ACCESSIBILITY
ASL interpretation and CART captioning will be provided
RUN TIME
90 minutes
Re-Sette the Stage: From OUR side of the stage
An online conversation with Adonte Jones, Dontavious Body, Jaeda Williams, and O’Necia Ford. Moderated by Tony Monroe
Co-Presented by On the Boards and REDCAT
DESCRIPTION
Re-Sette the Stage brings together members of the Let ‘im Move You project with members from the Meet Me On Da Floor community in an exploration of the vastness of the Black queer majorette dance community. Let ‘im Move You is the name of a series of performance and visual art projects led by jumatatu m. poe and Jermone Donte Beacham that holds the Black femme and Black queer innovations of J-Sette at its center to explore team mentality, the complexities of rhythm, and the communicability of delight. Meet Me On Da Floor is a community group dedicated to assembling the many squads of J-Setters into a national unity to organize social and competitive events together, to spearhead leadership activities that engage the youth within the community, and to create and uphold standards for the J-Sette art form.
Re-Sette the Stage—a three-part conversation series happening in August, September, and October 2021—was conceived by Jermone Donte Beacham, jumatatu m. poe, and Jamarsa Peters. The September conversation will focus on the MMODF J-Sette community (the way that gender, economics, race, and settings—club vs university stadiums, for example, all relate to one another).
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Dontavious Body
Dontavious Body is the young urban professional who had the forethought to establish MEET ME ON DA FLOOR, Inc., a 501c3 nonprofit company, as well as the courage to use his company to embark upon the journey to be a positive force of enlightenment, change, and inclusion for society. Prior to him establishing this company, he served in corporate America for both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations; most notably Microsoft and with Forever family, Inc. While at Microsoft, Body served as the company’s Product Advisor and Community Development Captain where he was responsible for introducing the world of MICROSOFT to corporate partners and non-profit agencies, launching new product lines, and facilitating corporate education. He has earned a number of Microsoft certifications.
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O’Necia Ford
As an alumni Prancing J-Sette of THEE Jackson State University. I always stay ready, so I don’t have to “Get Ready” Hi! I’m O’Necia Ford hailing originally from Eldorado, Arkansas. In high school, I cheered all of my life and danced for the Southern Belles Dance Company where I was captain from 2014-2016. I then went to finish my matriculation at JSU where I graduated in May 2020 with a bachelor's in Criminal Justice and Correctional Services. In college I of course danced with the Prancing J-Settes along with the JSU Dance Ensemble and other organizations. I’ve participated in dance throughout my life with different genres such as tap, ballet, hip hop, jazz, and majorette. Some of my best accomplishments throughout my journey of cheering and dance have been performing on ESPN, NBA halftime games, opening for Big Freedia, and being a part of music videos that featured big stars such as Trina and Big Krit.
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Tony Monroe
Native of Shreveport La, but Baton Rouge La did all the "raising". Monroe has resided in Dallas since finishing legislative work for the State of Louisiana in 08 (Tony graduated from The Southern University A&M College in Fall of 08 with a B.S. in marketing). After working with AT&T & the Marketing Arm of Dallas, he quickly learned that the networking and rapport building skills learned on the Yard would play to his advantage in the Obama recession right out of SU. Pivoting from the ad agency sector to the nonprofit realm was no easy feat. Now working as a custom Suiting Stylist entrepreneurially, and Scholarship Program Director currently, the trajectory has been filled with lessons and educational hurdles!
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Jaeda Williams
Jaeda is an extremely gifted Master Makeup Artist, Lash Technician, Entrepreneur, and dancer who has provided her renowned artistry to a wide variety of clientele. Jaeda was born in the Dominican Republic and brings a multi-cultural perspective to the world of beauty and dance, she has the ability to connect with people from all walks of life. After being relocated to Birmingham, Alabama as a child, Jaeda went on to start her dance career with Alabama Ballet company at the age of 7. she trained with the company until she was 15 and that's when she was introduced to the world of majorette style dancing. Jaeda has taught multiple high schools and colleges (Jackson olin High, Caver High Woodlawn High Parker High Alabama State University, Miles College, Stilman college) just to name a few the art of majorette-style dancing. In 2008 she became the coach of Birmingham city school system summer camp and later on the assistant director of Jackson olin auxiliary department. Jaeda has judged many Competitions in the south and still has a love for dance.
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Adonte Jones
Greetings, My name is Adonte Jones. I’m 26 years old native of Flint Michigan. I Graduated From THEE Southern University A&M College in Baton Rouge Louisiana where I received a bachelor’s in Animal Science class of 2018. At Southern University I was a part of the Large coed Cheerleading team for four years where I served as captain for two amazing years from 2016-2018. After graduating college I became a professional cheerleader for the Houston Rockets NBA basketball team. In addition to professional cheerleading, I was one of the founding members of a professional all-male dance team that goes by the name of Milk Mafia. Currently, I recently moved to Atlanta GA to pursue a career in education and to expand the brand of Milk Mafia. I’m excited about this opportunity and I appreciate you guys for reaching out to me!
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ABOUT THE ORGANIZERS
jumatatu m. poe
I am a choreographer, performer, and educator based between Philadelphia and Durham who grew up dancing around the living room and at parties with my siblings and cousins. My early exposure to concert dance was through African dance and capoeira performances on California college campuses where my parents studied and worked, but I did not start formal dance training until college with Umfundalai, Kariamu Welsh’s contemporary African dance technique. My work continues to be influenced by various sources, including my foundations in those living rooms and parties, my early technical training in contemporary African dance, my continued study of contemporary dance and performance, and my recent sociological research of and technical training in J-setting with Donte Beacham. I produce dance and performance work with idiosynCrazy productions, a company I founded in 2008 and now co-direct with Shannon Murphy. Previously, I have danced with Marianela Boán, Silvana Cardell, Emmanuelle Hunyh, Tania Isaac, Kun- Yang Lin, C. Kemal Nance, Marissa Perel, Leah Stein, Keith Thompson, Kate Watson-Wallace, Reggie Wilson, and Kariamu Welsh (as a member of Kariamu & Company). As a performer, I also collaborate with Merián Soto.
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Jamarsa Peters
Jamarsa Peters is a business professional with an astute financial acumen, an empathic heart, and a strong sense of business and personal responsibility. These qualities were shaped largely by his family dynamic. He is the oldest of two siblings. It was after the death of his mom that he assumed paternal responsibility for his younger siblings. With this responsibility, he decided to become this paragon for positivity and for excellence that his siblings could emulate. Because he wanted to be that example for his family, he chose to pursue higher education at Grambling State University where he majored in Business Information Systems; subsequently, earning his Bachelor of Science degree in 2006. In college, he was a member of the collegiate cheerleading team and received technical dance training while being a part of the Orchesis Dance Company under the direction of Dianne Maroney-Grisby, former Alvin Ailey dancer. In addition to his business acumen, he is an extremely powerful choreographer, dancer, and producer having danced with LGBTQ underground Legendary male J-Sette teams like Grambling X-Men, Memphis Elite, and the Texas Teasers where he currently resides in Dallas. Currently, he is recognized as an Icon in the Meet Me On Da Floor dance community where he now serves as President while continuing to change the narrative and making a difference one 8 count at a time!
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Jermone Donte Beacham
Dancing has been in my blood since I can remember. It started off with hip hop dancing for my high school -- I began to recognize my skill and talent. After 4 years of that, I was introduced to the world of J-Sette by women. J-Sette historically refers to Jackson State University’s female drill team that began in the 1970s. They “created” the dance style, and thus far have made it a distinctive form of dance. I was interested in this type of dance, but not entirely until I saw a group of males performing it. At that point, I claimed the style for myself and perfected it on my body. Currently, I have my own J-Sette line, Mystic Force, and plan to increase our already considerable renown in this style of dance in our community, and eventually internationally. Previously, I served as co-captain of Dallas’ Texas Teasers. I have participated and competed in several events and competitions, including 2 SetteItOff video challenges, Atlanta Pride 2010, Tennessee Classics 2009, and Memphis Pride 2008. In 2015, I was named New Legendary by the Meet Me on the Dance Floor J-Sette council, and have gained many titles since then, such as, Best Dancer and Most Entertaining.