Exploring Life & Business with Tara Jackson of Kreative Force Choreo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tara Jackson. 

Hi Tara, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
I guess you can say, I was born a creative and now I’m just walking in my purpose as one of the Co-Owners of Kreative Force Choreo, LLC. 

I have loved dance since the beginning of time. I was about 4 or 5 years old when I started out dancing in the local Drill-team (American Legion Drill-Team) in my hometown, Omaha, Ne. Drill-team is where I like to give my credit as to where a lot of my powerhouse energy comes from! After dancing in the Drill-team for many years, when I got to high school, Omaha North High School, I auditioned to be a part of the Dance Team, known as the Pom Squad. Pom Squad was a new world for me, but I loved how it expanded my dance horizons. While on Pom Squad we attended dance camps with Universal Dance Association (UDA) and as a young dancer while attending UDA, I felt like I got to experience seeing some of the best dancers and choreography I had ever come across and THIS had a lasting impression on me. I knew from this experience, dance, choreography, and the gift of how it impacts people would be a HUGE part of my life. I eventually went on to become a UDA instructor for about two years after graduating high school. I then went on to dance for a couple semi-pro teams in my hometown, Omaha Nighthawks and the Omaha Beef Prime Dancers. This journey of dancing semi-pro planted the seed of wanting more and wanting to dance at the NEXT LEVEL. NEXT LEVEL meant, auditioning for the Pros and with that, also having to wrap my mind around leaving NE because we don’t have any pro teams in NE. And so, the journey to dance in the NFL began. I auditioned for the Kansas City Chiefs Cheerleaders in 2012, but 2012 was not my year. I made it to the final level of auditions, but I didn’t make the team. Of course, I thought about not auditioning again, but life has a funny way of making sure you do something, even when you try to put it out of your mind and just like that, I auditioned in 2013, made the team, and quickly re-located myself and my son to KC, MO. I danced professionally for 4 years and decided to hang up my “white boots” after the 2016-2017 season. I still had the passion for dance and choreography in my heart so I decided to get certified as a WERQ Dance Fitness Instructor. This platform really helped me to find my VOICE and sharing my gift of motivating/inspiring others through dance and cardio dance fitness. Shortly after becoming a WERQ Instructor, choreographer, and Master Trainer for WERQ, the idea of having my own dance choreography business fell on my heart. I didn’t have a business name, a business plan, a business degree, a business anything! Lol! However, I had a vision and I just had to figure out how to make it happen. I remember reaching out to my good friend (now business partner) JaShawn (J). I went over to her place this particular day just to borrow an outfit and pitched the idea to her of starting a dance business together. She was immediately on board. I’m not sure of the exact timeline, but I know we soon met at a Starbucks, brainstormed our business name, Kreative Force Choreo, and our business baby was officially born (LLC official) on 3-25-2019!! We been rocking and rolling ever since and through trial and error continue to grow a little more every year! 

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not been the easiest road; however, it has been a road of growth, learning our value, learning to be grateful for the growth of our business, and learning each other as business partners. Year one, I think we were just excited to be out there in the world offering our dance/choreography services to anyone who needed it. We may have not always gotten paid what we wanted, but as we continue to grow in our business, those decisions to maybe offer lower prices at the startup of the business have been beneficial to us now. We started out thinking, if hired, schools/customers would hire us to choreograph their half-time routines, game day routines, or maybe even help with sideline dance moves. What we were not prepared for, but was a great problem to have, was that schools actually wanted to hire us for competition choreography to compete at the state and sometimes national level. We quickly had to learn the rules and regulations of the competition world but jumped right into action. In the beginning, we struggled with not just wanting our business to be known for just “Hip Hop” choreography, because we do it all, and now, as the business shapes itself, we no longer push away the idea of being known as a “Hip Hop” choreography business because we do most often get hired to provide “Hip Hop” competition and/or game day choreo. It’s one of our strengths and we have learned to embrace it while knowing, we have still have the talents and skills to choreograph it all!! 

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Kreative Force Choreo, LLC, an innovative dance choreography company created to provide wildly energetic game day/ competition dance routines to high school, college/universities, and Professional level dance teams. We are known for our power-house Hip Hop competition and game day choreography. One of our specialties is our ability to connect with dancers. When we go in to choreograph for a school/studio, we have a unique way of helping the dancers to let down their guards, connect with us a choreographers, have fun, and yet work super hard during our time together. J and I, as we say, just “keep it real.” We don’t act perfect in front of dancers, we allow dancers to see our authentic side, we let them see us laugh, joking, dancing, brainstorming, re-working choreo, and sometimes even getting a little stomped when having to re-work choreo. THIS allows dancers to connect with us, let them know we are human, but most importantly, we want to come into their space, and make sure as outside choreographers, those dancers feel right at home in their own space. 

We offer a variety of services, Competition choreography: (Hip Hop, Jazz, Pom, Team Performance, Game Day). Additional services we offer Game Day choreography, Technique classes, Master Classes, Dance Camps, Fitness Instruction, Private and/or small group lessons, Workshops, choreography to audition for a team, Seminars/Team focused trainings, and more. 

Kreative Force Choreo is not just there to come in, choreograph, and disappear. Building an ongoing relationship outside of the dance room is very important to us so that we can have a continued relationship for years to come. 

Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
My favorite childhood memory is thinking I was related to Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5. Mind you, my last name is Jackson, my dad has several brothers (I think it was 7 boys total), and growing up, I remember our family would get together for a family gathering. I just remember, my dad and about 5 of his brothers, African American, afros, and all Jackson’s dancing and singing in our living room. In my mind, that somehow made me think I was related to the Jackson 5. What I love most about these memories was family time, seeing my mom and dad smile at each other, dancing all night long, good food, and just good ol’ family bonding! 

Contact Info:

• Email: Kreativeforcechoreo@gmail.com
• Website: www.Kreativeforcechoreo.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kreativeforcechoreo/?hl=en

Image Credits
Meriaki Artistry By Jenn Lee