{"id":210336,"date":"2024-03-26T15:48:45","date_gmt":"2024-03-26T19:48:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/arts\/?p=210336"},"modified":"2024-03-26T15:55:38","modified_gmt":"2024-03-26T19:55:38","slug":"on-the-line-how-i-created-my-place-to-belong-with-jennifer-jones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/arts\/2024\/03\/26\/on-the-line-how-i-created-my-place-to-belong-with-jennifer-jones\/","title":{"rendered":"‘On the Line: How I Created My Place to Belong’ with Jennifer Jones"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Department of Theatre and Dance<\/a> recently hosted a talk with Jennifer Jones, the first African American Radio City Music Hall Rockette<\/a>. Jennifer is a sensational dancer and performer who has made a profound impact on the world of dance. With her incredible talent and boundless passion for the art form, Jennifer has become an influential figure in breaking down barriers and paving the way for diversity in the industry.<\/p>\n

Jennifer fell in love with dance at a young age, and was lucky to always be enrolled in activities such as dance classes, baton twirling, and horseback riding. In the 4th grade, her teacher chose her to be the lead in the school play, which had a 1940s theme. She got to perform the roll of \u201cJitterbugger,\u201d and was nervous before the performance. Referring to how she felt on stage, she stated: \u201cI got lost in it and it felt like home. I knew I wanted to be up there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Originally, the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes had a policy against hiring non-diverse dancers as to not distract the viewer from their rigid color uniformity. On December 26, 1987, the New York Times<\/em> published the article, \u201cRockettes and Race: Barrier Slips.\u201dViolet Holmes, credited with choreographing some of the most famous dances performed by the Rockettes, was mentioned: \u201cAs recently as five years ago, the director of the Rockettes, Violet Holmes, defended the all-white line on artistic grounds. She said that the dancers were supposed to be \u2018mirror images\u2019 of each other, and added: \u2018One or two black girls in the line would definitely distract. You would lose the whole look of precision, which is the hallmark of the Rockettes.\u2019\u201d This article announced Jennifer\u2019s acceptance to the Rockettes, but did not mention her by name.<\/p>\n

Jennifer had attended an audition for the Rockettes earlier in 1987, and she made her national debut on January 31, 1988, during the National Football League Super Bowl XXII halftime show at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego, California.<\/p>\n

“What they did on stage was pure magic. And I know I wanted to do that one day.”<\/p>\n