19 minute read
Jacqueline ENOUGH
Living Breathing Loving DanceHall
Interview & Photography By Amina Touray
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We sat down with dancer Jacqueline N Sahlin, aka Miss Long Legs - One of the founding members of the Swedish Dancehall crew ENOUGH, to talk about the history of Dancehall, the Dancehall community in Sweden, her creative process as an artist, and what world traveling has taught her.
Amina Touray: So Jacqie, what is your first memory as a dancer?
Jacqueline N Sahlin: Oh, wow! That’s hard (she laughs) but I think I can share it from two different perspectives: My first memory of dancing, in general, was when I was young, probably around 4 years old. Both of my parents were dancers as well, so I was looking at VHS videos of them, of their shows. I remember a Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson dancing in the garage type of vibe. And If I have to say career dancing-wise...Is it the first memory you say?
AT: Or, let’s just say a good and strong memory…
JNS: One of the memories that I’m never going to forget was when in Jamaica (we’ve been going to Jamaica for years). It was a Monday night. I was at this street party, one of the best ones, Mojito Mondays, having a great time. A man walks up to me as I’m walking to the bathroom I believe, and goes - “Hey, you want to be in a music video tomorrow?” This must’ve been around 1.30 in the morning (she laughs), I didn’t think he was serious. I said, “Oh, okay, tell me more, what video and where?”. He continues - “Do you know Major Lazer? They’re going to do a video tomorrow and we need somebody because one of the models called in sick”. It all went so fast, I had so many thoughts in my head, here I am in the middle of a party in Kingston, Jamaica, talking about work with a then “random” man, while trying to be extra professional as I was half tipsy (she laughs again), and who doesn’t know of Major Lazer (?) and of course I want to join. After understanding that I was talking to the Jamaican Film Director/Music video producer Jay Will, I knew it was a serious offer and of course I accepted. Still wasn’t sure it was really happening until I pulled up to the shoot those few hours later. The shoot was for their major hit “Watch out for this (Bumaye)” featuring Busy Signal. I remember Jay Will asking - “can you maybe buss a little move?”. Little did they know I was actually a dancer, and from then on Jay Will had me dancing throughout the video, got bumped up from model to dancer (she smiles). Also got to bring with me my team member Johanna ENOUGH for the shoot and got to share the experience with a lot of super talented Jamaican dancers, it was great! That’s one of my favorite memories of my dance career.
AT: Earlier you said, “We go to Jamaica”. That’s your group, right?
JNS: Yes, my dance group and extended family - ENOUGH Dance Crew. The group has been around for almost 13 years. We live, breathe, and love Dancehall and that’s what we mainly focus on. A lot of us individually can do other styles of course, but Dancehall has been our main focus, the passion for it brought us together and it’s basically inna di dancehall we made our name.
JNS: Yes, it all started when the first dance group we, the founders, were in another dance group that split up, and the 3 of us - me, Alexandra, and Stephenie kept on hanging out while I and Alexandra started teaching. Stephenie kept coming to our classes to hang out and dance and eventually she started teaching too. The passion for the dance and Dancehall kept us together, and we became best friends. And from there on we’ve had hundreds of students dancing for us, we’ve coached closed dance groups, performed, done music videos, parties, you name it. We also went from 3 to 12 members and all of this developed into calling ourselves not just ENOUGH Dance Crew, but ENOUGH Productions. Under the umbrella ENOUGH Productions, we have ENOUGH Dance Crew and other crews that we coach. Plus two of our dance crew members in ENOUGH; Naim & Nohemy, also study film and photography, so they started making videos under the name ENOUGH Visuals. Another one of our members - Jojo, went viral all by herself posting dance videos - a pregnant white girl who can dance Dancehall and twerk – and it has opened up more opportunities for her to branch out even more too. Teaching, touring, having international online workshops, and arranging trips to Jamaica. We are all very different people, with different lives, some have day jobs, some only survive by dancing, some have kids, some don’t, but we all came together because of a friendship and the love for dancehall. And for us, respect for the culture has always been an important part of it all. Giving cred to the originators and giving back to the Dancehall community, because at the end of the day we are using something that we did not create. Dancehall is created by amazingly talented Jamaicans from the lower class in Jamaica. When they come to our side of the globe, we try to book them and take their classes. And every semester that we teach we also have a theory class, talking about Dancehall history, codes, the origins, the creators, cultural appropriation, and more. We also started to invite the originators online to hear their thoughts and experiences. It’s such a great way for us and our students to understand and practice dancehall with as much respect as possible. We take it further, it’s not just a dance, it’s a lifestyle, a culture and you have to respect it.
AT: You travel a lot to Jamaica and all around the world because of dance. What have you brought with you from your travels? What has been among your greatest lessons? its downsides when it comes to social settings. Let’s put it like this - when I travel I can just contact people that can be a friend of a friend, and they open up their homes because dancers, in general, are more open than your typical Swede would be. So for me, it’s been about meeting new people, getting deeper into the culture, experiencing new things, and living my best life. Travelling has made my world richer and bigger, but I’ve also realized how small the world actually can feel, everyone is tied together all across the world in a beautiful and strange way. I’ve traveled a lot because of Dancehall and a few times because of Ballroom and Voguing; my category is called Runway. I wanted to enter a Ball in New York in 2015 to compete in my category and that trip eventually became a 4-week long #ENOUGHnyjami trip with 3 of the girls from ENOUGH dance crew. We all went to New York, Jamaica, and Miami, while all of us entered the official Dancehall Queen competition in Jamaica and 2 of us entered that famous Ball in New York. On top of that, I met my amazing man Darrick during that trip and I’m sure it never would’ve happened if it wasn’t for my dance-related travels. Dance also introduced me to my, now best friend and sister Stephenie, that I mentioned earlier, one of the founders of ENOUGH. So, dancing and traveling have been the root of me meeting many of my friends that I have today. I think I also love traveling because of how Sweden is; like, you’re not really supposed to stand out too much, it’s not encouraged at all, you’re supposed to act and look the same as everyone else. We even have a Swedish word for this called “Jantelagen”, google it (she rolls her eyes with a smile). And with dancing, with Dancehall, with Ballroom, you do just that, you stand out and it’s encouraged… It’s almost needed. You can be extra, people want you to be extra, and you have to own what you do, you have to own your body, you have to own your space, and you have to stand out. That’s what I love about it! The dancing and those cultures are a part of me, but also a part of my alter ego versus “Swedish Jacqie” (we laugh).
JNS: One thing I’ve noticed a lot being from Sweden - Sweden is a good country but it has Vol 11
AT: I grew up here, so I know exactly what you mean. That actually leads me to my next question. What does dancing do for you spiritually and mentally?
JNS: I do so much, except for what I already mentioned. I love that I get to be creative, express myself, and interpret music. I also think it does more for me than I believe. I often hear about how people use it as a way of expressing their feelings, letting steam off, pouring their hardships into their dancing but that’s not me, at least I don’t think so. But if I stay away from it too long, maybe then I’d realize that I do. I know that after a stressful day at
my 9 to 5 job, I might not want to go to class, but as soon as I’m there I don’t have a choice but to get into the vibes and just be in the moment. I mean that must do something for your soul. Except for that, dancing also means being a part of a community, to belong somewhere. Also, I feel like dancing has given me an identity that is not tied to - ”oh, so what do you do?” No, I don’t feel like I identify a lot with day jobs because most of the time I’ve always had a job besides “just” dancing. There are only a few of us who only dance, and you have to work kind of hard at doing that in Sweden. But when I was between jobs, if somebody came up to me and asked -“So what do you do?”, I’d say well I dance, even if I wasn’t working with it at the moment, I could tell them -“I’m a dancer”. So it was a part of my identity, and I realized that when I started to feel like it wasn’t as much fun anymore a few years back. I felt like, - what am I supposed to do, and who am I without this if I don’t like this anymore? So that was an eye-opener. It has become a big part of my identity and played a huge role in pushing myself to not be shy because I used to be shy, super shy! Oh and luckily I found my way back and I’m still dancing and in love with it.
AT: I’m curious, as a choreographer, what is your creative process like, and how do you remember everything?
JNS: It always starts with the song with a nice vibe, beat and flow that attracts my ears. It can be the flow of how the song is built up and how the artist sings or raps, not actually what they say because I’m not much of a lyrics person. However, I tend to listen more to the lyrics once I’ve decided that I want to create a choreography. I start by putting the song on repeat, listening over and over and letting my body and mind interpret the song, separating sounds and voices and putting it back together. Some of the moves just come to me, others I have to look up, meaning I have to go back into my “library of dancehall moves” that I have in my head or the one I have written down on an XL-sheet. Almost every move in dancehall has a name, a creator, and often a song that goes with it. Throughout the years
I’ve learned hundreds of them and in the last couple of years, I started to write them down to not forget because there are so many. The library also really helps if I get stuck, I can go there while listening to a song and go, “oh, I want move B and C for this song” or “move X would be cool right there when the artist says this”. Then I insert it into my creation. I might switch up the move or just use a small part of the original to fit the song, I listen, maybe 34
change to another move or rearrange the other of the moves, listen again, and repeat the process. The last couple of years I’ve created my choreographies in my head and they usually stay there until I’m going to teach them. I really need to start dancing them full out with my body more again like I used to. I think this thing about just dancing it in my head came about because I’ve created 80% of my chores while traveling, mostly when I’m flying or on the subway heading back and forth to work. Hard to dance in the middle of a crowded subway and also “Jantelagen” doesn’t promote one randomly dancing in that space neither - something I don’t give a sh*t about today though. However, the lack of dancing space might also be why I started to write the choreographies down. It also helps when I nowadays usually work on several choreographies at the same time. My phone notes are filled with bits and pieces of my creations mixed with lyrics that I’ve written down or googled. I’m realizing this all might sound kind of intricate (?) but I’m an organized perfectionist, which isn’t really what you would think of when you think of dancers or creative people but I’ve found my way of doing it and it works for me (she laughs). I’m curious what the process looks like for other dancers though, I bet it can vary a lot.
AT: I’m asking this for aspiring choreographers. What are some traits that you think a great choreographer should have?
JNS: Oooh, I’ve never thought of this before… possibly because it never really was a goal for me to become a choreographer or because I haven’t worked with “choreographers” like that. For me I see it like this. I’ve danced and worked with friends aka my crew and others, we’ve put choreographies together to teach, do shows or music videos, something that came along with developing my passion for dancing, a natural step. I’m now realizing that I don’t necessarily identify as a choreographer. I’ve even had a hard time identifying as a dancer for a long time because I’ve never done it all in full time, it’s always been something on the side of my day job or school, but the one thing I wanted and want to spend more time on. I’ve never thought it would be this hard for me to relate on a personal level to the choreographer part, even though I create choreographies (she laughs). But back to traits...Hmm…One thing’s for sure, to be a great choreographer you have to start out as a dancer, loving movement and studying the craft before taking it further into choreographing. From there start to create from your vision and share it with others - however, ALWAYS give cred to the source and where you get your inspiration from!! Also, I believe that a good choreographer has a vision and sees a bigger MAY 2021
picture, what is this feeling I want to convey or the story I want to tell. To understand that “less can a lot of times be more” and dare to let things breathe, not kah kah kah (she moves robotically), hit every beat all the time, but feel the music. And if you get lucky enough to choreograph with or for others it’s a good trait to be able to see and highlight the people’s strengths and weaknesses, individually and as a group. Also, not being afraid of having others share their vision and skills is good. And please use the people that really know, love, and respect what they do, and please, dare to look outside your net of contacts, don’t always use the same dancers... Now I’m mainly talking to the mainstream choreographers. Go to the sources of the styles you want to use and invite them to join. I’m so tired of seeing “schooled” dancers always getting the big mainstream jobs, and it’s always the same people. Dare to hire an underdog, someone that is way different from you, someone with other skills, that way you can take things to another level.
AT: Do you think being a dancer is a talent that you are born with, or can anyone train and become a dancer?
JNS: My heart wants to say that anyone can, but I actually don’t think anyone can, to be honest. And now I’m referring to actually becoming a dancer, not just dancing to have fun. If you can’t do a simple one-two step to save your life then I bet you were made to do something else in life, like be a singer, a coach, a teacher. I don’t know if you’re born with it or not. I can’t answer that, but I do feel you’re born with rhythm though; however, I believe some can develop that if practicing from an early age. I think your chances increase if you were raised around music and dancing and if you have people around you that showed you it was something you could pursue.
AT: You have a nickname, Miss Long Legs, I think I know why but where did it come from?
JNS: So when I dance Dancehall it’s Jacqie ENOUGH, or Jacqueline ENOUGH, but when I do Ballroom, I’m called Queline Miss Long Legs, or mostly Long Legs. I first experienced Ballroom at a small event back in 2008 in Stockholm and fell in love but got deeper into it because of this organization called Streetstar, which hosts events that focuses on street dancing. Every year they would put together this big competition - where they brought in dancers from all over the world; The States, Japan, France to judge House, Hiphop, Popping, and Locking dance competitions. They eventually also added Dancehall because the community here is so big and in 2015 they started with Voguing. I go to these events every year because they´re the best way of getting the real deal and experiencing the Streetdance community as a whole. And when I heard that Voguing was added and saw the category Runway I just had to do it, it felt like it was perfect for me, not only because I’m tall but when I was little my parents also modeled - they used to do fashion shows and I used to be in the shows with them. I also used to love borrowing mom’s heels to strut around the house at a young age, and I remember she told me you have to be able to walk in those properly before buying a pair of your own, so I walked and walked. Basically, I was like - “I’ve done this since I was little, let’s go!”. I was so very close to not doing the first competition because I didn’t know they had a theme or what to wear, and I didn’t really know the setup of the whole thing, but my sis Steph was like - “no just go and put this on”. I felt like I didn’t have the right outfit and stuff, but I entered and I went against people that I know have been doing it for years and I won the competition!
AT: Wow!
JNS: It was so much fun! Oh yeah, my name… So during this competition Dashaun Wesley, from New York and from the House of Lanvin I believe, was the one on the microphone chanting and commenting. He was referring to me as Miss Long Legs during the whole competition and from then on, that was it. And, of course, because I have long legs which is the obvious answer (she laughs). By the way, you might recognize him from the American shows POSE or LEGENDARY on HBO Max, if not you have to check them out! Also his voice is
AT: Where do you see yourself in the next few years?
JNS: Funny thing is people usually ask - “what’s your five-year plan?”, and I’ve never had one ever, even though I’m such a planner. Last year I wanted to have a; ”this is kind of what I want to do” sit-down with myself and friends, and then a year later, check back in just before New Year’s, still hasn’t happened. But not too long ago I woke up in the middle of the night, couldn’t sleep, and decided to make the most out of my insomnia and I wrote that famous five-year plan. My plan contains a lot of “travel here, pursue dreams by then, get your driver’s license gurl” and so on. Workwise I now work as a Project and PR manager at Warner Music/Asylum Records which takes up a lot of my time. Hopefully, I can find something else that I want to do within that sphere, marketing and PR is cool but I think I would love to get more into the studios and work with artists there. When it comes to dancing, my crew and I want to start a dance school. We have over 300 students during one semester, so we already have it going, it’s just that we don’t own the place where we teach but that’s going to change within the coming years. And within let’s say 5 years maybe I’ll be having kids. If my sister is reading this she is now rolling her eyes hoping it won’t take 5 more years (she laughs). I actually wish I was younger because I feel a little bit stressed about the whole idea of having kids, I could go probably 10 more years without kids because I feel like there’s so much more I want to do, but I’m not 20 anymore and to be honest, I’ve done a lot already. I guess you’re never completely “done” which is also okay and maybe even good, hopefully, it keeps you going. In the next few years, I also hope to be happy and healthy and that my family and friends are too. I also know I’m going to keep on working on myself and the relationships I have which is one of the most important things and that work never stops.
