Meet Jemilah Jones of Ashanti Cultural Arts and Enrichment in Pompano Beach

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jemilah Jones.

Jemilah, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
The arts have always been apart of my life. My father was a musician so my brother and I were always around artist, at concerts, studio sessions, band rehearsals, sound checks, and traveling with my dad. My mom is a retired School Librarian and Fitness instructor. Almost every weekend, we were at the Theater, a production, or in an art class. My parents kept us busy. In First grade, my mom wanted to enroll me in dance but she couldn’t find any classes with teachers that looked like me or taught any dance forms of my culture. So, she started her own business called the Health Connection- it was a place for children to take dance classes in tap, ballet, jazz, African dance, karate, modeling and music lessons. They also offered aerobics and nutrition classes for adults. MY first dance teacher at 8 years old was with Mrs. Patrice King. She told my mom, “don’t ever take her out of dance even if she wants to quit, she is good”. My mom obeyed her every word, she never let me quit no matter how much I fussed. The Health Connection was my 2nd home.

From school to the Health Connection every day. I was in every class and learned the inside outs of running a business. From performing to cleaning the dance mirrors. Sewing on tulle on tutus to learning to make the perfect bun with the best slick edges. In middle school, I attended Parkway School for the Performing Arts for Drama and later Dillard High School for the Performing Arts for Drama. I begin teaching dance at 15 for churches and other dance programs it felt effortless and was natural for me to teach. In 1990, my mother started Ashanti Cultural Arts a nonprofit organization that provides the arts to communities throughout S. Florida. I was one of the first dancers for Ashanti’s performing group, The Ashanti Performing group ( still in existence today) traveled throughout S. Florida performing, We appeared on National television, interviews for Fox Kids of the week. Performing with Ashanti gave me the opportunity in Middle and High School to learn from professional dancers. Learning from tappers from the movie TAP, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Broadway performers helped me realize how important teachers are, and that I am a teacher. This was my base for dance. In high school, I was a child performer for the Florida Opera Company Productions, the Brazilian Ballet Company, and the Tony Lodge Dance Company. I enjoyed performing but I was always drawn to watching the choreographers, directors and how they worked with the artists.

I started teaching/choreographing for different arts programs while in college, Cherographing for College Pageants and Campus events. I also started the first Collegiate Dance Ministry in Tallahassee at Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church- Vessels of Virtue was composed of colleges students from Florida State University, Tallahassee Community College and Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. I enjoyed dancing but I LOVED teaching. I begin to choreograph for different groups and schools for competitions. For eight consecutive years, my dance programs won 1st place for Black Heritage Talent Contest for the 11th District Young Peoples Department for African Methodist Churches. I also received numerous awards for dance and in competitions.

Moving to Atlanta, I became an Instructor/Dance Leader for New Life Dance Ministry under the dance leadership of Tamera Brown. With over 100 dancers of all levels. I continued to teach as an educator and teach dance in Atlanta for five years before moving back to S. Florida.

The Arts have awarded y the opportunity to expand my creativity in four revenues:
The Artistic and Programs Director for Ashanti Cultural Arts
Co-Partner for Kuumba Dance Academy for the City of Fort Lauderdale
Dance Leader with The REIGN Dance Company
Author of Dig Deep Dance Workbooks and Biblical Curriculums

The REIGN Dance Company is lead by Aventer Gray a dancer. The Reign Dance Company is made of professional dancers who share the same heart for dance. The heart is to express authentic experiences through movement using the marriage of technical training and meaningful foundational biblical principles. Being a part of this company has afforded me the opportunity to dance across the country for conferences, Master Classes, Gospel Artist, as well as Television appearances such as THE Book of John Gray on the Own Network.

Most people know me as a dancer and rarely know my love for Early Childhood Education. I have written Journals on The Arts and Early Childhood Education, I am a Member and Educator for the National Association of Educating Young Children (NAEYC).

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
One of the struggles that I had as a dancer was I didn’t look like the average dancer’s height and weight. I am tall,I have thighs, and breast I wasn’t skinny. From my appearance people would judge, then after I would teach or dance they would say “oh wow you are really good”. I truly believe because of my village this didn’t discourage me from dancing or teaching. Dance also helped me express my grief when my father died. It was an outlet for me to create pieces that not only helped me but others. It was a safe place for me to release and just move without judgment or the opinions of others. It was something I implemented in my dance curriculum when working with children who have experienced trauma. In my opinion, some of my best work was just dancing around the house to relieve stress. Going to college, I was over dancing and just wanted to be a regular college student graduate and become a Kindergarten teacher. Dance and Arts took up the majority of my childhood so I wanted a break. So, I quit dancing. That didn’t last long though. Someone on campus knew I could dance and gave my information to teach dance at a local community center. I couldn’t say no. As they say, the rest was history.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Ashanti Cultural Arts and Enrichment – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
Ashanti is my main heart vein of the 4 businesses, I am currently the Artistic and Programs Director for Ashanti Cultural Arts my family’s non- profit organization. March 2020 will be Ashanti’s 30th Anniversary of serving S. Florida in the Arts. Serving over 1,000 citizens a month in the Arts- through Summer Camp programs, Classes in the arts, workshops, Turn-Around Arts School programs, and our famous production The Christmas Chocolate Nutcracker which is a treat for all.

My job is to create programs in the Arts for our community. We have grown tremendously in the last 5 years. With various location for our programs, our main offices is located at the Historic Ali Cultural Arts Center in Pompano Beach, Florida. We have expanded our classes in the Arts with Drama, African dance and drumming, modern dance, ballet, hip hop, classes for adults, Jazz concerts, art workshops, and swing classes.

What I love most about my job is I am doing something that I love teaching and the Arts. Seeing children’s confidence grow through an African drumming class, or our teachers who are very talented, give to our community their art form is refreshing to watch in action. Our Ashanti family range from lawyers to Foster parents, grandmas, uncles, aunts, Godparents. To see my elders dancing and singing at our jazz concerts and swing classes, or a group of people from different walks create art mural together. Seeing past students come back to Ashanti who I have taught to be able to give them opportunities to teach or give back their expertise in their field. .This assures me that the arts are needed and I have the privilege to help share it.

Unfortunately, the Arts can be expensive. Most families can’t afford to participate consistently but because of our programs, we can give everyone opportunities to experience the arts. Our students have traveled to New York for private classes with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, performed with entertainers across S. Florida as well as gives back to their community with their Art.

What sets us apart is we provide our community with experiences in the arts with a professional artist, teachers. Through our Sponsors, grants, and community support, we are able to provide scholarships, workshops, productions, and programs to our community. We are unique because we can bring our programs to any setting or the option to participate in our facility. With over 25 years of experience in the arts, many of our students have become great assets throughout North America in the arts as professionals, medical fields, education, and business owners.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Right now I am in celebration mode for Ashanti in 2020- 30 years is a big deal for us and we want to give big to our community. We are currently planning to expand Ashanti Cultural Arts to Southeastern Region for communities the need the Arts specifically rural areas.

Teaching wise, I am publishing a second edition workbook for Praise Dancers in December 2019.

Pricing:

• Ashanti Classes will begin in October 2019 $35 Registration
• $40 per class

Contact Info:

• Address: 353 Dr. MLK Blvd.
  Pompano Beach, FL 33060
• Website: www.ashanticulturalarts.org
• Phone: 954 9434903
• Email: contact@ashanticulturalarts.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashanticulturalarts/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ashanticulturalarts1990/

Image Credit:
David I Photography, Jai Simone Photography, Stephen Gaskin Photography

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