Pro Skateboarder Jessy Jean Bart Talks About The Power Of Ballet To Change A Kid’s Life

"Ballet is probably the most powerful thing that could happen to the school system. I truly believe that."

- Jessy Jean Bart

Jessy Jean Bart stretching before his skate

We’re excited to be partnering with pro skateboarder Jessy Jean Bart on our Ballet & Identity program!

Ballet & Identity program creator, Elena Alexandra interviews Jessy about introducing ballet as a new concept into our educational system and society.

Through a broader way of thinking, ballet becomes a powerful tool to help build our kids up to actualize their potentials.

Jessy is a Canadian champion and groundbreaking skate artist who not only breaks barriers by pushing the limits of the sport, but on the toughest playing field, where those around him have told him: “you won’t make it”. And he has proven them wrong, over and over.

Jessy attributes his drive and determination to watching his mother “make it”, growing up as a young boy. 

Jessy’s mom, “Tash”, short for Natasha, had a background in classical ballet with a promising future.

Despite a re-route of her path at the age of 16, Jessy attests to the mental fortitude, perseverance and “can do” attitude that ballet helped to instill in her. Jessy is still in awe of how this played no small part in her ability to rebuild and reinvent herself and her life.

The First Guild interviews Jessy about introducing ballet as a new concept into our educational system and society.

Through a broader way of thinking, ballet becomes a powerful tool to help build our kids up to actualize their potentials.

In an excerpt from our interview, Jessy talks about why he’s excited to coach young people involved in the Ballet & Identity program:

When I was in school, there was a lot of chaos in my life and then I took martial arts and it brought discipline and connected mind and body, the same thing with ballet, it’s an incredible foundation for that.

When I give skate classes and kids just come into the skate park, and start running around and don’t listen… that makes it very complicated for me… and I don’t want anyone to get hurt, so it would be the best thing for them to take ballet at school and learn to channel their energy so when they got to skating, they come with a fresh mindset, and they would appreciate it more, they would be more careful, they would listen more and probably learn much faster, and so that’s where you get that difference. It would make such a difference. 

Football players do it. 

Basketball players do it.

There’s so many people that do it, and we don’t necessarily know about it.

Why are these people doing it? Now you know.

It [ballet] is probably the most powerful thing that could happen to the school system. I truly believe that.

for more on Jessy visit https://jessyjeanbart.com/