Oche (he/they), also known as Jaden, began their dance journey later in life. Growing up, Oche always had an interest in dance, but came from a household that saw it as a “girl thing.” Most of their childhood was spent on soccer fields, and while they were good at it, they knew it wasn’t their true passion. Oche would watch dance videos alone, trying to learn moves on their own. At 15, they joined their high school’s cheer team in secret, and that experience sparked a deeper love for dance. Since then, Oche has been a cheerleader for 6 years and has taught jumps and cheer-style dance at multiple gyms for about 3 years. Though they’ve loved cheer and the opportunities it provided, Oche wanted to broaden their craft, so they began training in Jazz-Funk over a year ago. This journey has led them to substitute K-pop and Jazz-Funk classes, where they found a love for teaching. When Oche isn’t dancing, they’re a full-time student pursuing a Master’s in Design. Fun fact: Oche is hard of hearing, culturally Deaf, and fluent in both sign language and English, with a passion for making dance accessible to the Deaf community. Follow @_oche13 on Instagram for teaching updates and to catch some of their dance videos and covers!