Building a bridge to careers in dance

Jala Settles '25 started dancing when she was 3 years old. She loved all of the arts – poetry, music, even martial arts. But when it came time for college, she put her passion on the back burner, choosing to major in biology with an eye on becoming a physical therapist.

"My parents have always supported me artistically," Settles said. "But initially they told me to make sure I could make money and do what I loved on the side." She smiled, "They didn't want me to be a starving artist."

Today, Settles is 23, earning a living doing exactly what she loves. She's a full-time member of a professional dance company, living in Canada. While her talent is all her own, her path was supported by her degree in dance and opportunities created by a unique partnership between Salve and Decidedly Jazz Danceworks (DJD) in Calgary.

Finding a connection in rooted jazz

Salve's dance program has a unique focus on rooted jazz, which reconnects the form with the Black American music alongside which it was developed.

"Jazz dance and jazz music were born at the same time, in the 1920s and '30s," explained Lindsay Guarino, coordinator of the Salve dance program. "In the '40s and '50s, that relationship fractured and jazz dance became more commonly associated with Broadway and film. At Salve, we highlight the shared histories and values between jazz dance and jazz music as a historically Black American form."

When Guarino hosted a conference on rooted jazz at Salve in 2019, she noted that the artistic director from DJD, Kimberley Cooper, was registered to attend and reached out. "Kim came a week early and set a piece for our students. We saw how aligned we were philosophically," Guarino said.

During the COVID-19 lockdown, Cooper shared videos of DJD choreography with Salve students and Zoomed into their classes. And in 2023, Guarino and four Salve students traveled to DJD's Calgary jazz dance center – a 40,000-square-foot, $46 million (CDN) facility, for a weeklong summer training program.

"That whole week Kim and I talked about designing a program for Salve students to come to DJD to spend dedicated time there," Guarino remembered. "It was so impressive. I wanted our students to experience jazz dance out in the world."

That planning led to the short-term study abroad program for Salve dance students at DJD, now in its third year. Cooper started coming to Newport to share her choreography in Salve's Bridging the Gap jazz dance and music festival, bringing DJD dancers to dance alongside Salve students and perform at the world-renowned Newport Jazz Festival. Cooper is now a regular guest artist-instructor in the Salve dance program.

Cooper said, "I have been to Salve so many times now. It is wonderful to see how much the dance program has grown and changed since Lindsay and I first connected." She noted, "It benefits both of us to have like-minded people to collaborate with, teach and hire. Building this community makes more things possible."

Settles' journey tells the story of those possibilities.

Starting down the guided path

As a first-year student, Settles joined Salve's dance company. Seeing her talent and love for the form, Guarino encouraged her to add dance as a second major and in her junior year, she opted to focus solely on dance.

Once Settles determined that dance was her way forward, she said, "I took advantage of every opportunity Salve gave me – and there were a lot. I wanted to show my family that I could make this a career."

Settles was among the students that first visited DJD in 2023. She participated in the study abroad program at DJD twice. She was one of two students selected in 2025 to perform Cooper's work at the Bridging the Gap festival alongside dancers from DJD. 

As a Salve student, she was invited to perform her work at the Upsurge Dance Festival, Jazz Choreography Enterprises Jazz Dance Project, APAP Dance Festival and WaxWorks.

After graduating in 2025, Settles joined Jo-Mé Dance Theatre, a professional dance company in her hometown of Boston, Massachusetts, for their 2025-26 season. “It was a part-time job, and we got paid at the end of the season, so I had a full-time job and also taught jazz and hip hop to kids to make it work financially,” Settles said.

In the spring of 2026, she sent in an audition video to be considered for a spot on the roster of DJD for its 2027-28 season. DJD's Cooper, who had known Settles for several years at that point, was pleased to see Settles' submission come in.

"Jala is a brilliant jazz artist. The way her body, mind and voice relate to her practice is amazing," Cooper said. "As I auditioned across Canada, her video was the best one."

Settles was offered a two-year contract for a full-time position with salary and benefits. She was excited but also nervous, to consider the massive life change the job would require.

"I never thought I would be in Canada dancing. I was kind of in shock. Should I do this? How am I going to live here? I had to go through the process of finding an apartment, budgeting, learning how things are done in Canada – it was a lot."

With the help of her supportive mom, who made the trip north to help her settle in, Settles is now… settled. After landing in Calgary about three months ago, her life now is filled with dancing as her nine-to-five gig. Days start at the gym, then dance classes and rehearsals with Cooper and different choreographers. On Saturdays and Sundays, she teaches jazz dance to kids in the morning. She spends the rest of the time taking in all that Calgary has to offer.

Was it a scary leap to make? Yes. But, Settles said, "Who gets to be 23, working in a professional company and choreographing their own work in their first year? That's rare."

Looking ahead, she said, "I think the arts will always be my full-time career. I think there's a way to be financially stable and have the arts work for you. There are different pathways to explore. Right now, I'm just enjoying being in the company."