's so simple but it's such a key like what are the things that light you up be it that you're passionate about for a career but or just be it golf you know like that's that's so impressive to me also does not sound fun to me.

Jennifer Hamilton 49:09

I don't I mean you're like me really impressive but you know just start I'm like oh my gosh that sounds like that's that's not the one I'm adventuring. But you know like your art like your painting and your art like that doesn't sound fun to me because I would be terrible at it. But that for you is your outlet.

Tyne Stecklein 49:32

Yeah and maybe that outlet has helped me find me. Exactly and that's you know I think I'm very aware my journey at 18 an 18 year old's not gonna know themselves the way you do later to come but I also think I felt so much pressure to try and be what people wanted me to be on the job for the audition on set. I felt that a lot which was me putting that pressure on myself by the way no one else was putting that pressure on me but I put a lot of pressure on myself to be enough or to be this and you know that's kind of my my guidance for my younger self or younger listeners like you are enough and listening into those things that excite you will help lead you to knowing who you really are and then you get to offer more of that person with confidence to the world or to the things you choose to pursue with your life. Yeah absolutely is there any you know anything else you want to leave as far as you know anything you you would encourage like a younger artist on their path or just any other you know things in life that you're inspired by at this point you'd like to share?

Jennifer Hamilton 50:42

It's a quote that's kind of it's simple but it's so deep. It's by another like philosopher poet named Mark Neppo, a wonderful author. I was listening to a podcast and he said this line and I was like oh my God and it just like was like a thunderbolt and I was like whoa and it was like so simple but I was like it's so meaningful and it's how do we stay a verb and not become a noun and I was like oh my God like this is I think about this quote every single day nouns are fixed things right it's a label it's you're a wife you're a mom or an attorney you're a doctor it's all these like definitions of like a final fixed thing. But a verb is active and a verb is something that continues to change and it continues to evolve and it grows and it builds and it learns and it continues on a journey like it's it's constant. And I love that because I just think for any younger viewers or listeners or us, anyone to not get to not settle or get fixed into something or think that you are just one thing or a label or a definition you know it's no you're an active person that continues to learn and grow and evolve in this world until your your day is up you know and I think that that's really important to hear because I think especially in this business too you get you can get labeled or you think of yourself as a certain type of person or a certain way or I'm just this way or this is just me or this is how it is right and but it doesn't have to be like that if you continue to just challenge yourself and learn and take opportunities and see where the path leads you and make mistakes and change course and continue to just go on the ride, you know I just love that quote so much it sticks with me because yeah as dancers too like being still like terrifies me right well not it just means like I I I feel like I we need movement in life. We just need to keep moving you know yes we should have moments of stillness that's not what I mean to move to grow like all of it is so important. And so I feel like the more that people can really trust that and allow themselves to just be the person that's the catalyst for their own life versus waiting for somebody else to give them the permission to do the thing.

Stay A Verb Not A Noun

Tyne Stecklein 53:05

That's it right versus waiting for somebody else to give them permission to do the thing to show up for themselves to be confident when they walk in the room it's huge. Because that's the difference that's the difference between I think people who do pursue their dreams or take the steps they've just told themselves they can they get to and we all have that we all have that at our disposal but it can be scary you know that's that's such a beautiful quote I love his book the the book I believe it's the book of awakening like the daily yes that was a beautiful way to end but it actually didn't make me have one more question. Because you know you're so active in the the TV and film space and then you have your studio when you get to see new dancers let's say they come to class if you're teaching a master class or even for an audition what would you say that you are looking for if you get to work with people that you haven't before you get to hire new talent like what are you looking for in that space? Such a great question.

Jennifer Hamilton 54:04

And the answer is I'm going to I pay attention to how someone's gonna walk into a room and so I I will clock pretty quickly an energy of someone meaning like are they talking over there? Are they engaged? Are they paying attention like all the pre-stuff before we've even gotten to a class or before we've even gotten to the audition part I will usually pay attention to those people in the room that seem engaged and wanting to be there and showing up in a professional way. So that's on that side. Then like if I'm seeing a new dancer in class or auditioning a new dancer, what I'm gonna tap into the most is if they're telling me a story, I don't care if we're doing two counts of eight. I don't care if it's the like pot of a ray for two counts of eight. Because how am I going to decipher that person over that person if it's the same exact step if you haven't given it any heartbeat and you haven't given it any fuel in here and there's no intention behind that movement, I will not tap into it and I won't be engaged and I won't understand what you're trying to tell me. So I will look for those dancers that oh wait a minute I they have something to tell me I'm gonna listen and then I'm like those are the people I want to work with and those are the people that understand it's not just the moves. It's not just getting the job it's there's a purpose there's like an overall point to it all. I try to train all these young dancers about that too like I do a lot of these like bridging programs of like you know kids coming out of their senior year and bridging the gap into like the professional world or just what their next phase is and I've I've done a handful of these kinds of seminars or workshops or semesters with certain you know universities and and groups and and schools and companies and studios but that is really what I work on the most because it's like if I'm standing in a room of 20 people and everyone's doing the same thing and let's say they all look pretty much the same how am I why am I going to choose you? What's going to make you stand out and I really think that that's it. It's like if you're understanding that there's purpose behind it and you're actually like linking these two with your movement if you can show me that with your body then I'm gonna listen and I'm gonna pay attention and that those are the people that are going to speak the loudest.

What Makes A Dancer Stand Out

Tyne Stecklein 56:21

I love that little hummingbird just hit my window. Oh my god oh my gosh that's like one of my you know animal that I like me too it it was a little aggressive so I do hope it's okay but it beautifully resonated with what you expect because it's it's huge advice for you know the dancers in the convention space right now wanting to pursue this path because I see talent and the things they can do physically in this way it's just mind blowing like it's it's beyond anything that I did at that age. But then we have a hard time sometimes connecting to the heart space of it and sharing that part. And it is it is going to be really big in pursuing work for a choreographer but also just for life. Like I think everything you just said applies to life too of like when we're connecting the mind with the heart the spirit you know into anything that we do it makes for I think a more beautiful moment for ourselves but also the person on the other end the person we're connecting with. It's just like these are like to me what I call like the keys to life just connecting all of those things and it's it's such beautiful advice. Thank you for sharing that.

Jennifer Hamilton 57:35

Of course thank you questions were so wonderful and really just so great for everyone to hear and to listen to so thank you for creating this space for all of us.

Gratitude And Closing

Tyne Stecklein 57:45

Yeah thank you Jen if there's dancers you know in the LA area right now is it's still primarily it's you know under 18 ages two to 17 so yeah it's okay it's awesome. Yeah and then we'll link you know show notes with with the floor and with the room and you know with your social media and then people can follow if you're teaching master classes and stuff like that so that yeah they can connect with you. Yeah. Well I just I can't thank you enough. I love you and you brought so much goodness to this space. Thank you. Thank you and I love you sweetie thanks so much.

Jennifer Hamilton 58:22

I love it. The best hour of my day.