Jakevis Thomason booked a few years after graduating from the USC Gloria Kaufman School of Dance this A dream gig for many commercial dance producers: choreographing for Beyoncé. After creating a highly publicized dance video to Queen Bey’s “Black Parade,” the artist team approached Thomason to choreograph the song for her dancers on last year’s Renaissance Tour. His compositions are deeply musical yet full of gorgeous detail and rich movement, allowing them to translate perfectly from film to stage.
Thomason has also choreographed for Brandy and has performed with celebrities such as Kali Uchis, Jack Harlow, Lil Nas X and FKA twigs. He choreographs at Whim W’him’s concert dance space and is a hip-hop teacher at CLI Conservatory of Music. But it’s not just his star-studded resume that makes this artist stand out. Thomason possesses genuine star power and a humble approachability that makes him magnetic both on and off stage.
age: 26
hometown: Greenville, South Carolina
train: USC Diane Institute of Dance, Gloria Kaufman School of Dance (B.A. Dance)
honor: Winners of the 5th JK March Madness (choreography competition hosted by JaQuel Knight)
Motivation and Determination: Thomason was full of boundless energy from an early age and attended the Diana Dance School in her hometown from the age of three until college. As he began to take the art form more seriously—”Beyoncé was my first concert,” he says, “and from then on, I was like, ‘I want to dance'”—participation prices continue to rise. “My mom worked a lot, but she was a single parent, so she couldn’t really afford to go to that many dances. I would work in the studio and teach classes, just to help afford the competitions and conferences.
He got this message from his mother: Thomason had a close relationship with his mother, a comedian and radio personality, and he credits her and his grandmother with teaching him work ethic and perseverance. “My mom knew how to make things happen,” he said, explaining that watching her taught him the same method. “My mom is also a really big dreamer, so we’re in this together — the world is actually ours.”
This is what his mentor said: “The great thing about Jack Weiss is his combination of intelligence, brilliance and willingness to learn—he’s a truly humble and kind man,” said Emmy-nominated choreographer Christian Vincent A former professor at the University of Southern California who has been his mentor. “Exemplary in being kind, human and brilliant all at the same time.”
Movie lovers: At USC, Thomason focused on business, choreography, and film, so it’s no surprise that you’ll likely find him watching movies on his days off. “It’s about being able to escape for an hour or two and then dive into the story and how it’s told,” he said, adding that his favorite movies are usually psychological thrillers with a great twist. He could even see himself adding photography to his resume. “Dance is one of those things that always leads you down other paths that are still influenced by movement – I could definitely see myself working behind the camera as well or getting into film photography.”
