Apr 11, 2017
Choreographer, Jolene Konkel, joins us to tell her story about finding God but discovering a lack of acceptance in the Christian culture that welcomed her dance talents. This led her to be a pioneer in merging the arts and faith in new ways that broke down walls her peers had about concert dance being used to reflect the heart of God. This also led her to her mission of equipping and encouraging "the orphaned artist" to discover there is a place and purpose for them for God to use their gifts. Jolene has an undergrad degree in Christian studies(emphasis in theater) from North Central University and an M.F.A. in Performance and Choreography from Univ. of Milwaukee. She is the founder of Youth With a Mission(YWAM's) global Univ. of the Nations School of Dance Studies. She is choreographer and adjunct faculty in the University of Northwestern's Theater program and has choreographed over 30 local musical productions. She has been showcased in the DanceMakers series at UWM, Choreographer's Evening at the Ritz Theater, Jazz Here, Jazz Now at the Univ. of MN and Rhythmically Speaking at The Southern Theater. Her most recent work was presented at the 2016 MN Fringe Festival.