““Jamie honors the diversity of her students in dance, which is a special pedagogical gift. Her strength, passion, and contagious energy helped empower our students not only as dancers and performers, but as humans too”
”
Dance Bio
Born in Madison WI, Jamie Minkus' love affair with movement started when she became a competitive gymnast at the age of 10. Later in life, while earning her degree at the University of Wisconsin, she started dancing with a local Brazilian percussion troop, which prompted her studies in Brazilian folkloric movement. Her gymnastics background and affinity with Brazilian culture led her to train and teach the Brazilian martial art, capoeira, under the precise eye of Mestre Almiro Aquilino dos Santos. This was the spark that ignited her fire. Her capoeira studies introduced her to the larger world of Afro-Brazilian movement, particularly movements of the Orixas, which also opened her to the movements found in Afro-Cuban culture. Jamie went on to study Oricha movement in Havana, Cuba with members of the famous folkloric dance and music company, Raíces Profundas. Beyond this, she completed the Silvestre Technique contemporary dance intensive in Salvador, Brazil. Jamie was a dancer in Ms. Donna Oefinger’s Afro-Brazilan and Afro-Cuban dance company, Axé Didé, for over eight years. She also toured across the country with March Fourth! as an acrobat, dancer, capoeirista, and choreographer. Jamie co-founded and was the tour director and costume designer, as well as a choreographer and performer in the contemporary folklore dance company, "Rejoice! Diaspora Dance Theater." Jamie continues to cultivate her craft and share her passion as public educator of dance in Portland Public School District where she is also part of the curriculum development adoption team, the artistic director of McDaniel High Schools premier dance team, and the director of choreography for Lakeridge Middle School’s thespian troupe
Jamie holds classes in both Afro-Brazilian and Afro-Cuban vernaculars, and has been an Artist-in-Residence at various schools and universities. Please contact her to bring her to your school, studio, or university.