Jade Perry is described by others as a pleasure to talk to, cool and a genuinely nice guy.
But what he is most known for is his passion for dance.
Perry, a sophomore undecided major, has been dancing for almost 11 years and started in a summer theater program at the age of 6 or 7.
The only dancer in his family, Perry picked it up naturally, learning everything from tap, which is his favorite, to jazz to hip-hop and ballroom.
“I always loved music… my mom told me that when I was younger I would always dance to music and stuff,” Perry said.
Perry was homecoming king in high school as well as the Cat in the Hat in “Seussical the Musical.”
He was not on the dance team in high school, but danced at two studios: Dance by Debra and Center Point Dance Academy in his hometown of Crawfordsville, Ind.
“I was pretty afraid of what people would think (in high school)… when I first came to USI, I wasn’t going to try out,” Perry said.
Perry tried out for the dance team his freshman year with a knee injury.
During tryouts, he had to learn a group routine as well as a solo routine and perform them the next day.
“It was very nerve racking, being the only guy and having a hurt knee,” Perry said.
USI dance team coaches were skeptical at first about having a male on the team and wondered how Perry would be accepted, Jennifer Guebert, one of the coaches, said.
However, their misgivings proved unmerited.
People notice if Perry isn’t performing, Guebert said. They did when he was hurt earlier in the year and wasn’t able to dance.
“People love to watch him because he is so energetic… he loves to perform… you can always tell from his facials and his expressions,” she said.
Perry has sustained multiple injuries since coming to USI’s dance team.
“It’s been an up and down battle, doing what I love,” Perry said.
There have been times when he has gotten hurt on the floor and hasn’t even noticed because of all the adrenaline, Perry said.
“When he dances with such passion, which he does, I don’t find that hard to believe,” Mary Alice Weigand, administrative assistant to the dean of students, said.
Weigand makes sure the team fills out forms and has up-to-date physicals so that they can compete. She also rents vans for their travel and orders their uniforms.
The dance team practices for three hours, three nights a week.
According to Perry, he dances an average of 24 hours a week. He is also a tap dance instructor at Three Rivers Performing Arts Academy, alongside Guebert.
Perry teaches students as young as 5 all the way up to seniors in high school. He teaches an average of five to six hours a week and is also a full-time student, taking 15 credit hours.
While teaching is something he enjoys, he isn’t sure how much longer he’ll be able to continue.
“I’m only 21 but my body is already falling apart… by the time you’re 26 or 27 your body is shot,” he said.
In addition to his dancing abilities, Perry is known for his kindness, Weigand said, and it left an impression on her.
“He’s just a great kid. I just love him to pieces, he’s very forthcoming and just a sweet young fellow,” she said.
Weigand described Perry as a hard worker: someone who tries to help others be the best they can be.
“A lot of kids would be happy if they can be the best that they can be, but it takes a special one to be the one that wants to help others,” Weigand said.
Perry and the dance team competed in a national competition on Wednesday in Daytona, Fl.
The team has practiced their routine since January and even performed it at a couple of games. The team prays before each performance, joining hands in a circle and putting one foot inside the circle.
Perry has considered transferring schools next year to Ball State, IUPUI or IU. If he returns to USI, he’d like to study abroad in Australia for a semester instead of rejoining the dance team.
However, Perry won’t be giving up his number one passion in life.
He said dancing is therapeutic and a stress reliever. It’s a time when he can focus on himself and better himself as a performer.
Dancing is a way for him to cope with hardships, he said. He danced at his father’s funeral last summer.
“I guess it’s [dance] one of those things where it’s been there through my whole life and I could never let it go,” Perry said.