Biography

Jasper Sanchez, also known as JasperDances, is from San Jose, California. He is 27 years old and began dancing in 2009 with break dancing, inspired by the 2004 dance film “You Got Served.” In 2009, he started attending a high school that had a hip-hop club established and joined the club to start his dance journey. He was taught the beauty of sharing dance passion and knowledge by older, more experienced break dancers. It wasn’t until the summer of 2015 that Jasper discovered shuffling through EDM events. He initially was more familiar with break dancing, but found shuffling to be a euphoric dance style that was well-suited to EDM music and could be performed for extended periods of time with proper pacing and preparation. Over the last seven years, Jasper has attended countless EDM festivals and has met many individuals and communities through shuffling.

He is endlessly grateful for the experiences and connections that shuffling has brought him. He has also dabbled in tutting, popping, and waving, and has performed in a contemporary piece that incorporated shuffling and tutting. Since he began dancing, Jasper has always wanted to entertain and inspire others to dance and he has been blessed to do so through many different opportunities. Part of his goal is to share the knowledge and passion he has for dance with others. He teaches shuffling and break dancing and emphasizes that shuffling is a good alternative to other cardio exercises and can serve as a great outlet for those who connect with the dance style.

“I can usually shuffle to most variations of House, Trance, & Techno. But I started shuffling to House music. And I really enjoyed dancing to stuff like Disco House, Tech House, & Bass House. However, these days I try to venture out with all the styles of EDM equally because I enjoy them all & I really want to be able to adapt my dance style to any of those vibes. And I love to encourage others to do the same. After all, versatility is my favorite weapon on the dance floor. I’m proud to say these days I can thoroughly enjoy any good event whether they’re mainly playing House, Trance, or Techno”

The first festival that was memorable for Jasper was EDC in Las Vegas. He took a solo road trip from San Jose to Las Vegas for his first EDC in 2017 because he needed a break from his corporate lifestyle to recharge. He bought his ticket a week before the event because the theme was welcoming. The festival’s catchphrase was “All Are Welcome Here” and this thought it would be a good opportunity to see if he could meet other dancers and connect with them. Jasper was fortunate to meet countless dancers at that festival. Since then he has become more knowledgeable about EDM events and has improved his ability to interact with other dancers at events.

Jasper is grateful to have observed the shuffle scene and community developing exponentially over the years. There are now countless events throughout the year where shufflers all over the world can meet and interact on the dance floor in person. Additionally, the level of professionalism in the display of shuffling has increased significantly over recent years, thanks to the hard work of many individuals and organizations. He believes that the community should be proud of how far they have taken shuffling, but it’s important to keep in mind that the possibilities are endless. The UFO Shufflers Vision is to spread the dance worldwide and to create a platform that showcases shuffling at its best by bringing together musicians and dancers to share their love and passion for the art. Jasper joined UFO Shufflers because he agrees with their vision for the future of shuffling and believes that the community can accomplish anything they care to achieve with hard work.