From Yeovil to LA - and dancing with Mariah Carey

A dancer and choreographer who has worked with stars including Mariah Carey and Ariana Grande, credits his Somerset upbringing with setting him on his career path.

Alex Jackson - aka Alex the Lion - was born in the US, but grew up in Yeovil, Somerset. He spent many years working in Los Angeles before returning to his hometown from where he is pursuing a role on London's West End.

He said working with people like pop diva Carey has furnished him with a lifetime of stories.

"When I was working for Mariah Carey, I was invited to her house to practice. We go into this incredibly grand mansion in Beverly Hills, and the only music that's playing is her music," recalled Jackson.

Born in Georgia, Jackson moved to Yeovil with his mother at the age of one.

"I found out what I wanted to do here - my career path," he said.

"It's been a rollercoaster of an adventure since then."

Jackson has worked with Mariah Carrey, Doechii, Ariana Grande, Kylie Minogue, and Rihanna.

"I was really lucky with the era I grew up in - it was inspiring. I didn't have a phone so when the music channel was on, I was glued to the TV."

He said he got to where he is today by taking "baby steps" after graduating from a professional dance college in London.

"I started dancing quite late," he explained. "I started at 12, most people start at six.

But he added: "I don't think it's ever too late to start anything."

"In my third year, there was an audition for Rihanna at the Brit Awards. I didn't think I'd get it.

"I stood queued up in a line around the block, like an X-factor audition."

Later that night, he got the call - he was in the show.

He subsequently moved to Los Angeles to pursue his dancing and choreographer career in Hollywood.

"If I want to make these connections, I have to be at the parties, with the right people," he told himself.

Six years on, and now back in the UK, he says he would still "love to work with Beyoncé".

But he is never likely to be short of stories about his life in La La land.

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