Student Spotlight: Jasmine Forrest
06/12/2022
By
Editorial Staff
December 5, 2022
What's it like to study at Berklee? Our Student Spotlight series asks current students all about their Berklee experience-what they're learning in class, what kinds of projects they're involved in onstage or behind the scenes, how they recharge, and of course, what they're listening to. This week, get to know Jasmine Forrest, a seventh-semester B.F.A. in contemporary dance student and Black Scholars Initiative (BSI) ambassador from Redmond, Washington.
Follow Jasmine on Instagram.
Tell us about your path to Berklee. What made you decide to come here? Growing up in a predominantly white area and feeling extremely isolated at both school and at my dance studio, I knew that I needed to gain some perspective and move as far away as I could. Initially, I had my heart set on NYU Tisch School of the Arts and applied to Boston Conservatory, USC Glorya Kaufman, Arizona State, and Cornish School of the Arts as backups in case things didnt go to plan. I saw myself living in the big city, weaving in and out of the nooks and crannies of the bustling trains . I longed for loudness, yearning for the messiness and chaotic world that starkly contrasted the one I had lived in, and most of all I wanted to escape. It wasnt until I realized my name wasn't called to move into the next round of the audition at Tisch that I experienced heartbreak for the first time. The cramped bathroom stalls barely covered my tears as I asked myself, Why wasn't I what they were looking for?, feeling betrayed by the professors judgment and seemingly impressing demeanors. Later my mom chalked it up to a quota, saying, They just met their max for Black dancers for the year. More rejection followed, and by April I had only received one acceptance letter, from Cornish. I was debating whether or not a college education would be beneficial for me and that maybe I should just make the move to L.A. and tough it out as a dancer there. Sheepishly, I made the trip to Boston to audition for the Conservatory. This was my last chance to secure my escape plan and I wasn't going to let it pass me by. James Blake and Bon Ivers melodies flowed through me as I prepared myself for an opportunity of a lifetime. In high school, I had spent a month over the summer at the Conservatory's Summer Dance Intensive and felt comforted by that sense of familiarity. When it was my turn, I walked in and performed my senior solo, answered questions about my goals and intentions moving forward, and left smiling. Somehow I knew that I was going to get in, and once I received the acceptance letter it felt like I was given permission to spread my wings. I was set free. Coming to Berklee was an opportunity for me to figure out who I am as a Black woman confidently. I finally saw myself represented in positions of authority in higher education and as leaders within the dance community. When it felt like all I was getting was a No, you can't, the Conservatory welcomed me in with a Yes, you can.
Whats been your favorite class so far, and what has it taught you? My favorite class so far has to be Heels, taught by Tara Brown. It's a new class that has been added as a part of the development of the commercial dance program this year. Throughout my time at Berklee, I performed in the Rihanna Ensemble music video project and in Berklee's Beyonce Ensemble as a way to get more commercial dance experience to counter my classical ballet and modern dance training at the Conservatory, so when this class was offered I had to do anything to be in it. Tara has taught me how to shift from my divine feminine to the divine masculine, to trust myself, and to push my boundaries in movement. Her class is a highlight in my week and is always a source of inspiration for me. If it wasnt for her class, I wouldnt have felt so compelled to come out as nonbinary. Her love for teaching is infectious, and I'm looking forward to seeing how her lessons manifest in my career after graduation.
Watch Jasmine perform in the Berklee Rihanna Ensemble:
Whats a project youve worked on since coming to Berklee that youve been especially excited about? Currently, I am working my first residency as a professional choreographer at the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, and it has been such a blessing. It's helped me to solidify my identity as a choreographer and showed me what I am capable of. The show is premiering in January, and I couldnt be more excited to see the dancers make my vision come to life. Thank you to Mila Thigpen and Brenda Divelbliss for facilitating this; I am so grateful for you both.
How do you typically recharge or find new ideas outside of class? Lately, Trident [Booksellers and Cafe] has been a place of refuge for me, whether its finding a good book or drinking their hot apple cider. I always feel refreshed after spending time there. I also enjoy spending time with my friends, who are all outside of the dance department and go to Berklee or are voice principals at the Conservatory. Listening to artists like Doechii, Bree Runaway, chlothegod, Flo Milli, and FKA Twigs always gives me ideas for choreography or show concepts.
When you think towards your own future, who inspires you most? I inspire myself. The person I am in the future inspires me and pushes me to keep going. They tell me that I can do it and that it will all be worth it in the end as long as I keep asking for help, staying true to myself in the moment, and listening to understand.
Whats one piece of advice youd give to your high school self? They were very stubborn so I don't think I could get through to them. I would pr
LINK: | https://www.berklee.edu/berklee-now/news/student-spotlight-jasmine-for... |
See more stories from berklee |
Most recent headlines
03/06/2024
Dalet and Veritone Reach Agreement to Distribute, Transact and Monetize Media Archives
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...
28/03/2024
Sinclair Selects Embrace as Its Media Orchestration Engine
PARIS Embrace, a developer of advanced automation and orchestration software solutions, has announced that Sinclair Broadcast Group has selected Embrace's P...
28/03/2024
Nielsen and Circle City Broadcasting Renew Local TV Measurement Deal
NEW YORK Nielsen has a multi-year renewal with Circle City Broadcasting, Indianas only locally owned and operated broadcast and digital news media network, for ...
28/03/2024
JVC to Demo Its First Ever 40x Zoom PTZ Camera Series at 2024 NAB Show
LAS VEGAS JVC Professional Video has announced that it will debut its new KY-PZ540 Series PTZ Cameras with 40x zoom at 2024 NAB Show (Booth C4720)....
28/03/2024
Brightcove Launches Cloud Playout 2.0
BOSTON Brightcove has announced the launch of Cloud Playout 2.0, a platform that the company said will offer customers new ways to create linear channels, monet...
28/03/2024
NBC Sports Chicago to Air First-Ever Animated Real-Time Local Sports Telecast
The Chicago Blackhawks and NBC Sports Chicago have announced a collaboration with the NHL to bring fans the first-ever local animated real-time sports telecast....
28/03/2024
The Best News Coverage is Real, Live, Balanced, Professional
The Best News Coverage is Real, Live, Balanced, Professional Andy Marken March 28, 2024 0 Comments Hero image source News of the World, Perfect Wo...
28/03/2024
Smoke and Mirrors: Wednesday's episode, 27 March 2024 [VIDEO]
Smoke and Mirrors: Wednesday's episode, 27 March 2024 [VIDEO]Stay up to date with the latest episodes of your favourite South African soapie on The South Af...
28/03/2024
Muvhango: Wednesday's episode, 27 March 2024 [VIDEO]
Muvhango: Wednesday's episode, 27 March 2024 [VIDEO]Stay up to date with the latest episodes of your favourite South African soapie on The South African web...
28/03/2024
Gqeberha: The Empire - Wednesday's episode, 27 March 2024 [VIDEO]
Gqeberha: The Empire - Wednesday's episode, 27 March 2024 [VIDEO]Stay up to date with the latest episodes of your favourite South African soapie on The Sout...
28/03/2024
Skeem Saam: Wednesday's episode, 27 March 2024 [VIDEO]
Skeem Saam: Wednesday's episode, 27 March 2024 [VIDEO]Missed an episode of Skeem Saam? No problem! Watch the latest episode of your favourite South African ...
28/03/2024
House of Zwide: Wednesday's episode, 27 March 2024 [VIDEO]
House of Zwide: Wednesday's episode, 27 March 2024 [VIDEO]Stay up to date with the latest episode of South African soapie House of Zwide on The South Africa...
28/03/2024
My Brother's Keeper: Wednesday's episode, 27 March 2024 [VIDEO]
My Brother's Keeper: Wednesday's episode, 27 March 2024 [VIDEO]Stay up to date with the latest episodes of your favourite South African soapie on The So...
28/03/2024
Uzalo: Wednesday's episode, 27 March 2024 [video]
Uzalo: Wednesday's episode, 27 March 2024 [video]Stay up to date with the latest episodes of your favourite South African soapie on The South African websit...
28/03/2024
Scandal!: Wednesday's episode, 27 March 2024 [VIDEO]
Scandal!: Wednesday's episode, 27 March 2024 [VIDEO]Stay up to date with the latest episodes of your favourite South African soapie on The South African web...
28/03/2024
Umkhokha: The Curse - Wednesday's episode, 27 March 2024 [VIDEO]
Umkhokha: The Curse - Wednesday's episode, 27 March 2024 [VIDEO]Stay up to date with the latest episodes of your favourite South African soapie on The South...
27/03/2024
UKTV sets up second series of Dream Car Fixers for Yesterday and UKTV Play
Wednesday 27 March 2024 - UKTV has commissioned a second series of Dream Car Fixers (6x60) for leading factual channel Yesterday and free streaming service UKTV...
27/03/2024
Inside the Archives: It's Lights, Curtains, Action When Sundance Films Become Stage Productions
By Jen Scott It's time to unwrap those noisy candies and put your phone on ...
27/03/2024
Paving the Way' for Spotify's NextGen Scholarship Recipients
Spotify is committed to amplifying the voices of underrepresented groups, and that starts with empowering the creators who will shape our industry's future....
27/03/2024
Sencore and Showfer Announce Collaboration at NAB 2024, With a Brand-New Content Management and Distribution Solution
Las Vegas, NV, April 14-17, Booth W2401 Sencore, a leading provider of profess...
27/03/2024
Living Black, the longest-running Indigenous current affairs television program in Australia, returns for its 21st year with new guests
Living Black, the longest-running Indigenous current affairs television program ...
27/03/2024
I Am L3Harris - Sam Bonelli
I'm proud to be a woman in aerospace making an impact on our world and among my peers, team and future generations of women in STEM....
27/03/2024
Bitmovin to Show Live Encoder Running on Akamai Cloud at NAB Show
DENVER Bitmovin has launched its Live Encoder running on the Akamai Cloud Computing, optimizing live streaming and reducing total streaming costs by up to 90%, ...
27/03/2024
Hulu Launches on Disney+
BURBANK, Calif. The Walt Disney Company has officially launched Hulu on Disney+ in the U.S. in a move that brings together the extensive Disney+ and Hulu librar...
27/03/2024
WJLA Studio A Revamp Features Brightline Lighting
WASHINGTON D.C. WJLA, Sinclair Broadcast Group's flagship TV station in the nation's capital, has revamped its Studio A news studio with lighting soluti...
27/03/2024
NCAA: March Madness Sees Strong Audience Growth
The NCAA has released figures showing that the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship and the Division 1 Women's Basketball Championship both saw...
27/03/2024
Mediahaus GmbH Brings SRT Live Streaming to the Mountain Attack with 5G and URSA Broadcast G2
Mediahaus GmbH Brings SRT Live Streaming to the Mountain Attack with 5G and URSA...
27/03/2024
Instant Latte: NVIDIA Gen AI Research Brews 3D Shapes in Under a Second
Instant Latte: NVIDIA Gen AI Research Brews 3D Shapes in Under a Second Isha Salian March 27, 2024 0 Comments The LATTE3D model rapidly transforms tex...
27/03/2024
NAB Show Exhibitor Insight Matrox Video
TV TECH: What do you anticipate will be the most significant technology trends at the 2024 NAB Show? TVT: What will be your most important product news? TVT: Ho...
27/03/2024
I knew there were cameras, lighting, some buttons and microphones involved': How Crew Room Academy is inspiring the next generation
TVBEurope hears from some of the students who took part in Crew Room Academys Sc...
27/03/2024
Adobe reveals Gen AI solutions for content supply chain
Elsewhere, Adobe revealed a new feature in Adobe Firefly, which uses the companys generative AI to easily apply the structure of an existing image to newly gene...
27/03/2024
Best of Show Awards for 2024 NAB Show entries close soon
The awards, from industry-leading brands of Future plc, provide a great opportunity for companies to stand out at one the most attended shows in the industry B...
27/03/2024
Meet the director of IT and operations
By TVBEurope Staff Published: March 27, 2024 CueScript's director of IT and operations, Meghan Tyler, tells TVBEurope about how she started her media c...
27/03/2024
CueScript Poised to Transform the Prompting Experience wi...
CueScript, the leading developer of professional teleprompting solutions, is poised to transform the prompting experience with a line-up comprised of world firs...
27/03/2024
BeckTV to Focus on Systems Integration for Sports Venues...
Visit Beck TV at 2024 NAB Show at Booth C4035 BeckTV, a premier systems integrator for the broadcast media industry, will showcase its facility design, enginee...
27/03/2024
Arkona to Introduce BLADE master Control and Orchestratio...
arkona technologies GmbH, provider of IP core infrastructure solutions for top-tier broadcast productions, is cutting through the complexity of live production ...
27/03/2024
KRK Launches ROKIT Generation Five Studio Monitors
As the unwavering cornerstone of professional audio monitoring for over three decades, KRK earned its reputation through a rich history of innovation and precis...
27/03/2024
Join Maxon for NAB 2024
Maxon, developers of professional software solutions for editors, filmmakers, motion designers, visual effects artists, and creators of all types, is excited to...
27/03/2024
OpenDrives Reinvents Media Industry Infrastructure Invest...
OpenDrives, Inc., the global provider of software-defined media workflow solutions and data management capabilities, will unveil its new Atlas platform and busi...
27/03/2024
Pixotope NAB 2024 Virtual Production Showcase Shapes the...
Pixotope, the leading software platform for end-to-end real-time virtual production solutions, is ushering in a new era of immersive storytelling at NAB 2024. A...
27/03/2024
Dolby Atmos-enabled CMP Studio Tackles Immersive Mixing W...
Like many in the industry, Multi-platinum, Award-winning Producer, Engineer, Mixer, Songwriter and Musician Clint Murphy's latest work has been consumed by ...
27/03/2024
Ateliere Creative Technologies Unveils the Future of Medi...
Ateliere Locations: AWS Partner Village W1343 F, W1343 S and Fontainebleau Hotel Contact: Arianna Ruvalcaba, Arianna.Ruvalcaba@ateliere.com Century City, Cal...
27/03/2024
Imagine Enables Unified Control of Hybrid On-prem and Clo...
At the 2024 NAB Show (April 14-17, Las Vegas Convention Center, booth W2467), Imagine Communications is making it easier for media companies to efficiently oper...
27/03/2024
LG Studio Series DVLED Displays Make Virtual Production A...
LG Business Solutions USA, a leading innovator of cutting-edge display technologies, has introduced LG Studio Series DVLED, a new family of advanced giant-scree...
27/03/2024
ZTransform Appoints Bob Hawkanson as SVP of Sales for Nor...
Systems and solutions provider continues team expansion and accelerates nation-wide growth strategy ZTransform, a leading technology systems and solutions pro...
27/03/2024
Appear Showcases Groundbreaking Live Production Technolog...
Appear, the global leader in live production technology, will demonstrate its innovative solutions for contribution, remote production and distribution at NAB S...
27/03/2024
Grass Valley expands PHABRIX T and M inventory with QxP p...
Test & measurement innovator, PHABRIX, has announced that Grass Valley has expanded its already-extensive inventory of PHABRIX test & measurement (T&M) equipmen...
27/03/2024
Arrow Media Targets High-Efficiency Story-Telling with Li...
Arrow Media, an award-winning producer of documentary, factual and non-scripted content, creates high quality programming covering a wide range of subjects. Est...
27/03/2024
Planetcast Expands OTT Solutions with Acquisition of Switch Media
SYDNEY & DELHI Planetcast Media Services, a leading media technology services provider in India and Southeast Asia, has acquired one of its key partners, Switch...
27/03/2024
Sony Pictures Expands its FAST Business
Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) has announced plans to launch its portfolio of free, ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channels on LG Channels, Samsung...