Jeremy Greer

Biography

Jeremy Greer, originally from Houston, Texas, began dancing at the age of 8. In the early years of his training, he attended Dance Expressions in Friendswood, Texas, studying a multitude of dance styles. At the age of 14 he began attending the High School for Performing and Visual Arts and the Houston Metropolitan Dance Center. While in high school he trained across multiple genres of dance with teachers such as Terrill Mitchell and Marlana Doyle. He also had the opportunity to work with many choreographers including Parker Esse, Elijah Alhadji Gibson, and Christian Warner, as well as perform Martha Graham’s Appalachian Spring Suite, restaged by Blakeley White-McGuire. Upon graduation from high school, he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Texas Christian University’s School for Classical & Contemporary Dance. While there he continued his training in many dance styles, engaged in courses centering around choreography, dance pedagogy, anatomy, technical theatre and dance on film, and worked with choreographers such as Susan Douglas Roberts and Francisco Aviña, as well as perform José Limón’s There Is a Time, restaged by Natalie Desch.

Once graduated, he taught dance classes in many styles at multiple studios in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. He worked diligently to create and maintain safe spaces while placing an emphasis on technique, discipline and accountability. He has also traveled across the state of Texas to teach guest classes and set choreography for both competitive studios and drill teams.

Jeremy now resides in Boston, Massachusetts where he performs as a professional NFL Cheerleader.

Artistic Philosophy

For myself, being human is not merely the complexities of biological existence, but a collection of lived and felt experiences. In my work as a dancer, choreographer, and teacher, I strive to bring forth an unapologetic version of the human existence that is both inspired by and in honor of the our hearts, minds, and bodies. I strive to create safe spaces for dancers that recognizes the importance of both mental and physical health. My dance in class and performance is a catalogue of difficulties, and a catalyst for success. It is a composite of the whole human experience.

Teaching Philosophy

My teaching philosophy can be broken into to two parts: the physical and the mental.

In terms of the physical, the actual act of dancing, my teaching is rooted in the importance of disciple, accountability and technique. A strong technical foundation is crucial in a dancer’s ability to not only successfully perform exercises and choreography, but to also provide the base for artistic exploration. Once the base has been established, there is an ease of expression that is free of the instability of a poor technical base. All classes that I teach, across all genres, will feature some sort of strictly technical combination. The focus in these combinations is to be diligent in performing them to best of one’s ability holding technical excellence at the forefront. It is important to me that dancers show up for every class prepared and committed to offering all of their energy to this strive for before mentioned technical excellence.

In terms of the mental, the heart and soul of the dancer, my teaching strives to create safe spaces for dancers where they feel the freedom to fail and be authentically themselves. My goal is for dancers to feel the freedom to be vulnerable while still maintaining a high standard of training. I do this in a multitude of ways. The first is that my classes are genderless. I offer options for dancers inside of choreography that will allow them to move in ways that best fit their gender identity, but I do not assign gendered terms or connotations to these options. Similarly to this practice, I will always respect students pronouns and do not address my classes in gendered terms. The class will always be addressed as “students,” “dancers,” “learners,” and terms alike. I am also a promoter of the importance of good mental health. A healthy mind creates a successful dancer. I always make it clear to my students that showing up fully may look different each day. A dancers 100% today may only be 75% of what it was yesterday. As long as a student is giving their all, it does not matter how that may change over time. I like to lead exercises in class that remind us of the amazing things in life, no mater how small they may be, and often have conversation with students on ways we can take care of our heart. Dance is love and a healthy mind set allows us to feel that love fully.