In this episode of Stage Dive, Jack closes out Season 4 with Mika Hell. They dive deep into navigating self judgement, the process of trusting yourself and your growth, and of course respecting fire as an art form.

ABOUT MIKA HELL

Fire Performer, Flow Artist, Content Creator, Dedicated Teacher and Lover of Mankind

@mikahell42

ABOUT JACK DAWKINS

Jack Dawkins is a storyteller, a rapper, and a poet. He also cooks good food and runs really far. His use of the English language has been compared to Michael Phelps’ performance on Saturday Night Live: Wildly entertaining for none of the reasons you would expect. He is, at his core, and in his music, deeply human, and a lover of excessive comma use. Most importantly, he loves you.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://jackdawkinsraps.com/linktree/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

ABOUT STAGE DIVE

“The stories behind your favorite artists. Stage Dive sheds light on the beautiful and precarious process of creating and sharing art with the world.”

🤔 Thoughtful Questions

🥹 Vulnerable Answers

🤓 Much Nerding

Music: https://open.spotify.com/track/5TMLeqJiL2WMPoAcWKhGZz?si=4e6748ab641b46bc

SHOW NOTES

0:00 Intro

1:33 First Tattoo & Upasana

9:48 Starting From The Beginning

15:41 Self Judgement

21:46 Social Media

26:26 Trusting the Process of Growth

35:50 The Many Names of Flow Arts & Dragon Staff

43:47 Adding Fire & Intensity

50:00 Balancing Energy & Giving Advice

In this episode of Stage Dive, Jack speaks with Mel Wheeler, a mom of four who followed her interests and learned how to hula hoop. Through social media, she learned the skills and took to performing, including over 30 hoops at once, hooping with fire, and hooping on her bottom!

ABOUT MEL WHEELER

Lightning speed meets creative flow and freakishly impressive tricks, Mel Wheeler takes Hula Hooping to the extreme! Her style combines ninja-like movement with some of the most intricate and difficult tricks around.

Her Hula Hoop videos have gone viral around the world, with features on People Are Awesome, Daily Mail, Australia’s Got Talent, RTM and Power of Positivity to name a few. Her Hula Hooping bottom has been turned into a Mexican Meme and she once lost half a butt cheek after being wiped out by a gigantic wave while hula hooping on a cliff face. A mother of 4 and an Arts Teacher by trade, she is passionate about sharing the magic of hula hooping and inspiring creative play with everyone she meets.

https://www.instagram.com/melwheeler/?hl=en

https://www.facebook.com/MelwheelerHoopArtist/

https://www.tiktok.com/@melwheeler_hoops

ABOUT JACK DAWKINS

Jack Dawkins is a storyteller, a rapper, and a poet. He also cooks good food and runs really far. His use of the English language has been compared to Michael Phelps’ performance on Saturday Night Live: Wildly entertaining for none of the reasons you would expect. He is, at his core, and in his music, deeply human, and a lover of excessive comma use. Most importantly, he loves you.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://jackdawkinsraps.com/linktree/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

ABOUT STAGE DIVE

“The stories behind your favorite artists. Stage Dive sheds light on the beautiful and precarious process of creating and sharing art with the world.”

🤔 Thoughtful Questions

🥹 Vulnerable Answers

🤓 Much Nerding

Music: https://open.spotify.com/track/5TMLeqJiL2WMPoAcWKhGZz?si=4e6748ab641b46bc

SHOW NOTES

0:00 Intro

1:28 Shark Obsession & Hula Hopping

7:49 Finding the Time to Practice and Perform

13:39 The Perfect Hula Hoop & Various Styles

24:49 Social Media

30:33 LED Hoops, Tech, and Music

35:51 Fire Hooping & Bottom Hooping

In this episode of Stage Dive, Jack speaks with Cindy Arena, a comic who started her craft in her late 50s. Together, they discuss her unique life experience growing up in the porn industry, how she got started, and their favorite comedians.

ABOUT CINDY ARENA

Coming from the perspective of a degenerate boomer (also her podcasts name) Cindy’s comedy draws on her childhood with a family in the adult entertainment business, and life as the mom of two dumb millennials.

https://www.facebook.com/cindyarenacomedy http://www.instagram.com/cindyarenacomedy https://www.tiktok.com/@cindyarena?_t=8VAK7z2wN9n&_r=1

ABOUT JACK DAWKINS

Jack Dawkins is a storyteller, a rapper, and a poet. He also cooks good food and runs really far. His use of the English language has been compared to Michael Phelps’ performance on Saturday Night Live: Wildly entertaining for none of the reasons you would expect. He is, at his core, and in his music, deeply human, and a lover of excessive comma use. Most importantly, he loves you.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://jackdawkinsraps.com/linktree/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

ABOUT STAGE DIVE

“The stories behind your favorite artists. Stage Dive sheds light on the beautiful and precarious process of creating and sharing art with the world.”

🤔 Thoughtful Questions

🥹 Vulnerable Answers

🤓 Much Nerding

Music: https://open.spotify.com/track/5TMLeqJiL2WMPoAcWKhGZz?si=4e6748ab641b46bc

SHOW NOTES

0:00 Intro

1:19 Starting Comedy Later in Life & Impressive Comedians

5:39 Deciding To Be A Comedian

14:54 Growing Up in the Porn Industry & Telling A Story

23:28 Captivating on Stage & Venue Preferences

33:47 Areas of Growth

39:43 Favorite Comedians & Cindy’s People

51:20 The Best Advice Cindy Got & Dream Scenario

In this episode of Stage Dive, Jack speaks with Victor Adeniran, a dancer, aerialist, and all around artist. They dive into the subjectivity of art, spirituality, finding what you need, and Victor's poems on love.

ABOUT VICTOR ADENIRAN

Victor Adeniran was born in Denver, Colorado but moved to Nigeria with his parents soon after, where he would spend the next 17 years. While living for almost two decades in Nigeria, he fell in love with various forms of art — but the intersections of dance, emoting through movement, painting, sketching, and drawing held his attention the most. After moving back to the U.S., he served in the United States Marine Corps for over 13 years, where he visited a laundry list of countries that ultimately inspired, informed, and enhanced his creativity. Upon returning to Denver after his time in the military, Adeniran performed and continued to enhance his skills and knowledge with MOTH Poetic Circus, now MOTH live entertainment, where his aerial skills began, developed, and grew.

Victor moved to San Diego, California, where he has toured with Werk the World (RuPaul’s drag race touring show) through Europe and North America. Violet Chachkis a little more me, Night of the Living Drag, etc. He is thrilled to bring you his performance, joy, and love for the arts through Alice in Wonderland by MOTH live entertainment.

@victorinsandiego @artsby_victor

ABOUT JACK DAWKINS

Jack Dawkins is a storyteller, a rapper, and a poet. He also cooks good food and runs really far. His use of the English language has been compared to Michael Phelps’ performance on Saturday Night Live: Wildly entertaining for none of the reasons you would expect. He is, at his core, and in his music, deeply human, and a lover of excessive comma use. Most importantly, he loves you.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://jackdawkinsraps.com/linktree/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

ABOUT STAGE DIVE

“The stories behind your favorite artists. Stage Dive sheds light on the beautiful and precarious process of creating and sharing art with the world.”

🤔 Thoughtful Questions

🥹 Vulnerable Answers

🤓 Much Nerding

Music: https://open.spotify.com/track/5TMLeqJiL2WMPoAcWKhGZz?si=4e6748ab641b46bc

SHOW NOTES

0:00 Intro

1:26 Competition and Sprinting

5:28 Masculine Marine and Feminine Dancer Energy

9:45 Emotional Intelligence & Individualism

14:53 Community of Dance & Subjectivity

24:49 Spirituality and Learning

33:10 Victor’s Own Show with Poetry & Love

42:14 Emotion and Finding What You Need

49:23 Thoughts On Teaching & Advice

In this episode of Stage Dive, Jack speaks with Katy Williams, puppeteer extraordinaire. She opens the world of puppetry, the possibilities and the applications of puppetry in film and theater, and her work in the artform.

ABOUT KATY WILLIAMS

Katy Williams Design is a Colorado based company that specializes in building and teaching puppets, props, and makeup design. Katy’s mission is to spread the joy and accessibility of puppetry, and she has been extremely influential in implementing puppetry in theaters all over Colorado. Katy is also responsible for starting the Rocky Mountain Puppet Slam in March 2018, successfully producing three slams a year. She recently produced and acted as Festival Director for the third time for a new Children’s festival, Puppet Palooza.

This Winter catch her puppets in “The Little Prince” at TheatreWorks. Katy decided to take the plunge, quit her job, and become a full time freelance puppeteer in 2022. She would like to acknowledge the enormous support from her friends and family as they help her navigate all her amazing and time-consuming projects!

See more of Katy’s work at www.katywilliamsdesign.com

Facebook: Katy Williams Design

Instagram: Katy.Williams.Design

ABOUT JACK DAWKINS

Jack Dawkins is a storyteller, a rapper, and a poet. He also cooks good food and runs really far. His use of the English language has been compared to Michael Phelps’ performance on Saturday Night Live: Wildly entertaining for none of the reasons you would expect. He is, at his core, and in his music, deeply human, and a lover of excessive comma use. Most importantly, he loves you.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://jackdawkinsraps.com/linktree/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

ABOUT STAGE DIVE

“The stories behind your favorite artists. Stage Dive sheds light on the beautiful and precarious process of creating and sharing art with the world.”

🤔 Thoughtful Questions

🥹 Vulnerable Answers

🤓 Much Nerding

Music: https://open.spotify.com/track/5TMLeqJiL2WMPoAcWKhGZz?si=4e6748ab641b46bc

SHOW NOTES

0:00 Intro

1:26 Puppy Talk & Colorado Native

7:27 The Mixologist of Puppetry & Applications for Puppets

19:37 A Passion for Theater & Finding Puppetry

32:06 Fabricating, Directing, and Puppetry Slams

39:52 Shadow Puppets & The Potential of Puppetry

48:43 Details of Fabrication & Business Growth

In this episode of Stage Dive, Jack speaks with Abby Ballin, a comedian based in South Florida. They discuss the pros and cons of therapy, the process of creating jokes and characters, as well as the line of embellishment when it comes to telling stories on stage.

ABOUT ABBY BALLIN

Just another unfunny female with the audacity to try and make people laugh. NYC born & raised this funny gal moved her trashy derrière to south Florida where she fit right in!

https://www.instagram.com/aballincomedy/

https://www.aballincomedy.com/

https://m.facebook.com/abby.ballin

ABOUT JACK DAWKINS

Jack Dawkins is a storyteller, a rapper, and a poet. He also cooks good food and runs really far. His use of the English language has been compared to Michael Phelps’ performance on Saturday Night Live: Wildly entertaining for none of the reasons you would expect. He is, at his core, and in his music, deeply human, and a lover of excessive comma use. Most importantly, he loves you.

⁠⁠⁠⁠https://jackdawkinsraps.com/linktree/⁠⁠⁠⁠

ABOUT STAGE DIVE

“The stories behind your favorite artists. Stage Dive sheds light on the beautiful and precarious process of creating and sharing art with the world.”

🤔 Thoughtful Questions

🥹 Vulnerable Answers

🤓 Much Nerding

Music: https://open.spotify.com/track/5TMLeqJiL2WMPoAcWKhGZz?si=4e6748ab641b46bc

SHOW NOTES

0:00 Intro

1:23 COVID in South Florida

9:08 Awareness and Inquiry and Therapy

16:38 Comedy Today & Crafting Material

24:33 The Line of Embellishment & Phases of Growth

30:38 New Characters and Comedy

36:34 Set Length, Crowd Work, and Joke Structure

43:38 Work vs. Play & Women in Comedy

52:54 Building & Drugs

In this episode of Stage Dive, Jack speaks with Mitch DuBois about the magic of following your interests. They discuss how he signed a contract for Disney without having performed a Cyr wheel act on stage, the early days of TikTok fame and social media, and following your inner compass.

ABOUT MITCHELL DUBOIS

Mitch is an acrobat and performer from Michigan. Specializing in trampwall and trampoline, he played team sports throughout his childhood before transitioning full time to acrobatics at 19. He discovered trampwall in 2020 when he moved to California to live in a commune of acrobats now known as Junktramp during the covid pandemic. Using his film school education, he helped the group leverage social media as their primary source of income to survive the pandemic. Along the way, they helped Mitch learn about trampwall and the circus industry as a whole, which led to him starting his own performing journey.

IG: @duballs

ABOUT JACK DAWKINS

Jack Dawkins is a storyteller, a rapper, and a poet. He also cooks good food and runs really far. His use of the English language has been compared to Michael Phelps’ performance on Saturday Night Live: Wildly entertaining for none of the reasons you would expect. He is, at his core, and in his music, deeply human, and a lover of excessive comma use. Most importantly, he loves you.

⁠⁠⁠https://jackdawkinsraps.com/linktree/⁠⁠⁠

ABOUT STAGE DIVE

“The stories behind your favorite artists. Stage Dive sheds light on the beautiful and precarious process of creating and sharing art with the world.”

🤔 Thoughtful Questions

🥹 Vulnerable Answers

🤓 Much Nerding

Music: https://open.spotify.com/track/5TMLeqJiL2WMPoAcWKhGZz?si=4e6748ab641b46bc

SHOW NOTES

0:00 Intro

1:28 Albany, Georgia & Working for Disney

3:29 Culture Shock & Systems

11:40 Trampoline and Communal Living

18:17 Relationship to Social Media

28:01 Creating to Producing

32:52 Traveling & Hitchhiking

41:10 Energy & Inner Compass

50:55 Advice for Gaining a Mentor & Acrobatics Industry

In this episode of Stage Dive, Jack speaks with Tara Frase, part of the entertainment industry in central Florida. Together, they cover Tara's Virgo energy, finding balance in life, why Florida should be known as an entertainment industry hub, and how she become an efficient actress!

ABOUT TARA FRASE

Tara has been active in different elements of the Entertainment Industry for over 10 years. Since graduating with her BFA in Theatre from FAU, she has performed with the Walt Disney Company, Universal Orlando Resort, and other renowned teams in the central Florida region. She is currently seeking representation for her film and television career!

Tarafrase.com

Instagram: @tarafrase

ABOUT JACK DAWKINS

Jack Dawkins is a storyteller, a rapper, and a poet. He also cooks good food and runs really far. His use of the English language has been compared to Michael Phelps’ performance on Saturday Night Live: Wildly entertaining for none of the reasons you would expect. He is, at his core, and in his music, deeply human, and a lover of excessive comma use. Most importantly, he loves you.

⁠https://jackdawkinsraps.com/linktree/⁠

ABOUT STAGE DIVE

“The stories behind your favorite artists. Stage Dive sheds light on the beautiful and precarious process of creating and sharing art with the world.”

🤔 Thoughtful Questions

🥹 Vulnerable Answers

🤓 Much Nerding

Music: https://open.spotify.com/track/5TMLeqJiL2WMPoAcWKhGZz?si=4e6748ab641b46bc

SHOW NOTES

0:00 Intro

1:17 Disney Halloween Show Cast & Virgo Energy

10:03 Balance, Money, & Film

21:21 Florida Entertainment Community & The First Spark of Performing

33:05 Scheduling and Consistency

40:54 Efficiency in Acting & Memorization Advice

52:14 Emotional Clearing & Short Film Project