Determined to Dance
From an early start, Jaxon Willard has felt a desire to dance.
Despite dancing from the time he could walk, Jaxon didn’t begin a formal education in dance until he was 12-years old. He didn’t know dance jargon or the more formal elements of the art, but his desire fueled him to keep going.
He efforts eventually paid off in 2018 when he was featured on television’s “World of Dance” and made worldwide waves.
During Jaxon’s time on the show, he communicated a natural sense of vulnerability throughout his performances. “He draws from his emotions,” said his adoptive mother, Cindy Willard. “People don’t just watch his dance movement, they feel what he’s portraying.”
On the show, Jaxon drew emotions from his upbringing. Jaxon, who is black, was adopted at birth by an all-white family in one of the whitest areas in America: Utah County, Utah. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the population of Utah County is 0.8% black or African American alone, and 2.8% of two or more races.
His time on “World of Dance” helped open many new doors in the dance world to Jaxon, now a junior at American Fork High School, and he hopes to pursue his passion professionally as far as he can.
Jaxon Willard stretches his legs before working on choreographing a dance for his sister's up-coming wedding Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019, at Pointe Academy in Highland, Utah. The 17-year old's dance career recently made national waves when he competed on TV's "World of Dance". However, unlike some young dancers prone to performing, Jaxon didn’t begin his education in dance until the fifth grade, when he was introduced to ballroom dancing at 12-years old.
Jaxon Willard does an exercise with other dancers during a dance class held Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2019, at Pointe Academy in Highland, Utah. “He danced from the time he could walk, when he was a year-and-a-half old,” said Jaxon's mother, Cindy Willard. “Movement is his thing.”
Jaxon Willard jokes around between Addie Brems, 15, left, and Brightyn Brems, 13, both of Lehi, during a dance class held Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2019, at Pointe Academy in Highland, Utah. “There’s always way more girls than guys,” Jaxon said of competitions and the dance world in general. “A lot of guys is like 30-50 dancers, and a lot of girls is like 3,000."
American Fork junior Jaxon Willard laughs as talks with junior Alexis Brynes during an art class Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2019, at American Fork High School in American Fork, Utah. “He would get out of school at 2:15pm, go to dance at 3pm until 10pm, Monday through Friday," said Jaxon's mother, Cindy Willard, of his past routine. Recently, Jaxon has been spending more time with his studies and less on the dance floor to help strike a productive balance.
From left, Ali Vickers, Jaxon Willard, Megan Taylor, Morgan Nicholson and Sierra Hall head out from American Fork High School for lunch Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2019, in American Fork, Utah. Despite dance taking a bit of a backseat to studying, Jaxon still keeps on his feet and has several gigs coming up including an event that a former president will attend, a dance-off hosted by a band with Utah roots that has earned three platinum records, and even two gigs outside of the United States.
Jaxon Willard jokes around with his family as they play a card game Thursday, Feb. 7, 2019, at the Willard family's home in American Fork, Utah. “At 14, I had a dream, and I knew that I would have a black child,” said Jaxon’s adoptive mother, Cindy Willard, as she began recalling Jaxon’s adoption story. “There were practically no black people here.” After having five children of her own, Cindy, who was told at 18 that she would never be able to conceive her own children, decided to make her dream come to fruition and adopted Jaxon soon after he was born in 2001.
Jaxon Willard stretches and gets "into his zone" before performing at the reception for his sister's wedding Saturday, Feb. 9, 2019, at Castle Park Weddings and Events Venue in Lindon, Utah. Growing up black in a predominantly white community without knowing his birth parents left some loose ends within Jaxon, and it was those experiences that he drew upon as he performed for the world on “World of Dance.”
Jaxon Willard performs a dance he choreographed during the reception for his sister's wedding Saturday, Feb. 9, 2019, at Castle Park Weddings and Events Venue in Lindon, Utah. Jaxon strives to make audiences feel as he does by channeling his emotions into often slow, dramatic sequences. “If your goal is to have other people feel something, you can’t expect people to feel something that you haven’t felt yourself," said Jaxon.