Today we’d like to introduce you to PJ Turner.
PJ, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My story began at the age of 10years old. I was watching a show called star search and saw these twins doing a clogging routine. I was bobbing my head enjoying the show. My mom looked over at me and said would you like to do that and I said no. The next week she signed me up for classes. So I started off doing clogging at the age of 10 to 14 for the Tennessee dance Academy under the direction of Lynne Ogle. It taught me so much from what a beat is to what rhythms are balance and how to use your feet.
At the age of 12. My brother was very interested in a girl who loved country, dancing, and country music and he hated country music. So he went to this new club that opened up called Cotton eye Joe. He would go there learn lawn dances and then come home to the dinner table until all these really amazing stories. So it got me very interested and I wanted to go and experience these New styles of dance. So I started line dancing at the age of 12 at this club on family nights, which were held on Monday nights. Fast-forward a couple of years and I was in high school and without knowing it met the love of my life Lisa Turner who taught me how to do a couples dance, called East Coast swing, and the sweetheart Scottish. I was absolutely hooked on couples dancing. Main reason why because I got the had all that outattention of the girls. We would practice every single day after school and then show off all of our practice at the family night.
A few years later, I was 16 years old my grandmother had fell ill and really could not travel to come and watch me and my brother dance. We discovered that there was a nationally televised TV show filmed here in Knoxville, Tennessee called Clubdance. Me and my brother went on the show and got to dance. They interviewed me and my brother so we could get on there and so our grandmother could see us dance.
So then me and my wife stayed on that show until it closed down in 99
We stayed on the show for three years and that’s when I learned a lot of the other country dances, including Two Step Cha-cha Waltz and then I learned to dance called West Coast swing and it changed everything
In the year of 2001 I went to my very first ever country dance event. There is a full sanction of country dance events that is all over the world. The particular sanction that we compete in is called the united country western dance Council in short UCWDC. So a big group of us went down and enjoyed an entire weekend of workshops, competition and social dancing. We met so many pros from around the world and they said that they got to travel and teach dance for a living and I knew at that moment that’s exactly what I want to do. Getting to see the people best in the world in our style of dance was truly amazing.
A couple years later after that, there was a little team that formed in Knoxville Tennessee called Team JOE. That team consist of Kelly and Jim Rainey, my wife, Lisa Turner, and myself. We were able to teach and perform at several regional dance events in the area, and that was able to get our names out there. We were even able to compete at several teams, competitions, and did well.
We kept this team from about 2004 to 2010 and it was an incredible journey in our dance career. Once this team had split up, I decided to travel around the United States to go to different West Coast swing events. My goal was to get to the highest level as possible That I could entering into many competitions that we called Jack and Jill strictly swing, taking lessons and workshops etc..
I’ll explain more about Jack and Jill‘s in a little bit.
Between 2010 and 2013, I had developed a little bit of a reputation and was asked by a specific partner to do a competitive West Coast swinger team in the classic division in West Coast swing. So the new chapter has started for me in the competitive world. Me and Tashina King, which was Beckmann at the time ended up having a very successful partnership for eight years. Finally several times in the world swing dance championships called the open, which is in Anaheim, California making top 10 couples in the world of West Coast swing. We were getting hired all over the world and teaching judging performing in places, I never thought it would be possible for me to travel to. Being a little boy from Knoxville, Tennessee, with only a dream of traveling the world, knowing it would never happen doing this dance called West Coast swing has absolutely made that happen. It has given me so much of joy, happiness, success, tears disappointment everything you could imagine something that you love does.
After Tashina and I had split, I traveled on my own for a while, teaching with different women from all over the world. And it was an incredible new chapter to my journey then Covid hit.
Well, I think we all know what happened during that time so being stuck in a house for a year and a half not being able to travel out and do anything with a job that requires you to be in front of people and dancing with people and touching not social distancing was extremely difficult for me. So I think is the first time I’ve ever experienced depression in my life. But now that we’re out of it, we’ll just leave that part in the past.
Now after Covid, I ended up finding a new partnership competing in the showcase division. Mia Pastor from Connecticut. We have now been competing since 2022 and now becoming the second place in the world in the world swing dance championships with the showcase division has been one of my greatest accomplishments in the dance world.
To give you a little insight, the competitions inside of our dance world consist of routine divisions that we call classic and or showcase at the professional level
Classic means that you have to have 80% of true swing content to your routine which leaves room for tricks for the other 20%
Showcase division gives you 60% and we can do lifts classic you cannot do lifts.
Jack and Jill is a random song to draw a random partner with inside of your own level divisions. Examples we have Jack and Jill, newcomer, novice, intermediate, sophisticated , masters, juniors, advanced, All-Star and then champions.
Then we have strictly swing strictly swing is where you can sign up with someone that cannot be a professional partner so you know your partner, but you don’t know this song and it’s all lead and follow improvisational skill set contest
The routine divisions are choreography contest
So currently I’m still traveling the world dancing in a showcase division Jack and Jill, strictly swings, etc., and that little boy from 10 years old that once thought it would be amazing to travel the world. It was only a dream is now doing that by doing a little dance, called West Coast swing. A true hobby that turned into a career that I could only imagine. So if you think you have two left feet, you should try to come and dance in West Coast swing or country dancing or line dancing. Just get out there and dance. Cause you never know where it could lead. The love of your life. Creating a brand new family. Your dreams come true by traveling the world. Or maybe just interacting and socializing with people who share the same interest in hobbies. Come join us every Wednesday at Timeless ballroom.
@knoxvillewesties
@backwardshatdancer
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Yes making the choice in a decision to go from a full-time job that I was doing while I was using Dance as a hobby to make it a choice to just go into dance full-time was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make. The choice of guaranteed money versus the possibility of not guaranteed income was scary. Specially when you have a family
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
So my job is professional dancer in two different styles.
Professional West Coast swing dance
And professional country partner dancer
I get to teach judge a perform all over the world. In these different styles.
Including country progressive two step, nightclub, two step, triple 2, waltz, cha-cha, East Coast swing, polka, West Coast swing
I am also known for my improvisational skill set dancing where I compete in mini Jack and Jill’s and strictly swings and Jack and Jill two step. You may have even seen something on social media called “ random partner random song”. That has really skyrocketed our dance sport in new attendance of people wanted to learn this. One video in particular comes to mind. So check this one out, Rose City Swing 2017 PJ Turner and Tashina Beckmann dancing to Me Too by Meagan Trainor. My most watched video of all time. Also known for wearing a backwards hat all the time.
Even asked AI to do an explanation of who PJ Turner is and was pretty good.
How do you think about luck?
I feel whatever you put into the universe you get it back. I tried to exude positive energy everywhere and I tried to make people feel good and I feel reciprocated by that so I do feel a little bit of good luck has played a role.
Pricing:
- Classes 15 per person per class.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://pjturnerdance.com/
- Instagram: @backwardshatdancer, @knoxvillewesties
- Facebook: PJ Turner dance page
