Sharing the stage with the likes of Jennifer Lopez, TI and other big name musicians hasn’t caused Jason Cerda to forget about where he came from. Having opened Cerdafied Dance Studios in Alexandria on Oct. 1, Cerda is providing dancers with a 3,500-square-foot space with more than 20 different styles of dance, including some more fitness-focused ones. There will be instructors handpicked by Cerda, monthly appearances from celebrity choreographers—Gabe De Guzman will be the first on Oct. 20—and the ability to schedule classes through a studio-specific app.
Below, the NoVA native and George Mason University alumnus shares his experiences and the influences that will make Cerdafied Dance Studios stand out in the region.
When did you start dancing?
I started dancing when I was 5 years old. I’m a self-taught dancer. When I was coming up there was no YouTube, hip-hop wasn’t really offered in dance studios, so I had to wait until Michael Jackson or Usher, or someone like that, would perform on TV. I would just watch their performances and I would try to mimic them and then I would just make up my own moves. I taught myself how to dance pretty much my whole life. The first dance class I ever took I was teaching it; that was when I was 18. So I was never really taught to dance, I just kind of picked it up along the way.
In your professional career, have you ever had a ‘wow’ moment?
For sure. The most recent was back in February. I did a show in Vegas—which just any time you perform in Vegas it’s awesome—it was a show called Calibash. The lineup was J-Lo, Ricky Martin, an artist named Maluma, who is the biggest Latin artist in the world, there was Ozuna … so like huge, huge artists. J-Lo and Ricky Martin were the main headliners, and then you see my name on the same flyer, my picture on the same flyer with them and it was like “wow, I’m doing a show in Vegas with J-Lo and Ricky Martin and all these other huge artists.” It was a surreal moment, a humbling moment for me, but at the same time I’ve always known that I could be on stage with these caliber of people. So I got up there and I did my thing and afterward J-Lo walks right by me and she told me I did a great job. I was kind of like “Woah, J-Lo watched me perform.”
This is the first Cerdafied studio?
Yes, first studio that I’ve opened. Obviously I wanted to do it in the DMV area because I am from here. I’ve traveled and taught and toured and everything everywhere: L.A., Miami, overseas, as well as New York. But I felt like the first one definitely had to be here just because my roots are from here, my business partner [Rahna Faddoul], she’s from here. We both know the area. We both know the community. We both felt that we were lacking more of a competitive, more Hollywood-style studio for the DMV area. A lot of dancers from here feel like they need to leave to L.A. or New York or Miami to make it in the dance world, and I wanted to bring that to the D.C. area. Obviously, with the connections that I have in the music world and stuff like that, I have access to that, I can bring that, those type of choreographers that work with the J-Los and Ricky Martins and stuff, I can bring them here.
What does the studio’s motto ‘Good Vibes Save Lives’ mean?
That one was actually a more personal thing for me. I went to Edison High School here, right actually a minute away from the studio. There was a time where there were a lot of suicides at my school. And lately, especially in the music industry, a lot of celebrities are dropping dead everywhere because of suicide or they’re having struggles with drug problems and they want to take their own lives. Just last week with Mac Miller, big celebrities that you think have everything in the world.
I’ve heard some stories where music or dancing or singing just saved someone’s life. That song or that dance or whatever just came at the right moment of their life and it just got them out of a dark place. It was more like a motto that I wanted to look to. Because a lot of studios have this stigma or reputation that it’s very competitive and the energy is very ugly at the studio. I was like, “my studio is not going to be that way,” it’s going to be a place where you can go if you’re having a rough day and you can just take a class and you’re going to feel better. The good vibes of the studio, the good vibes of the people there, the music, the energy is going to save your life in some way, shape or form.
What should people know who may want to pick up dance?
I always tell people who want to learn how to dance is that they just need to try it and give it a shot. More times than not you are going to like it. And sometimes you may not like it the first time, but you need to give it a chance. It’s one of those things where we are going to have a variety of teachers that all teach the same style. So maybe this teacher might not be the one style that’s appealing to you, but this other teacher might be.
I think it’s one of those things where you just got to get in there and give it a shot and kind of put your shyness aside, because a lot of people come in super shy, they don’t want to embarrass themselves. Go for it. This is a judgement-free zone that we are trying to implement in the studio, super judgement free. Like I said, try to take good vibes. And I think when people will come they’ll see that it’s a very family-friendly, people-friendly environment. They will learn something as well as have fun while they’re doing it. Just got to get in there and tie up their shoes and get at it. // Cerdafied Dance Studios: 6118 Franconia Road, Alexandria; cerdafiedstudios.com; $25 per class introductory offer, $59.99 for annual membership
Editor’s Note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.