Jenna Dewan: From Backup Dancer To Hollywood Star And TV Favorite
Discover the inspiring journey of Jenna Dewan, who rose from dancing with music icons to starring in hit films like Step Up and popular shows like The Rookie and Supergirl.
Jul 29, 20258.6K Shares227K Views
Jenna Dewanis a name that draws in fans of dance and movies right away. Her rise began as a backup dancer for famous artists like Janet Jackson, Missy Elliott, and Christina Aguilera. She became widely known for her lead role in the dance film Step Up(2006), where she played Nora Clark alongside Channing Tatum. Since then, Jenna has appeared in many TV shows including Witches of East End, Supergirl, The Resident, and The Rookie. She has also hosted hit dance shows like World of Danceand Flirty Dancing.
Early Life
Jenna Dewan was born on December 3, 1980, in Hartford, Connecticut. Her parents are Nancy Smith (née Bursch) and Darryll Dewan, who played football for Notre Dame. Her father has Lebanese and Polish roots, and her mother has German, English, and Cornish ancestry. Jenna’s family moved often when she was young, she lived in seven different cities before starting seventh grade. She went to Notre Dame Preparatory School in Maryland and was a cheerleader there. Later, she transferred to Grapevine High School in Texas, where she also cheered and was voted prom queen in her final year. After high school, she attended the University of Southern California and joined the Pi Beta Phi sorority.
Career
Jenna Dewan began her journey as a backup dancer for top artists like Janet Jackson, Missy Elliott, Christina Aguilera, and Pink. She appeared in music videos and dance tours before stepping into acting.
Her breakthrough came in 2006 when she starred as Nora Clark in the hit dance film Step Up. The movie became a big success at the box office and made her widely known.
After Step Up, she acted in other films such as Take the Lead, The Grudge 2, 10 Years, and American Virgin. She moved into television with guest roles in series like The Playboy Cluband American Horror Story: Asylum.
Jenna had larger TV roles in shows such as Witches of East End, Supergirl(as Lucy Lane), Soundtrackon Netflix, The Resident, and most recently The Rookie, where she plays a firefighter named Bailey.
She also worked as a host and judge on dance shows. She led the first two seasons of World of Danceand hosted Flirty Dancing. She judged on Come Dance with Me.
Behind the scenes, Jenna co‑founded the production company 33andOut Productions (later Everheart Productions) with Channing Tatum. She has worked as a producer on films and shows, showing her talent beyond dancing and acting
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