Jai

.. "God has placed me on this earth for a specific purpose, and that purpose I will fulfill to the best of my ability."This quote is one of the driving forces behind Jai’s philosophy of fulfilling God’s will and purpose through impacting and touching the lives of others through the art form of dance.Dance has always been the fountainhead of Jai’s life, from the early beginnings of watching her mom instruct thousands of students over the years to performing in front of numerous audiences, to eventually mentoring youth about the Arts. By being surrounded by the world of dance all of her life, Jai has had the opportunity to experience all genres of dance ranging from the technical and classical movements of Ballet to the intense, electrifying dance of Hip Hop.At the age of twenty-six, Jai has accomplished a remarkable amount of success. She is the Artistic Director of her family’s dance and performing arts center, McClendon School of Dance, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary making it one of Atlanta’s oldest and most prestigious dance schools. While teaching with a personal touch, which is the McClendon School of Dance trademark, Jai has had the opportunity to direct and instruct students both young and old in Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Praise & Worship (liturgical), Hip Hop and Modern dance. Not limiting her talents to just the McClendon School of Dance, Jai has also provided dance instruction and choreography around metropolitan Atlanta and throughout the United States. She has provided choreography for The Atlanta Hawks dance team; the ‘Dave Hollister’ (recording artist) tour; Musical Stage Play: Soul Kittens Cabaret, written and directed by Nicci Gilbert of the legendary R&B group ‘Brownstone’; the 2003 NBA All-Star Game activities; the Atlanta and DeKalb County’s school systems, to name a few.Jai is also a dynamic, professional dancer that has invigorated and impacted audiences around the world. Utilizing her God-given ability for dance and performing, Jai has performed for the Atlanta Ballet’s The Nutcracker and Midsummer “Nights Dream”, 1996 Olympic Opening & Closing Ceremonies, Ballethnic Dance Company’s “Urban Nutcracker”, NFL Super Bowl XXXIV Half-Time Show, Dallas Black Dance Theatres “Porgy & Bess”, NAACP Image Awards, Roy Jones, Jr. HBO Boxing Special, and The Hennessy Privilege Artist Tour, and featured in a commercial for Hyundai Automotive.A 2001 magna cum laude graduate of Clark Atlanta University with a BS in Business Administration/ Marketing, Jai attended CAU on a full honors institutional scholarship and was crowned 1st attendant to Miss CAU for the 2000-2001 year. While at CAU, Jai had the opportunity to provide choreography for the Annual Coronations, pageants, and for the CAU Football & Basketball Dance Teams.Presently, Jai is a signed Choreographer, Dancer and Model with The bloc Agency, a premier and world-renowned Talent Agency representing some of the most sought after talent in the US. She is also the Auxiliary Choreographer for her high school alma mater, B.E. Mays High School, and an Dancercise instructor for Kaiser Permanente Medical Group throughout Georgia.Understanding the importance of giving back to the community, Jai is active with the KTM Performing Arts Foundation, a non-profit organization founded in tribute of the legacy of her older sister Keisha Toi McClendon, who was killed in a car accident. A ‘Whirling Evolution of Inspiration' is the description that depicts the source of vision and energy of the KTM Performing Arts Foundation, its focus is to: inspire children and young adults to use their God given talents to the utmost of their abilities; mold future leaders and achievers to position themselves as pioneers in the 21st century; challenge and motivate these future leaders to persevere until they attain their goals.