Each small and seemingly insignificant change can help to bridge the gap between cultural diversity, inclusivity and the artistic space.
JONA DANCE is a project based contemporary dance company situated in London. It was founded in 2019 by dance artist and creative, Monique Jonas, our current Artistic Director.
Jona Dance was born out of years of noticing the lack of cultural diversity within the contemporary dance industry in the UK, and a desire to promote a message of inclusivity. Here at Jona, we believe that art is created by the people, for the people; so we intend on creating work that is inclusive and accessible to more than just a select few. We work to promote the inclusivity of experiences through art by offering alternative narratives, boosting visibility and understanding the impact of positive representation in dance.
We are a movement based organisation that aims to foster and facilitate spaces that amplify “silenced” voices and give platforms for marginalised voices of the African Diaspora to be seen and heard. Drawing from Lived experience in the UK and focusing on UK based artists, we aspire to bring a well rounded foundation to the company so that we can facilitate a safe and professional space for artists to thrive. Whilst there is an intentional focus to uplift and support artists of colour, here at JONA DANCE, our doors are open to dancers from all backgrounds and all walks of life.
We pride ourselves on valuing and uplifting artists as we recognise that we are more than just dancers and creatives. We hope to channel that authenticity into all the work that we do by providing services across live theatre, TV, film, casting and in the studio. We take pride in all of the projects we do at Jona Dance and aim to deliver with passion and quality to deliver the best possible outcome for each project.
We started our artistic journey with a solo titled Toh-Kuhn, which explored the nuances of Black-British Life. This was later developed into a full length work for three dancers, which premiered at The Place Theatre in 2020. Since then we have gone on to create work for Ballet Black, Rambert School, National Youth Ballet, Reebok and London Fashion Week to name a few. We created our second full length work Siren Calls to an Illusive Journey in 2022, which premiered in Leicester at the Let’s Dance International Frontiers Festival.
Despite the pandemic, Jona really caught momentum through our digital and in person classes. We run our own Jona Dance Contemporary workshops, but externally we also provide teaching services to English National Ballet School, London Contemporary Dance School, Artistry Youth Dance, DanceXChange, National Youth Ballet, Laban CAT scheme and many more.
For us, it’s about delivering high quality dance services with the interests of people at our core. It’s about building connection, exploring humanity and daring to challenge the norm.
ABOUT MONIQUE
Monique began dancing with the Chance to Dance programme before training at the Arts Educational Schools London. She completed her training at the Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance, and received her Masters Degree from The London Contemporary Dance School, passing with distinction in 2017.
Monique is currently playing the role of Juliet in Mathew Bourne’s Romeo and Juliet, which is touring internationally in 2024. She joined New Adventures in 2019 and has performed across multiple productions in that time. She, however, started her career with Richard Alston Dance Company as an apprentice in 2016 and toured extensively, both nationally and internationally with RADC, until their final performance in 2020.
Additionally Monique founded her own dance company, Jona Dance in 2019. She has been choreographing, movement directing, teaching and producing work both online and in person, with the aim of amplifying silenced voices through contemporary dance in the UK. Jona Dance have created for Ballet Black, Rambert School, Pegasus Opera, Reebok and London Fashion Week to name a few. She recently premiered her work FLOCK on ENBS at the Peacock Theatre in 2023, a full length work called Siren Calls with Serendipity Institute UK in Leicester in 2022, and a new creation, Infinite for National Youth Ballet at Sadler’s Wells in 2022.
Monique is also a guest contemporary tutor at The Royal Ballet School, The Dang and formerly at English National Ballet School. She is a Ballet Futures Lecturer with English National Ballet. She teaches as a guest for London Contemporary Dance School, National Youth Ballet, Dilek Taptik School of Dance, Artistry Youth Dance, New Adventures and Laban CAT to name a few.
Over the years, Monique has worked with Rambert Dance Company, Ben Duke, Agudo Dance, Vidya Patel Clod Ensemble and commercially on the Brit Awards (2021) BBC Drama; The Pursuit of Love (2021), The Marvels (Disney 2023), The REGIME (HBO, 2024) Jamie Cullum and Kae Tempest, and Kylie Minogue.
UPCOMING EVENT
PRO CLASS AT The Place
WHEN: 25th November - 29th November 2024
WHERE: 16 Flaxman Terrace, London, WC1H 9PY
Join Monique Jonas for morning class at The Place every morning for a week form 9:00 - 10:30am!
Price: £8 per class
Class Description:
Contemporary class is inspired by Cunningham Technique, infused with a groove and connecting to rhythm through music and flow. Sharp shifts of weight layered with dynamics and soul are used to awaken the interconnectivity of the body and our love for movement.