Jona Dance

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 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.  

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.