Trend setter. Mold breaker. Supreme talent. Jasmine Dillon has been flooded with praise her whole dance career, but Country Tonite Theatre gave her a glorious new first as a starlet. When the talented dancer took the stage in Pigeon Forge earlier this year, she became the first Black female dancer in the show’s 27-year history.
Dillon has become a mainstay dancing star in the East Tennessee show which celebrates country music’s legendary artists and shines the light on today’s top stage performers. Dillon, 22, is a dynamic performer in a 1,500-seat, multi-million dollar theatre where she can showcase all the skills she began to master as a youngster in Warren County.
It was in those early years when Dillon knew she wanted to perform, but even in her wildest dreams, she probably didn’t think she would make history with her dazzling array of skills and commanding stage presence.
“I said, ‘No way. It’s 2024 – What do you mean?’” recalled Dillon, who recently graduated from MTSU with a major in dance, asking why many said her casting was historical. “I went to the stage manager and they said, ‘Yep. You’re the first.’ I knew then it was big and I wanted to do something with it. I wanted to share the great news and let people know just because nobody like you has been there before doesn’t mean you can’t be the first.”
Dillon made her historic debut March 28 and will be reprising her role as one of Country Tonite’s vibrant and energetic dancers throughout 2024. Making history was a tremendous honor for Dillon, although it wasn’t something she even realized was happening when she took the stage. Once she found out, she seized at the chance to break barriers and inspire future generations of dancers from diverse backgrounds.
“I’m not one to be scared of being the first to do something. You never know the why – Is it fear? Is it racial? – but I just walked in and wanted to see for myself,” said Dillon, a 2019 graduate of WCHS who was a Pioneerette and a member of Paula’s Dance Academy. “It can be scary to be the first, but I went in blind with an open heart and open arms. I’m always going to tell people to go for it. Don’t let fear or lack of diversity scare you from not going. You can help pave the way and change it.”
Being an instant role model for scores of aspiring dancers has been a blessing for Dillon, but just getting her name called brought tons of satisfaction after trying out. It was no small task considering the talent assembled during casting for a show repeatedly voted, “Best in the Smokies.” Up to 100 performers can be up for parts and Dillon was one of just four female dancers cast in 2024.
“With dance, you have to go and audition anywhere and everywhere. Maybe one in 10 are a yes. Typically, you don’t get the call back. Hearing a ‘yes’ was pretty big,” said Dillon about the process of earning the part.
Being back in front of the curtain appealed to Dillon, but she’s equally up to the task behind the scenes. She’s served as a choreographer for years, including helping in local productions for the Dream Reality Group. She also spent the last three years teaching at Journey’s Movement and Dance, a studio in downtown McMinnville, and had jobs in studios in Nashville and Smyrna.
Dancing is truly Dillon’s passion and life’s work.
“As long as I’m dancing, everything is OK. I started when I was 4, but was asking my mom to start when I was 2. I’ve always known I wanted to dance and I love to perform,” said Dillon.
While Dillon encourages all her adoring fans to make the trip to the Smokies to see the show, she can offer a few spoilers as a sneak peek. Expect to see plenty of the local all night, but particularly when the country crossover section begins. She has a scene-stealing duet to Faith Hill’s “Let’s Go to Vegas,” and also ascends to a top platform when “Devil Went Down to Georgia,” (her favorite song on the set list) begins.
Dillon will be with the show through Dec. 31 (seasonal Christmas shows begin in November), so there will be plenty more opportunities to see her talent shine on the stage. She’s already been visited by several locals and the fans have been her favorite part of the show so far.
“Knowing I have their support means the world to me. I love kids and seeing my former students come to my show is great motivation to keep going and to never settle for less,” said Dillon. “Maybe they’ll want to be dancers in the future or maybe they’ll pursue their dream in something else, but either way, perhaps they’ll learn something from my class or my journey and know they can do it because Jasmine did it.”
Jasmine definitely did something special. And it may be only the beginning of her stardom.
