New to Studio 22?
Born and raised in the Netherlands, Jean Dorff is a successful international Martial Artist and Ballroom Dancer. Because of his background in both dance and martial arts, Jean developed an interest in movement at an early age, exploring the concept of “conscious movement,” a term he developed to describe a connection of rhythm and movement with mind, body and soul.
As a business professional, Jean has provided business coaching and consultancy in the corporate fields of Marketing, Product Management, Business Strategy, and Business Development, primarily for Fortune 100 companies.
Through his work in both the business and dance industries, he began to realize the similarities in thought required for performance coaching to produce top competitors, regardless of the arena. By merging and blending his knowledge of both business and movement, he further developed the idea of ‘conscious movement’ into unique ‘performance coaching principles.’ Using these principles and his personal experience, Jean has coached several national champions and internationally successful dancers, as well as amateur dancers and business professionals.
Jean recently found his company ‘dancing mind conscious body’: a performance coaching and consultancy company, and though he continues to teach, coach and lecture internationally, he is happy to call Dallas and Studio 22 his home base.
What inspired you to become a dancer?
The simple answer: Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly.
The complicate answer: I love the body and mind connection, I love the emotional expression through dance, I love how we can move others with our movement. Sometimes the dance floor is the place where I truly feel at home, and in all honesty that’s what I felt when I stepped on that ballroom floor for the first time, something changed in me and I never looked back. True story.
What is your favorite thing about teaching?
Being a part of the growth of our students and motivate them to do more than what they thought they could do then see them change.
Do you have a mantra you live by or a favorite motto?
1. If you don’t put your life in service of others what is the point of living.
2. Change your mind and you’ll change your life.
Who is the most inspiring person you know?
Jesus and Napoleon Hill.
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
I have been fortunate enough to have traveled the world. I have been to most continents and to many places already. I definitely want to travel to Tibet for mystical reasons, to Israel for my faith, and to the Great Barrier Reef while it’s still there. However for me it has become more important with whom I travel rather than to where I travel, so I want to travel with my loved ones and my friends and share the experience.
What is your favorite thing to do on your day off?
Spend time with my loved ones and friends. Simple things like cooking, reading and watching a movie.
What is on your grocery list?
I am afraid my grocery list is pretty boring. Things for my daily green smoothies: spinach, bananas, celery, berries, carrots, chia seeds etc. Things for my salads: spinach, avocados, kale, tuna, eggs. Fruit: oranges, peaches.
What is your favorite T.V. show to binge watch?
Walking Dead, Beat Bobby Flay, The Voice, and yes Dancing with the Stars LOL.
What are two things not many people know about you?
World Champion Martial Artist (please don’t make a big deal of this). And I’m writing a book about my childhood abuse which will be published in the October timeframe.
Where did you grow up?
’s-Hertogenbosch (editor's note: say that 5 times fast) a small city in the Netherlands that’s most famous for their chocolate balls.
What is your secret talent?
I’m really good at walking and dancing in high heels (although I guess that’s not really a secret), and I can wiggle my ears.
What is your guilty pleasure?
Apple Pie and Dutch Drop Licorice (google it if you don’t know what that is).
What is your weirdest habit?
LOL, I eat mayonnaise with my fries.
What celebrity embodies your inner rockstar?
Whitney Houston.
What is your go-to sing-in-the-shower song?
The Greatest Love of All.
What is your favorite food/restaurant?
Banh Mi from Banh Mi Number One, Thai Food at Zenna. Only because we can’t get any decent Indonesian food in Dallas.
What's on your bedside table?
iPad, Bible, family picture, water, my watch, a book.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
LOL. A prophet, and yes, a dancer.
One word people use to describe you?
That’s just not a fair question, how can you describe all my awesomeness in one word. Friendly (i know it’s boring, but I’m just a modest guy).
What never fails to get you out of a bad mood?
Good food, movie and popcorn.
What are the top three things on your bucket list?
1. See one of my students win the Blackpool Dance Festival.
2. Disney Cruise with my kids.
3. Successfully grow the recently founded non-profit organization ‘A Dancer’s Movement to Stop Sexual Abuse’.
What is the best advice you ever received?
Strive every day towards what you want to become, but be happy every day with what you achieve!
Victoria Snee
CW33 Reporter / MIX 102.9 Radio Host
