What’s it like when you are the only African American dancer in a world of all white dancers? Lisa continues our very special interview with Jennifer Jones, the first African American Rockette. Jennifer talks about growing up seeing Broadway shows with her parents. She told her high school guidance counselor that she wanted to go to college and major in dance. Her counselor told her that she wasn’t ready for college yet, although at a very early age, she always dreamed of being on stage. She was so passionate and started at a local community college before moving to New York City, auditioning, and getting hired to be a Rockette.
She talks about how spectacular Radio City Music Hall is. It literally took her breath away! She shares the excitement of the famous Christmas Spectacular show and how she poured her heart into each show. She was performing up to six shows a day.
Jennifer discusses resilience, and what she had to break through to make her dreams come true. She noted that this year is the 100-year anniversary of the Rockettes and a big event will be planned to celebrate.
She also talks about her challenges, and how important it is to believe in yourself. She discusses the importance of being resilient. When she turned 50, she went to her doctor to request a colonoscopy. The doctor told her she was young and had nothing to worry about as she was healthy and had no family members with colorectal cancer. Jennifer listened to her powerful intuition and got a colonoscopy anyway. The doctors determined that she had colorectal cancer, and she was told she had five years to live.
She felt embarrassed by this diagnosis as she was always the “healthy one” in her family. She was physically fit and a vegetarian. She met with a specialist and had four rounds of chemotherapy. To the amazement of her doctors, the tests showed dramatic improvement. She explains how she decided to meditate more, let go of toxic relationships, drink green juices, and so much more. She knew she needed to change the way she ate and the way she thought. In 2019, she was deemed cancer-free!
Jennifer talks about testing early for colorectal cancer, and especially in the African American community. If there’s a history in your family, it’s important to test even earlier. She shares how her symptoms started as pressure in her abdomen, so she began changing her diet and meeting with doctors. She talks about organizations who can offer early detection and additional support including Colorectal Cancer Alliance:
https://colorectalcancer.org and Colon Cancer Foundation:
https://coloncancerfoundation.org.
Jennifer’s groundbreaking memoir is titled “Becoming Spectacular: The Rhythm of Resilience from the First African American Rockette.” This is Part 2 of the interview. Info:
rockettejenn.com.