Zack Jot

Photo Credit: David Bortnick

If you’ve been keeping up with trends on TikTok at all in the last few weeks, chances are that you know Zack Jot (@zockjat). The dancing sensation blew up this past May after just one post. He brings a refreshing enthusiasm and energy to every dance he makes, inspiring one of the most popular dances in recent TikTok history: his choreography to Lily Allen’s “Smile”. His first video currently has 2.9 million views, and almost every subsequent post has even more! Since his first post in May, he’s gained 1.1 million followers and 15.1 million overall likes. More important than that, he has become an unforgettable staple of the TikTok dance community. We recently spoke with Zack about his expectations when he first joined the app, his personal life, and more!

Tell us a little about yourself.

I’m a dancer and dance teacher from Santa Cruz California, which you may know from the surf world, the boardwalk or those red dot hoodies. When I was 6 years old I saw the movie Happy Feet, and loved it so much that my mom signed me up for both a tap class and a hip hop class. I I haven’t stopped dancing since! Around the time I turned 11 I choreographed and taught my first hip hop combination, which marked the start of my long-time love of choreography.

Did you have any specific plans or ideas when you joined TikTok? 

Honestly not at all. I was pretty hesitant to join at first, but as all my friends started making accounts and posting videos, I finally decided to give it a try. When I posted my first video it was really just because I was goofing around listening to the song (Fidelity - Regina Spektor) and decided on a whim to film a tiktok to it. Although I was hopeful I could get some exposure because it would help with my dance goals, I really only expected my friends to see it, so I was pleasantly surprised by the response that video got.

Your most popular for your take in the “The Smile Dance Challenge”, which has now reached over 39 million views. What was it like getting this kind of feedback? 

The whole Smile Challenge experience was so insanely surreal. I never in my life expected to be seen by so many people, and the fact that people liked it so much really leaves me speechless. When I first filmed it, it was pretty spur of the moment: I had just rediscovered Lily Allen’s song going through old playlists from when I was a kid a few days before, so I decided I wanted to post a tiktok to it. I thought to myself “why not choreograph a little challenge and see if it takes off?” 10 minutes later the video was posted. The challenge has some pretty personal weight for me as well. Being someone who loves to choreograph and teach my own dances, my dream has always been to teach big classes on dance conventions and stuff like that. After watching so many people doing my dance, the Smile Challenge started to feel like a gigantic class– bigger than anything I’d ever imagined– so it was sort of exactly what I’ve always wanted to do, but on steroids. The challenge was fulfilling dreams I didn’t even know I had. That feeling, combined with the fact that I saw dancers I’d looked up to for years prior doing my dance, Lily Allen seeing it, and the general positivity I was receiving for the video… it left me so overwhelmingly amazed and grateful that I didn’t know what to do with myself.

Which dancers or fellow TikTokers would you partner with in a dream collab?

Oooh tough question. For dancers, I would have to say Marlee Hightower, she’s been a huge inspiration and role model to me as a dancer for a long time and a few months ago I got to talk to her for the first time! She has such incredible technique and movement quality, and her creativity and style really motivates me to do my own thing unapologetically. When it comes to fellow TikTokers, I’d have to say my day 1 supporter @schoollunchtray, dancer @syeraplitt, the iconic @goopie and, although it might seem unexpected, @wisdm8 . That man is infinitely cool and he really knows how to put a fit together, it would be awesome to see what a collab with him would look like. 

Where do you draw inspiration from when making your videos?

First and foremost I would say hip hop culture, because practically everything I know is built off what I was taught in my 12 years of hip hop classes and conventions. Although I definitely put my own twist on the moves I do and add my personal flavor, I’m always pulling from the foundational hip hop technique and culture I’ve studied, whether consciously or unconsciously. Along with that is of course the music I listen to. All the moves I use in my choreography and freestyles is whatever feels most natural to me given the groove and sound of the music.

How has your recent TikTok success changed your life?

Wow, I mean, quite a lot. I sort of went from floating around in my post-graduation quarantine summer to self-employed in a matter of weeks, which was a shocker, but definitely a welcome one! I’ve also had a few people recognize me in public, which is a pretty crazy feeling. Probably the coolest part of it though is getting recognized by people I’ve looked up to for a long time in the dance world, it’s really jarring to be seen by your heroes. 

If you could have one super power, what would it be and why?

Definitely teleportation. I’ve thought about this. I’m always behind schedule and waiting until the last minute, if I could teleport I would be way more on top of my life. Also, imagine how sick that would be during a dance performance. 

What are some of your favorite things you do outside of social media/dancing?

Outside of dance, I’m really into fashion, art, and school too, actually. I would say discovering music too, but I feel like that’s pretty obvious from the dance stuff. With fashion I’m really big on second-hand clothes, I fell hard into thrifting at the beginning of high school when it was super popular, and I haven’t looked back since. Soon after becoming a Goodwill kid one of my friends introduced me to Grailed, and since then I’ve been really into finding the best deals on second-hand sneakers. As far as art goes, I’ve drawn my whole life. These days I do it just as a hobby, but you can check out what I’m doodling on my art IG page @troutgulch . Finally I’ve just always liked school, and yes I know, I’m one of those guys feel free to roll your eyes. I’m currently going to community college to get an Associates degree for cheap as we wait out quarantine, but after that I think it’s gonna be full steam ahead with dance. 

What is your favorite song out right now?

Too hard to say for sure, but I’ve been listening to “GNATS” by MIKE a lot. Unpredictable groove and it’s sort of hypnotic.

Anything special planned for the future?

I guess time will tell! I’m in a music video dropping pretty soon, so I’m pretty excited about that. It was a really fun project to work on and nothing like I’ve ever done before. Stay tuned!