Jared Grimes is an American dancer. He was born on June 26, 1983 in Queens, New York and began dancing at the age of three. At the age of eighteen, he appeared with the Young Hoofers in their production of “21 and Under”. Five years later, he was rehearsing dancers at the Marymount Manhattan College, for his monthly show, “Broadway Underground”. By the age of twenty-three, he had taught jazz-tap and hip-hop at the Broadway Dance Center, toured with some of the country’s top stars, and formed the dance group, TADAH. Regarded by his peers as one of the most versatile and innovative artists of his generation, he has made appearances on both stage and screen, including the South Korean film, “Swing Kids” (2018).

Jared Grimes

A year into the Korean War, South Korea’s Geoje Island has become home to an American-run prison camp, housing everyone from tap dancing officers to rebellious North Korean soldiers. When the commanding officer of the camp orders Sergeant Jackson (Jared Grimes) to form a dance troupe and prepare a Christmas production meant to wow the international media and improve the U.S. Army’s public image, the one-time dancer doesn’t even know where to start. Setting up a camp-wide audition, Jackson begins screening talent, but the task isn’t easy.

Finding a handful of rare gems in an otherwise bleak world, Jackson recruits a motley assortment of prisoners, including Xiao Pang (Kim Min Ho), a shy Chinese soldier whose timid demeanor hides some slick moves; Kang Byung Sam (Oh Jung Se), a South Korean prisoner falsely accused of being a Communist sympathizer, who hopes the exposure of the troupe will help him find his missing wife; Yang Pan Rae (Park Hye Soo), a civilian who uses her dancing skills to make money for her family; and Ro Ki Soo (D.O.), a North Korean soldier with a hidden penchant for dancing. As unlikely as it sounds, this rag-tag team comes together to make something truly beautiful; but war is an ugly thing and its oppressive weight is ever-present.

Loyalties will be tested and hearts will rend as this close-knit group of dancers tries to overcome the never-ending string of obstacles that come with living as prisoners of war.

Based on the musical “Roh Ki Soo”, “Swing Kids” is a 2018 musical drama film directed by Kang Hyeong Cheol.

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