Jenny was perfectly cast as Co-Director of the Ohio Dance Machine

First Witch, MacBeth Act IV, Scene 1, Line 1699: Ay, sir, all this is so: but why Stands Macbeth thus amazedly?...

In theatre lore, Shakespeare’s play MacBeth is so cursed, superstition claims that even speaking the name “Macbeth” inside a theatre is bad luck that will cause unmitigated disaster. Well, for Jenny of the Ohio Dance Machine, a production of MacBeth was truly a blessing, not at all a curse. “It’s actually how I met my husband, because my first role at Capital (University) was in Macbeth, and I was the First Witch,” Jenny explains. “We met outside at the cast list and we were talking about what role I had. I said, ‘Oh, I made the cast, are you in it?’ He said, ‘Yeah. I’m Macbeth.’”

Jenny loves plays, musicals, Broadway, particularly A Chorus Line, and she majored in theatre, and, of course, her role in The Scottish Play is her favorite role of her life, “It was so much fun,” Jenny recalls. “Oh my goodness, it was awesome.”

First Witch, MacBeth Act I, Scene 3, Line 110: Thou’rt kind.

Fast forward, now one of Jenny’s current “roles” is Co-Director/Co-Captain of the Ohio Dance Machine that performs at Major League Lacrosse’s Ohio Machine games in central Ohio outside of Columbus. Her view of the entire Machine organization is also ebullient. “I just love it,” Jenny says. “The Machine are wonderful, the front office, and the players are so nice. It’s just a great team and a great organization to start up with. As far as the dance, it’s just like there’s not many other places where you can dance in front of people, perform, work, and challenge yourself for free. You either have to take classes, so it’s just really great to be able to do that every week, and to know that it’s coming each year, and to be a part of this organization.”

And 2015 is on its way! With 2015 ODM prep classes this starting January 5th and auditions starting January 17th, let’s learn more about Jenny as she co-leads with her Co-Director Megan this impressive squad of pro dancers.

First Witch, MacBeth Act I, Scene 3, Line 98: Where hast thou been, sister?

“I’ve been dancing since I was three years old. And I haven’t stopped. I can’t,” laughs Jenny. “My sister had started dancing, and she was older so I just wanted to do what she did. She actually ended up not liking it, and leaving it for a while, but I just kept doing it. I think it was something to contain all my energy.”

Jenny continued studio dance through high school, and also began avidly performing in musicals during high school. Jenny is a native of Toledo, and she moved to Columbus to attend Capital University, where she received her degree in Theatre Studies. Jenny also started her pro cheer career with Major League Soccer’s Columbus Crew. ”At Capital there was not as much dance, so it wasn’t until I found about the Crewzers,” Jenny says. “I actually joined the Crewzers originally and so I was able to start dancing again.”

Though Jenny was a long time dancer, being on the Crewzers was her first cheerleading experience. “Actually, I hadn’t heard about the Crewzers,” Jenny remembers. “I had a friend who was one of the co-captains, so she was a big recruiter for them. That was the first time I ever cheered was with the Crewzers.”

Were local fans familiar with the Crew and realized that they had a dance team? Jenny replied, “You know, it was about 50-50 when I’d say, ‘I’m a Crewzer,’ and people would ask, ‘What’s that?’ Or people would say, ‘Oh, I love the Crew.’ The first year or two, I’d say, ‘Ohio Machine,’ and they say, ‘What’s that?’ Now, fans are really starting to get excited about us, and I’ve had a couple people outside of games recognize me, so as they are building, we’re building.”

First Witch, MacBeth Act III, Scene 5, Line 1488: Come, let’s make haste; she’ll soon be back again.

After Jenny’s rookie season, the Crew discontinued the Crewzers, but some of the Crewzers like Jenny and Megan found a new sidelines home with lacrosse’s Machine. “The Crew was definitely different than the Machine, because now we’re interacting with the audience, Jenny explains. “They’re right there, but on the Crew we were way back there. But it was still neat because there was a lot of energy there.”

And Jenny finds that the high speed action of lacrosse sometimes gets her really into the game. “The big thing is we’re supposed to smile the entire time and be shaking our poms,” comments Jenny. “It’s so hard because I’m watching where the orange ball went and I’m like, ‘Wait a second. No. Get it. Oh yeah!’ And keep smiling.”

First Witch, MacBeth Act I, Scene 1, Line 2: When shall we three meet again; In thunder, lightning, or in rain?

Asked about memorable games during her pro cheer career, Jenny replies, “Well, definitely the last game of our original season. It was a beautiful season the entire time, and then the last game it just poured down rain and we had to dance in it. It was just really exciting, because the energy was different and we were drenched, so we didn’t look the greatest, but we just felt great. Then the next season it rained like almost every game, so it kind of lost its magic.”

Part of Jenny’s role with the Machine is choreography, which is something she has done for a while. “The first time I choreographed something on my own was for show choir my senior year,” Jenny says. “Then I was just kind of thrown into it for different shows or dances or plays. Then for the Dance Machine, they said, ‘Officers, all right, choreograph this dance” and we said, ‘Okay.’

Does Jenny like the choreography aspect? “I do, it’s really nice,” comments Jenny. “Sometimes your brain gets a little fried, when it’s new dance meetings, but it’s really fun once you do new styles. Then seeing like my style’s different than Megan’s or the other officers, and so seeing their styles and mixing them together.”

When Jenny’s in the car or hears a song somewhere, do her choreographer instincts kick in? “Yes, you do it all in your head and then you think, ‘What was I doing?’” answers Jenny. “You try to do it with your body and you think, ‘Wait a second, it doesn’t look the same.’” Jenny really enjoys the choreographer role. “It’s a lot of fun. It definitely takes a lot of energy and hard work, but it’s so much fun.”

Jenny’s current job is working in a senior living, initially as a concierge and now in sales. But Jenny keeps a hand in local theatre. “I do a lot of community theater because it’s just fun and there’s a lot of community theater available in Columbus,” Jenny explains. “So I’ll choreograph, and work with the different theaters around.”

There are things Jenny still misses from her hometown Toledo, “I miss certain things, like Tony Packo’s (famous hot dogs), and my parents the most.”

First Witch, MacBeth Act I, Scene 1, Line 7: Where the place?

But Columbus is her home now. “This is where my husband’s from and all his family is, and I love Columbus so much,” Jenny says. “Of my favorite things, I love that there’s so many different (local) cities that are unique in their own way. There are old ones and new ones. I love that there’s so many like things that start up here, like Jenny’s Ice Cream.” When visitors come to Columbus, “I like to take them to a new restaurant every time. Like Dewey’s Pizza I just found out about, or TASI down in the Short North; all the different Short North restaurants, those are so good.”

First Witch, MacBeth Act I, Scene 3, Line 149: All hail, Macbeth! hail to thee, thane of Glamis!

So they met when he was “MacBeth,” but Jenny’s husband sounds like a “character” off-stage as well, and a “supporting” one at that. Asked how her husband likes Jenny being in pro cheer, Jenny answers, “He loves it. When he found out that I was going to audition for the Cruizers he was ecstatic. The first year, he and his friend used to paint themselves up and they were ‘The Bro-Bots.’ Yeah, he really enjoys it. He likes to attend, watch us, and watch the game.”

So Ohio dancers, check out the Ohio Dance Machine prep classes for 2015. Who knows, it might be an audition that changes your life.

Thanks so much Jenny for sharing with UltimateCheerleaders her experiences! And thanks to Director Megan and all of the Ohio Machine for all of their assistance!

More photos of Jenny are at this link.