‘All Style’: Imagining A World Where Everyone Can Dance

Source: iOne Digital Creative Services

Let dancer Christian Brown tell it, the term “all style” has multiple connotations. One of them is a literal, essentially phonetic definition referring to a dance philosophy that allows its practitioners to integrate a variety of styles into their performance. The other association, he says, refers to people who don’t practice at all.

But the 26-year-old Pittsburgh native would never be associated with the latter definition. He rattles off an impromptu list of more than a dozen unique styles that he’s studied through classes, workshops, and boot camps. His hard work has earned him an appearance in a commercial for the streaming platform Twitch, dancing alongside musical icon Madonna, and participation in dance competitions around the country. Brown is currently working with his mentor Jordan Taylor on a pilot for a show called “All Style.” The show will expose hopeful dancers to the art form that has transformed his life.

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“Dance has enabled me to be a free soul. When I dance, and when I see others dance, I see their true selves, and I see my true self coming to life,” Brown says. “It almost feels like flying. It just cuts off our connection to the ground and makes it feel like we’re just actually free when we move.”

Video producer Jordan Taylor teamed up with dancer JiTa to create the web series All Style. | Source: Kevin Lorenzi

Brown, who is known professionally as JiTa, attributes much of his success to the help and mentorship of Taylor. Taylor grew up in Newcastle, Pa., a small town about an hour north of Pittsburgh. He adopted an early love for TV and film, and after earning a degree in digital media production at Art Institute of Pittsburgh, he began to build a career. His resume includes a job as an AV tech for a major cruise line, a 14-year stint working for the Pittsburgh Steelers, a job as a senior video producer at Carnegie Mellon University, and a new gig at Ansys, a Pittsburgh area software company.

But as much work as Taylor has put into his career, he’s arguably given equal dedication to youth mentorship. He says that he had such a supportive and fulfilling childhood that it surprised him to not find similar support for youth when he relocated to Pittsburgh.

“I’ve mentored every type of kid they got, but I would go out of my way for young Black men. I feel that I’m not the stereotypical idea of what a Black American is supposed to be like, and I wanted to show other young men that they don’t have to be either,” Taylor said. “It’s rewarding to work with young people, to teach [them] something and watch them grasp onto it and become better and better, to help them figure out how to creatively express themselves — that’s one of the most important things a human being could do.”

Christian Brown, aka JiTa, now 26, attributes his love for dance to his mentor Taylor. | Source: Sade Finn

Taylor began to work as a teaching artist for kids through several different programs, helping them learn to make music and create videos. He met Brown through an organization called Steeltown Entertainment. When teaching JiTa film and TV skills, Taylor noticed JiTa’s passion for dance, emulating YouTube videos with his friends and classmates. Taylor purchased a pack of dance classes to allow Brown to pursue his interests, and the then 16-year-old took the opportunity and hit the ground running.

JiTa was eventually discovered by a dance company in New York, earned a scholarship to Point Park University in downtown Pittsburgh, and later joined a company called Lost Culture Dance Crew, landing various opportunities to showcase his gift around the country. He was known for his ability to pick up things quickly.

“It almost feels like flying.” JiTa wants to share his love for dance with everyone, especially those who imagine they can’t learn to do it. | Source: Christian Brown

He recalls a moment where he and a close friend and colleague he met dancing, Nasir Muhammad, were taking a heels class (a course that teaches dancers how to portray sexiness and cockiness).

“When we took the class, Nas didn’t feel comfortable doing some of the feminine moves. I took some of the guys to the side, and I taught a new combination [in addition to] the combination that the teacher was teaching,” JiTa explains.

“So, while the teacher was teaching it, I was learning the combination, while also making up another one for guys to make them more comfortable,” he continued. “That experience opened my eyes. Being a late bloomer with dancing, it helps to have that photographic memory to produce something after just seeing it once.”

Taylor began to use his resources to shoot videos of JiTa. He acquired funding to shoot a music video of Brown dancing, and he used another grant to take Brown to Los Angeles to help him connect with some of his favorite dancers. He recorded the latter experience and used it as the foundation for “All Style,” the upcoming web series.

Taylor describes the new show as a dance version of Anthony Bourdain’s travel and cooking programs. The series will find the duo visiting dance schools that specialize in different styles—three dance forms per episode in each city. With Jordan behind the camera, JiTa will host and allow an instructor to teach him new moves in each style of dance, along with showing viewers the music and the fashion that go with that dance form.

They’ll begin filming the first episode in Pittsburgh this fall, sending JiTa to a ballet class, a West African dance class, and a hip-hop dance class. The goal is to land the show with a streamer like Netflix or a television network, but Taylor says that he’s ok with it living as a web series in the meantime.

“This should be for anyone who wants to learn how to do this, anyone who thinks that this is impossible, or that they can’t dance,” JiTa says. “The places I chose are places that can educate the viewer, so they can move some furniture in their living room and try to do it with me, or even write it down in a notebook.”

Taylor (left) filming JiTa (center). Mentor and mentee knew each other for a decade before embarking on All Style. | Source: Jordan Taylor

JiTa was able to embrace dance during teenage years where he dealt with a turbulent home life, making him grow up quickly before moving in with a friend’s family. He says that his trying circumstances motivated him to put his efforts into dancing so he could create a better life for himself.

He’s received offers to join television shows like So You Think You Can Dance, but for now, he’s content honing his craft at a ballet studio in Pittsburgh. Eventually, he wants to build his own studio that forms a substantial connection with the greater Pittsburgh community by building “an environment of safety and love,” similar to Lost Culture Dance Crew.

In the meantime, JiTa and Taylor are getting to work on “All Style.” Beyond the current season, Taylor’s vision is to visit both larger cities and smaller towns, along with taking the series overseas for international seasons down the line. With their talent and their deep friendship, the sky’s the limit.

William E. Ketchum III is a reporter and editor dedicated to covering the intersection of music, culture, and society. His work has appeared in VIBE, Vulture, GQ, Complex, Billboard, Guardian, NPR, MTV, XXL and Ebony.

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