His dance career has taken Stephen “Stevo” Jones to places he never dreamed he’d go. His most recent gig was the biggest one yet.
“I’ve done a lot of stuff, but this was definitely the biggest show as far as a production,” said Jones, who was one of the dancers in the Super Bowl halftime show featuring The Weeknd.
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The 2000 Lakeside High School graduate, who trained at Columbia County Ballet under his parents, Ron and Kathleen Jones, didn’t audition for the job but got it through his industry contacts in Atlanta where he lives. He got an email one day letting him know.
Jones was in two different parts of the halftime show.
“People in the choir were also on the field stage,” he said.
That meant a quick change and a long run from his spot in the stands to the field area.
A lot of things impressed Jones about the show, including the fact that they only had four rehearsals and one of them was on Zoom. Previous halftime shows required months of rehearsals.
COVID-19 played a role in the abbreviated rehearsal schedule and in the choreography. Jones said he could tell a lot of planning had gone into the 15-minute show. Great care was taken to make sure the dancers were spaced six feet apart on the field.
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The masks they wore on the field got a lot of attention and in some cases ridicule, but Jones said The Weeknd was making a statement. The bandaged effect mimicked how people came out of plastic surgery.
With the pandemic, Jones shifted his focus some in 2020. He manages a singer-songwriter, and he travels to the Augusta area regularly to teach master classes through his Hip Hop Augusta program. He also DJs weddings.
Already in 2021 though, he’s seen some dance work and hopes to beef up his dance card once again. This year also brought a role in a music video for rapper Ne-Yo, but it wasn’t the role people who know Jones would think he’d take.
“I played a character,” he said. “It was cool for me. People didn’t think I’d want to play this llama character, but it was something I haven’t done before.”
Jones said his career has taken highs and lows. He thought three different times that his dance career was over when he got a call out of the blue, and those dreams were resurrected.
Some of the high points in his career include playing the role of Jasper in the film, “Step Up All In” in 2014 and then as a dancer with violinist Lindsey Stirling. He danced with her for almost three years.
“I was dancing with her when ‘Step Up’ came out. We were traveling through Europe, and there was a super fan response to ‘Step Up.’ She was super fantastic, but I was the one getting stopped by people who said ‘you’re from ‘Step Up,’” he said.
Working with her was an incredible experience because she’s a unique performer.
Jones said he was able to incorporate his ballet training into his job. He often performed ballet partnering techniques with her. In lifts, she continued to play the violin.
He’s also worked as a backup dancer for rapper Becky G and the R&B singer Lloyd.
While he’s enjoyed his travels, Jones said he’s glad to be able to be somewhat close to home and make regular trips to Augusta to do the master classes at Columbia County Ballet and North Augusta School of Dance.
“I get to see my parents on the weekends,” he said. “I rarely saw them before.”
To learn more about Hip Hop Augusta and see a masterclass scheduled, visit hiphopaugusta.com.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the Features Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com
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