Hoboken resident Jamie Salmon teaches her students endurance, stamina, and the importance of staying in shape. But Salmon, 48, isn’t a local basketball or football coach – she teaches ballet, and her students often excel. They have risen to the top as dancers in “Billy Elliot” on Broadway, and finished in the top 10 on the hit reality television show, “So You Think You Can Dance.”
Salmon got her start in dance when she was just 8 years old, growing up near Albany, N.Y. She said that her mother, an avid ballet fan, was a huge influence on her as a young dancer.
“Instead of me training locally, my mother drove me 25 to 30 miles for lessons from Dana Kennedy [a well-known ballet instructor],” Salmon said.
“The demands of what they’re asking dancers is more now at a younger age.” – Jamie Salmon
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“It was a huge sacrifice,” Salmon said. “And it was an amazing experience for me and I wouldn’t trade it for anything, but I missed being with my parents. I came home on vacations and had a month or two home in the summer, but then it was back to school.”
Salmon graduated from high school at the young age of 16, and moved to New York.
“I shared a studio apartment with a fellow dance mate,” she said. “I was doing the starving artist routine and loving every minute of it. When you’re young, you could do it.”
At the age of 16, Salmon not only danced in the big city, but also had the opportunity to teach.
“It was just a role I fell into and enjoyed,” she said. Salmon continues teaching today in the northern New Jersey area, including New York City and Hoboken.
“A lot of dancers have careers as performers and then they move on,” Salmon said. “I have friends making six figures in financial advising…but for me, teaching dance is something that’s turned into a passion for me.”
One such client of Salmon’s is Maddie Novak, a Hoboken girl who starred in Billy Elliot on Broadway. Another student of hers from a Bergen County-based school finished eighth on last year’s season of “So You Think You Can Dance.”
“My days as a teacher now are crazy,” Salmon said, explaining a weekly routine that includes seven days of work at three different schools, as well as conducting private lessons.
In the area
Salmon used to travel across the country as a dancer, but now, she says, her teaching schedule keeps her within the area.
Dance has transformed over the years, Salmon said, in part because of reality shows and other draws that make the activity more inviting for children.
“As much as I’m not a pro-reality show person, although I have watched several, I really think [entertainment] reality shows have an impact [on families] because it brings dance right into your living room,” she said.
In addition to the usual focus on movement and dance, Salmon said her students supplement such lessons with an emphasis on strength and conditioning.
“When I studied, it was more of a ‘just do it’ mentality,” she said, citing the popular Nike advertisements. “The demands of what they’re asking dancers is more now at a younger age…I push my students to take complimentary conditioning such as yoga, Pilates, and they do some training at gyms for aerobics. Also, it’s important to understand your body and nutrition.”
Salmon moved to Hoboken in July 2011, mostly for the proximity to New York City. She previously lived in Bergen County. But she’s growing an affinity for the mile-square city.
“I really like the energy of Hoboken,” she said. “It’s a young town. I feel very safe here…and it provides me access to wherever I need to go. Plus, it has the greatest view in the world.”
Salmon can be found teaching lessons in Hoboken, such as in the Monroe Center, sometimes with her little dog Tilly by her side.
Jamie’s message to parents: make sure to encourage dreams for your children.
“The unconditional love, faith and support my parents and sisters gave me throughout my childhood and still do to this day, 40 years later, has played an important role in my success as I continue to follow my passion,” Salmon said. “While the sacrifices were great at times, both personally and professionally, I am so grateful and wouldn’t change any of it for the world.”
For more information about Jamie Salmon and her dance lessons, visit BalletMissJamie.com.
Ray Smith may be reached at RSmith@hudsonreporter.com