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Lela Aisha Jones, Assistant Professor of Dance, Debuts Choreography in 'Visions & Voices'

April 30, 2021
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Lela Aisha Jones鈥攁ssistant professor of dance, associate artistic director for Chicago-based arts organization , and founder of 鈥渃reative home鈥 joined Red Clay Dance Company in a May 22 virtual dance concert . Her commissioned choreographic debut with Red Clay Dance titled "we:all ~ gon鈥 die into revivals" is 鈥渁n artistic | soulful labor expressing our dreams for blackness and our reciprocity with the natural environment.鈥

Chicago Reader鈥檚 Staff Pick for Best Dance Organization in 2019, 鈥檚 mission is to 鈥渁waken 鈥榞local鈥 change through creating, performing and teaching dances of the African Diaspora鈥揷hange.鈥 The company鈥檚 all-female ensemble offers education programming in addition to local, national, and international performances.

In their virtual show, "Visions & Voices," the company asked national and international audiences to consider a central question: 鈥淗ow do our bodies manifest the world around and through us?"

Jones鈥 commissioned choreographic work was accompanied by work from choreographer Du鈥橞ois A鈥橩een and Artistic Director of Red Clay Dance Company Vershawn Sanders-Ward in this contemplative, culturally rich, and innovative performance with three world premieres.


Lela Aisha Jones is a movement performance artist, an interdisciplinary collaborator, community-grounded organizer/curator, and the founding director of , her creative research home. She earned a B.S. in health science education from the University of Florida, an M.F.A. in dance from Florida State University, and a Ph.D. from Texas Woman's University. Learn more about Jones and the rest of the program's faculty on the Dance Program page