Ossining’s Wadi Jones Makes So You Think You Can Dance Top 20
Wadi Jones of Ossining is one of the 20 finalists on Season 8 of the dance competition television show “So You Think You Can Dance,” which airs Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8 p.m. on Fox.
The 24-year-old specializes in hip-hop and breaking and, with the exception of three months of formal contemporary dance training and one month of ballet lessons, he’s self-taught.
Jones started dancing when he was 12 years old. Inspired by the movie “Beat Street,” about hip-hop culture in the 1980s, Jones and his older brother, Jabarie, bought videos of break dancers so they could teach themselves the basic moves.
Having always looked up to Jabarie, a former U.S. Navy officer, Jones said he wants to set an example for others with his positive approach toward life, which seems to make people gravitate toward him.
“I’m glad I can be an example and an inspiration for those who are watching,” he said during a recent episode.
He fills his Facebook page with poems and inspirational messages when he isn’t thanking his fans for their support or informing them about what he is doing to prepare for a show. His days begin at 5 a.m. and are filled with rehearsals, wardrobe fittings, make up, photo shoots and interviews.
“So blessed and so grateful for this opportunity,” he wrote on Facebook. “But with great dancing comes great responsibility.”
Jones was born in St. Ann’s, Jamaica and moved to Ossining when he was three years old, where he and his brother were raised by their single mother. Jones graduated Ossining High School in 2004, works at Club Fit in Briarcliff Manor as a trainer for children from six months to 12 years old. He also spends his time as an instructor at Darcy’s Academy of Dance in Putnam Valley and works as a party motivator for three entertainment companies.
Despite the busy schedule, Jones started a dance group called Dance Touch Collective with fellow contestant Tadd Gadduang of Salt Lake City and professional b-boy Brice “Popkorn” Johnson of New Jersey. The group organizes dance workshops that also teach youth positive life lessons.
Last week on the show, Jones and his dance partner Missy Morelli completed a jazz routine by choreographer Sean Cheesman. The judges loved it.
“The dancers are inspiring the choreographers to do better work,” Judge Nigel Lythgoe said of the pair.
In the show, the six dancers who receive the lowest number of votes from viewers must perform solos; the judges then decide which two dancers to eliminate.
Jones and Morelli were safe last week. Nevertheless, Jones is aware he can’t take anything for granted and practices his solo routine often.
Fan votes are vital in the competition and Jones encourages all of his fans to support him.
“Remember you can call, text and vote online; each individual can do all three if they’d like and they all count,” he wrote to his fans following last week’s show.
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.