Alexa Baksay
My name is Alexa Baksay and I have known Jocelyn Schmidt since I was a little girl. When we met I was an energetic gymnast who wanted to try something new. Jocelyn introduced me to ballet which became my new passion. With Jocelyn’s help and encouragement I decided to move to Seattle and train at Pacific Northwest Ballet. After three years PNB closed due to Covid and I was forced to move back home. I felt like the world was crumbling and my ballet career was over. My mom contacted Jocelyn and asked if she would be willing to work one-on-one with me to help me stay in shape and train me. I was very nervous before our first session since it had been several years since Jocelyn and I worked together, but the moment I walked in Jocelyn fully welcomed me and put my fears at ease. For the next three months Jocelyn and I worked one on one, training harder than I did for three years at PNB. Jocelyn not only helped by ballet technique but also my mental and physical strength. We worked relentlessly doing floor barre and other strengthening exercises to build muscle in my body (Even my big toe!) She also helped me tremendously with the mental aspect of dance. She taught me to slow down and envision a happy place before performing along with other tricks and tips she learned while pursuing he career on Broadway. I will forever be thankful for all the hours I spent with Jocelyn in the studio. She truly is an inspiration. I would recommend Jocelyn to anyone wanting to become a stronger ballet dancer. She is passionate about the art form. She combines her classical dance background with her musical theater career and knowledge of the human body from massage to create a work environment perfect for a young dancer. She knows how to develop a dancer in a way to make them ready for the real world and the stage. She makes hours of hard work and training , fun and exciting while pushing you to new levels. She has a passion and enthusiasm for teaching like no other. When Jocelyn walks into the studio you can feel her joy and excitement not only for dance, but for life. Overall Jocelyn Schmidt is one of the best , most passionate teachers you can find and I would highly recommend training with her. It will change your world forever in the best way possible.
photo credit: Ann Mikael Photography
Zymri Anderson
“Jocelyn takes your audition game from a 4 to a 10.
I’ve taken acting classes, read books on auditioning and acting method, watched online classes, participated in community theatre, but still with every show I felt as though I could have landed a different role if I had just been able to show them what I was actually capable of in that daunting audition room.
Enter Jocelyn Schmidt.
One evening I saw a spectacular show in which Jocelyn had coached the actor who landed the leading role. I had been an admirer of hers since I started acting, so being trained by her sounded like a dream come true. I had a major audition coming up, so I decided to contact her and we scheduled my first lesson, and to this day I am so glad I did.
I figured with her experience and training, lessons would probably tote a hefty price tag. My budget wasn’t extensive, but I was willing to pay it. Not only was her price much less than I expected, but she was more than generous with time each lesson. What stood out to me the most was her patience, how she was so humble for her many impressive credits yet confident in the knowledge they provided her with and that she actually took away the fear and made auditioning exciting and fun.
I could gush so much about what I learned; how to walk into the audition room with an air of calm confidence, how to use the space, how to hit that emotional climax over and over… when the big audition finally came, I felt more ready than I have ever felt in my life. I was still shaking, but I had this sort of deep confidence inside me that I was fully prepared and wouldn’t fail.
It was the best audition I had ever given, and I ended up getting callbacks for not one, but five different shows. I always thought auditions were exciting, but now I thoroughly enjoy them and I greatly have Jocelyn to thank for that."
Brianna Gowland
“Jocelyn pushed me to a new level of acting. In just a few lessons, she taught me to make informed, story-driven acting choices in my monologues and musical theatre pieces. She prepared me for an audition and I landed the role! I’ve learned techniques and tools that I can take with me into the future, and I can walk into an audition room with confidence instead of anxiety. Jocelyn is a spectacular coach that I would recommend to anyone who is serious about wanting to perform. She is brilliant!”
Brooke Eldridge
"Jocelyn has always been a great mentor through my journey as a performer. Her high-energy encouragement and keen eye for technique give me the tools I need to walk into any audition room with confidence."