From Pom-Poms to Krump: Chazzlyn Jackson’s Dance Journey

Written By Jada Miles

Photography by @kevinthavongphotography & @still1

Chazzlyn Jackson, a sociology Ph.D., candidate at North Carolina State University, is redefining what it means to balance academia with a wide range of extracurricular pursuits. With a busy schedule and endless tasks, Jackson still finds time to dedicate her energy to an important art form—Krumping. 

Krump is a dance form that is very dear and near to Jackson. She discovered her passion for Krump through her involvement with the 10k Movement, a dynamic platform dedicated to Hip Hop & Street Dance, and has trained and competed for several years since getting involved. 

Before Krump, Jackson had an extensive journey of trying different dance and movement styles starting at the age of nine when she began competitive cheer. She started cheering after being  inspired by her mother and older sister’s success in the sport. 

“I was exposed to cheer at an early age because my mom was a high school cheer coach in Euclid so I would always go to her camps.” Jackson said. “I remember telling my mom when I was little that I was going to make the varsity team just like my big sister, which led to me getting involved in competitive cheer.”

After a couple of years competitive cheering, Jackson started becoming interested in dance. She started off palm dancing, but the Hip Hop team quickly caught her attention after hearing the classes through the walls. So, Jackson officially joined her studio’s Hip Hop dance team during seventh grade where she quickly excelled. 

“I had so much fun competing, I learned a lot about stage presence and gained so much confidence though dance.” Jackson said.

Jackson competed up until her sophomore year of high school and then took a few years off. When she enrolled at Kent State University she tried out for Legacy, a dance team at the university that incorporated several dance styles with a main focus on Hip Hop.

“I continued to grow as a dancer with Legacy.” Jackson said. “We still competed but my experience was different than before because Legacy gave opportunities to choreograph. So I was able to explore my own style and choreograph which was really cool.”

It wasn’t until Jackson’s spring semester where her dance journey took a turn for the best. The young college student enrolled in a Hip Hop class taught by Samuel McIntosh, a dancer, educator and founder of the 10k Movement. 

“My whole perspective changed when I met Sam.” Jackson said. “When you walked in his class he was playing real, classic Hip Hop songs. We would warm up, follow his drills and then get into the history and pioneers in the space like Dj Kool Herc. I was exposed to authentic, street Hip Hop and my approach to dance shifted dramatically.”

Jackson built a close relationship with McIntosh who recruited her to intern in a new organization he was building at the time, known as the 10k Movement. Through her involvement with 10k Movement, Jackson learned the authenticity and true history behind Hip Hop and Street dance.  

“Hip Hop became my main style as I was training inside and outside of school.” Jackson said. “I was introduced to Street culture — battles, festivals, leaders of today. It was so much information to catch up on and it was beautiful.” 

Jackson continued interning and helped officially launch the organization. In its first year, the the organization hosted its launch party, participated in several performances and more. 10k Movement also hosted its first Lord of the Lands (LOTL) dance festival, an annual two-day summer festival in Cleveland, Ohio that brings artists and creators together to showcase authentic Hip Hop culture. The festival included dance battles across three categories including Krump. 

“Paul Carpenter was one of the judges and hosted a Krump workshop.” Jackson said. “It was one of my first Krump classes and I just remember how natural it felt to my body.”

After the festival, Jackson stayed in touch with Carpenter who eventually became her first Krump teacher. She trained with him for about six months and Krump became her main style.

Before focusing on Krump, Jackson explored different Street dance syles. “I’ve taken classes in Hip Hop, Popping, Afrobeats — as a Street dancer you just want to learn all you can from the scene and community, and it's fun.” Jackson said. 

“Out of all the styles, Krump clicked the most to my body.” Jackson said. “When I Krump I feel empowered. Krump gets personal, it has a lot of lyrical and contemporary interpretation and it feels more natural for me to storytell.”

Despite living hours away in North Carolina pursing her Ph.D., Jackson is still heavily involved with 10k Movement as an Associate Programs Manager. Dance has grown to be apart of her identity and she applies lessons learned from dance throughout her daily life. 

“It sounds cliche but it’s true — putting in work and being consistent in your craft pays off and definitely produces good outcomes.” Jackson said. “I’ve been granted beautiful experiences with dance. Whether its traveling or having opportunities to showcase at different events and dance festivals or even teaching. There’s been a lot of rewarding opportunities through dance.”