METRO THE LAKELANDER
A R T S & C U LT U R E | I S S U E 1 0 2
WRITTEN BY RJ WALTERS PHOTOS BY NOELLE GARDINER
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The passion and mission behind Ultimate Dance Center
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hether Freddie De Jesus is smiling at one of his instructors teaching introductory ballet, he is locked in working through intricate choreography with a Florida Southern College student in his role as an adjunct professor, or he is living his best life on a weekday evening in an adult jazz dance class—he wants more. He wants more studios and larger studios, he wants to further his own education so he can improve as a leader, and he wants to offer (nearly) every kind of dance under the sun so you can become anything from a world class performer to someone who simply enjoys fun aerobic activities under his watch. It’s the reason the company he founded in 2016 isn’t called “Just Another Dance Studio”—it’s aptly called Ultimate Dance Center. When De Jesus arrived in Lakeland more than 20 years ago, the Puerto Rican from Brooklyn, NY brought a distinctive New York state of mind to a city that was just starting to grow into what it is today. He fondly remembers getting off an Amtrak train downtown as he embarked on the adventure of starring in The Nutcracker with Florida Dance Theatre. “I was like, ‘Wow, what a beautiful place.’ I just walked around downtown with my big old suitcase and backpack and kept falling more in love with it,” the now 53-year old De Jesus says. “And then I walk into Palace Pizza, and I’m like, ‘Is there a slice of New York right here in Lakeland?’ And then I went to Harry’s Seafood Bar & Grille because my ride was running several hours behind…and I met the manager, who is still there today, and she gave me a cup of water and talked my ear off…and we just connected.” Connecting with rhythm and art in a deeply personal way has been the driving force for De Jesus’s career.
Pushing limits, exploring art, bringing people together.