My name is Jacqueline Nalett. I am originally from the Washington D.C. area but came to Houston at age 3 and have been here most of my life. I grew up extremely poor with my mom and younger sister. We moved around a LOT. I lived in more than 20 places before age 11 including apartments, homeless shelters, halfway houses, a bus station, a bench outside, motel rooms and other peoples' houses. When I was 11 we ended up in 5th ward Houston in a tiny wooden apartment that probably qualified to be condemned. I lived there until age 18 when I went off to Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts. After graduation I had no where else to go, so I returned to 5th ward. With my BA in Dance I got a job teaching dance at the University of Houston, where I have now been teaching dance for 21 years. Not long after beginning the UH job I got into a relationship with a man from my neighborhood, moved in with him and his children, had a baby and lived in 5th ward near my mom until I was 30.  Then my mom passed away, my relationship ended and I moved out of 5th ward. I have now also been teaching dance at Rice University for 10 years and have been a teaching artist with Young Audiences of Houston for about 13 years. I have shown independent choreographic works around town and done some performing over the years. The 7 years spent living with my ex partner were also spent helping him raise his two children, so for most of my 20s I was mom to three kids. My 30s were mostly spent struggling to make a living and raising an incredibly difficult special needs child who now at 19 years old has improved a bit and this has finally allowed me more freedom to find extra work and to start new creative projects. So here I am now at 43 and finally doing my first show. Welcome to the journey!