DSDS: Interview with Michael Smith

Michael Smith is an artist at heart. He grew up drumming, drawing, and dancing at the Detroit School of Fine and Performing Arts (now known as Detroit School of Arts). His well-rounded training allowed him to appreciate dance from all backgrounds including ballet, modern, tap, jazz, and street styles. However, his greatest passion is the Detroit jit. 

"There's some type of spirit in jit that just makes people jitty. It makes them want to move. It makes them want to jump. It's a feeling."

He went on to study business at Wayne State University and entered the corporate world. During this season of his life, he developed health complications that forced him to re-evaluate his lifestyle. As a way to fight for his health, Michael started dancing again and teaching his daughters the jit, a dance he grew up doing. 

During our interview, we talk about who his jit mentors were coming up; changes he sees in battle and crew culture; his experience working in corporate America; how teaching his daughter jit reignited his passion; strategies he uses to connect with younger students; and his long-term vision for Jitmasters LLC. Michael was actually in a car on the way to teach during this interview, so the sound quality wasn't the best. However, the content of the interview is rich. If you're interested in learning more about jit and ways to get plugged into the culture, Michael is definitely the guy to connect with. 

"Jitmasters is about mastering your craft... We're trying to move from good to great."

Interview Link: https://soundcloud.com/sherry-lin-800162914/dsds-michael-smith/s-IGUJ0


To learn more about Jimasters LLC, visit their website and Facebook page.

To learn more about DSDS, read this post.