‘GET MOVING KIDS’ with Neisha-Yen
Neisha-Yen Jones is a TV host, award-winning actress and trained dancer. When the COVID-19 outbreak halted production of her daytime show and face-to-face dance classes, like many others in the entertainment industry, Jones took her talents to the virtual space. She started out giving online Zumba classes on Instagram. Before she knew it, Jones was being contacted by Jamaica Moves to be one of the hosts for their newly formed daytime exercise/ dance show, ‘Get Moving Kids’ on Television Jamaica (TVJ).
“Corona is happening, and everything that I used to do is turned off. Public gatherings are prohibited and all that stuff, and hosting events and teaching classes is what I do. So when everything got closed, I said, ‘OK, what do I do now?’ and I started doing videos online with my daughter,” she said.
“Persons enjoyed the videos, and what happened was that someone reached out to me from Jamaica Moves and was like, ‘We saw you doing this thing and we would love for you to be involved’. They loved that I was dancing with my daughter; and for them that meant it could be a family thing.”
GREAT RESPONSE
Get Moving Kids started the second week of March and is expected to continue through the end of June. Jones says the response to the programme so far has been great.
“TV land has been good, really supportive. The feedback on Television Jamaica’s Instagram page has been really great,” she said.
Jones said her reason for starting the Instagram videos was to prevent people from falling into a state of depression in these difficult times. Now that she has a wider platform as a result of Get
Moving Kids, she’s hoping she can reach more people and offer them a lifeline through dance.
“I want people who tune in to take away hope. I want them to feel good, inspired, joyful.
I want them to know that everything is gonna be OK,” she said. Although she enjoys teaching, Jones says the biggest blessing for her so far on this new journey, is sharing the moments with her daughter.
“Doing this with my daughter is the greatest gift I could ask for. I remember when I was in England doing the Dirty Dancing musical, Bailie used to say to me, ‘Mommy, I really miss you when you’re not home’ and I gave up theatre. I made a decision to give up dancing professionally and internationally for her, so for me now to be able to do it with her is everything,” she said.
“I’m happy, excited and grateful to have my career with my daughter. She’s working and growing right alongside me. In fact, this Friday, she is going to be teaching one of the routines that she choreographed herself, and that is so exciting.”