We’d like to introduce you to the force behind Jennifer’s Jazz it Up! Studio of Dance, as well as Empower: Talent, Music and Sport.
Jennifer is going into her 24th season of operating Jennifer’s Jazz It Up! Studio of dance. Prior to opening her own studio, Jennifer danced professionally for 10 years and was a model before that, featuring on billboards across the USA.
The Mercer’s moved to Port Hope over twenty years ago, moving the business from Brooklin. Jennifer says she feels like she’s been coaching all of her life, having started as a gymnastics coach when she was 13 year old. Before her fifteenth birthday she’d moved into coaching dance and continues to this day.
Mercer says that she loves to see the development of her students, not just in dance, but in life as well. She recently attended a wedding of one of her alumni. Jennifer remembered when she started as a shy young girl. “She barely said anything and to see her get married – she’s a nurse now in the cancer unit – and just the confidence she has is unbelievable, and I had the privilege to witness it, throughout her whole life.”
Jennifer believes that development goes both ways and says she’s, “…constantly striving to do better myself, so that I can give them my best.”
Mercer’s advice to those considering coaching is to be patient. “Not everybody learns the same way, some people learn from demonstration, some from video replays, and some people just need that extra time. Everybody learns at a different rate so be patient, have fun and enjoy the ride.”
And it’s been a wild ride for Mercer. Jennifer’s Jazz it Up! Studio of Dance has been joined by Empower Talent with Empower Music as well as Empower Sports. The agency helps develop musical acts, singers and songwriters as well as the next generation of young hockey players.
To hear the complete interview, click on the link below.
Written by Joseph Goden
