Jason Samuels Smith facts for kids
Jason Samuels Smith is an amazing American tap dancer, choreographer, and director. He was born on October 4, 1980. He is known for his powerful and creative tap dancing.
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Early Life and Career
Jason Samuels Smith grew up in New York City. Both of his parents were professional performers. He started his career very young. He was part of a special program for kids at the Broadway Dance Center.
When he was a child, Jason appeared on the TV show Sesame Street. By the age of 15, he was an understudy for the main role in the famous Broadway show Bring in 'Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk. This show won a Tony Award.
Awards and Recognition
Jason Samuels Smith has won many awards for his talent. He won an Emmy and an American Choreography Award. These were for his "Outstanding Choreography" in 2003. This was for the opening number of the Jerry Lewis/MDA Telethon. It was a special tribute to the late tap legend Gregory Hines.
The City of Los Angeles also honored him. They gave him a Certificate of Appreciation. This was for starting the first Los Angeles Tap Festival in 2003. The City of Shreveport, Louisiana even declared April 23 as "Jason Samuels Day"!
Amazing Performances and Projects
Jason Samuels Smith has been featured in many cool projects. In 2004, he was in a short film called Tap Heat. He was also a featured dancer in the movie Idlewild by Outkast.
The famous choreographer Debbie Allen has often featured Jason's dancing. He appeared in her TV series Cool Women. He also performed in "Sammy," a show honoring Sammy Davis Jr.. In 1999, he had a main role in "Soul Possessed." He performed alongside stars like Patti LaBelle and Arturo Sandoval.
Jason also started the tap dance program at the Debbie Allen Dance Academy. This academy is in Culver City, California. The annual Los Angeles Tap Festival is also held there. In 2016, Jason narrated a documentary about tap dancing called Lost in the Shuffle.
Other performances include:
- Being a special guest on Fox Television's So You Think You Can Dance.
- Performing at the New York City Center Fall For Dance Festival.
- Dancing at Sadler's Wells Sampled in London.
- Joining Savion Glover's group, NYOTs (Not Your Ordinary Tappers).
- Performing in Cross Currents: Turned on Tap in London.
- Taking part in the Harlem Jazz Dance Festivals' TAAP: The Art and Appreciation of Percussion.
- Performing in 21Below! with Jennifer Holliday.
- Being part of Thank You Gregory: A Tribute to the Legends of Tap.
- Performing at the Darktown Strutters Ball Gala in 2010.
- Dancing at the Career Transition for Dancers 20th Anniversary Jubilee in 2005.
- Special performances and choreography in the TV show Psych (Season 5, Episode 2).
Jason Samuels Smith also starred in the first show of Imagine Tap! in Chicago.
India Jazz Suites
One of Jason's unique collaborations was India Jazz Suites. He performed this with Kathak Master Pandit Chitresh Das. Kathak is a classical Indian dance form. After Das passed away, Jason continued to dance with his student, Seema Mehta.
Both Kathak and tap dancing use the feet to make rhythms. The main difference is the footwear. Kathak is usually performed barefoot, while tap dancers wear special shoes.
Other Ventures
Jason Samuels Smith also started his own tap company called A.C.G.I. (Anybody Can Get It). He also has a band called JaJa Productions. They play original jazz-influenced hip hop music. They have performed all over the United States.
He even designed his own line of tap shoes. He partnered with the company Bloch to create them.
