Award-winning choreographer Jasmyn Fyffe was the recipient of the Frankie Award (in Montreal) for most outstanding choreography/choreographer for her fifty-minute work Pulse. She is the director of Jasmyn Fyffe Dance, for which she has been choreographing and directing for the past seven years. She was in Toronto last weekend performing in Toronto Dance Theatre‘s Glass Fields, as part of Harbourfront’s NextSteps.
We chatted with her last week.
SDTC: What’s at the top of your bucket list?
JF: I really want to go skydiving!
What’s your go-to song for getting stuff done?
These days I listen to soca almost all the time. It’s hard to pick one song but I really get amped with a track called “Touchdown” by Kerwin Du Bois.
What advice would you give to your fourteen-year-old self?
Calm down, take more breaths, love every inch of yourself, don’t be rude to your parents.
Who has made a big impact in your life recently, and how?
I have a new really sweet friend who has made a wonderful impact on me by simply being their awesome self. They are super talented, driven, loving and a beautiful soul that I get to vibe with. The honesty and wisdom they have with themselves about themselves is pretty inspiring to say the least.
What does your ideal Saturday look like?
Wake up, hopefully naked next to someone I adore. Make love first thing…eventually coffee is made. Lounge a little more, and then have a lovely brunch somewhere (add in a mimosa or two). Pick up my son and take him to the beach for the rest of the day until the sun sets. After watching the sun set, watch the moon for a bit.
What’s the best part of being your current age?
I give less and less f*#€$ about things I realize I do not have to give energy to.
What is your favourite quality in your best friend?
They call me out on my shit.
What/who is currently inspiring you?
I am inspired by authenticity and constantly striving to find it in my every day life, including my work. I’m also inspired by Caribbean carnival culture.
What art work would you love to have in your space/on your walls, and why?
I have some artist friends who I would love to have on my walls. Also I have collaborated with a few colleagues as well and it would be great to have these up as well. The good energy around the collaboration would keep regenerating.
Fave rainy day comfort food? Or activity?
SOUP and CUDDLES!
When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? What was your favourite game/toy?
I wanted to be a veterinarian. My favourite toy was a Cabbage Patch Kid I named “Leeshie.”
What adult task would you like to get better at?
Multi-tasking while with my son.
If you could spend a year studying something, what would it be?
Carnival culture, specifically j’ouvert. I want to understand my history more and what runs through my blood. I feel so connected to carnival on a deep level.