Monik C. Jones is a dance educator and choreographer who earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in World Arts and Culture, concentrating in Dance, with a minor in Education from the University of California, Los Angeles. She received a Master of Fine Arts degree in Dance from University of California, Irvine. Early on, Ms. Jones trained at the Los Angeles County High School of the Arts. She danced with the Ka-Ron Brown Lehman Dance Company and she studied West African dance under Nzingha Camara. Monik also performed with UCLA's African Art Ensemble and Modern Dance Group. She was a principal dancer with Dancer’s Array “N” Christian Evangelism, The Gospel Music Workshop of America Liturgical Dance Company, Unit Choreographers of Liturgical Movement, and LIQUID Production Ministry, where she showcased her jazz and hip-hop skills. Monik’s hard work and dedication has led her to teach and perform nationally and internationally from Washington D.C., Arizona, Kansas, to Brazil, Ghana and Croatia.
Since 2005, Monik has served as an adjunct professor of dance where she teaches African, Afro-Caribbean Ballet, Contemporary, Modern, Jazz, Hip-Hop, Social Dance, Rehearsal and Performance courses. She continues to work for several community colleges including: Cerritos College, Cypress College, Irvine Valley College and Santa Ana College.
Monik is the founder and director of Monik's Creative Movement Education Program, where she provides quality dance instructions to school children who reside in underserved areas and do not have access to arts education. The program is designed to provide mentorship opportunities to college students who are interested in being dance educators. She also offers training in entrepreneurship development, financial literacy and curriculum development. Monik manages a small team of teachers who work in schools, churches and the community throughout the Los Angeles area.
Ms. Jones is passionate about her work; especially, her role as Artistic Director of the Liturgical Dance Ministry of Judson Baptist Church under the leadership of Pastor T.L. Brown Sr. She has developed a liturgical dance curriculum that she teaches across the country. The research for this curriculum is based on her graduate thesis "A Comparative Study on Pedagogical Techniques of Two Liturgical Dance Instructors in African American Baptist Churches" which has been published.
