Jade Robertson

Jade Charon Robertson, is an award-winning choreographer, filmmaker, author, educator, entrepreneur, and mother from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She is an Associate Professor of Dance at CUNY and the Founder and Artistic Director of 30:11 By Jade Charon and By Jade Charon Company. Known for her spirited and soulful movement style, Robertson blends dance and film in innovative ways, earning numerous awards including the Baba Chuck Davis Emerging Choreographer Fellowship at Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), the 2024 Angela’s Pulse Dancing While Black Fellowship, the 2022/2023 Bill T. Jones/New York Live Arts Fresh Tracks Artist Residency, and the 2020 Hicks Choreographer Fellowship at The School of Jacob’s Pillow.

 

In 2017, her film Reverse received significant attention from The New York Times, resulting in interviews and features on their social media. Her 2020 dance film Recharge, addressing racial dialogue in Black America, was critically acclaimed and featured in Dance Magazine’s “Friday Film Break” and PBS SoCal’s “7 Dance Videos That Helped Us Get Through 2020.” Robertson has also been highlighted in Dance Magazine’s article, “What Does It Take to Carve Out a Career in Dance Filmmaking?” Her films have been showcased and awarded at festivals such as the Pan African Film Festival, Cannes World Film Festival, Charlotte Black Film Festival, Vancouver Black Independent Film Festival, and Montreal Independent Film Festival. As a director, she earned the Cream City Award from the Milwaukee Film Festival and Best Futurist Film from Cannes World Film Festival.

 

Robertson views dance as ministry and is passionate about the intersection of dance and media technology. With a background in youth arts programming, community education, outreach, and mentorship, she uses her work to empower others. Her TEDxUCLA talk, “Dance as Ministry,” embodies this commitment. She advocates for dance and technology education in underserved communities and predominantly Black institutions, as outlined in her paper “Empowering Dance and Technology Education: 10 Vital Steps for Implementation in Underfunded Spaces within Predominantly Black Institutions,” published in the Horizon Journal of Humanities.

 

Beyond her artistic achievements, Robertson founded the bi-annual Restore Festival, providing performance opportunities and mentorship for Black women choreographers. She also created The Gem Project, supporting young girls aged 9–18 in exploring performing arts and mental health.

Robertson holds an MFA in Dance from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a BA in Interdisciplinary Arts with a concentration in Dance and Theater from Columbia College Chicago. She is currently pursuing an Ed.D. in Dance Education with an interdisciplinary specialization at Teachers College, Columbia University, focusing her research on dance, film, new media technologies, and interdisciplinary dance curricula.

 

Learn more at jadecharon.com and follow her on Instagram @jade_charon.