Pones

“10 out of 10 would recommend” Holmes Middle School is one of our long time partners, and we love creating unique and original programming to meet their student needs and interests. “I would and have recommended PONES to other organizations - it was really easy to set up instruction, everyone we worked with was extremely flexible and understanding that middle school needs flexibility, Pones Teaching Artists adapted to the students and it was an all around great experience. I am so glad that our students got quality dance instruction this year.” -Coordinator at Holmes Middle School Thank you so much for this glowing review! We can’t wait for next school year! #pones #laboratoryofmovement #danceforeverybody

Repost from @artswave • #TBT to July 2023! Through their MOVE initiative, Pones collaborated with independent BIPOC artists, including local artist Michael Coppage. Their combined work, titled “Rainbow Box,” communicated the stories of 7 Black LGBTQIA+ individuals. Performances set to interview audio were filmed at The Carnegie, and large photographic displays could be viewed at Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati, Know Theatre of Cincinnati, and even the American University of Paris! 🌈 What an incredible way to wrap up our look back at ArtsWave #Pride Grant projects over the years! #CincyArts @ponesinc @michael_coppage @thecarnegie @ensemblecincy @knowtheatre

“We had a participant who kept feeling the need to get out of her seat and dance standing. She was filled with energy, and it was clear that what we were doing was bringing her joy.” Pones believes dance is for EVERY body, and we love to teach ALL ages and ability levels. So glad this primarily seated dance class at Serene Suites has been so successful. This group of 65+ year olds created 30 original 8-counts of choreography! “I absolutely love working with the older populations. There’s great beauty in seeing someone realize that they still have the capacity to move.” -Darnell, Pones Teaching Artist Thank you to our teaching artists Darnell & Elizabeth for making this such a wonderful class! #pones #artsinhealing #danceforeverybody

Pones is excited to welcome Dinithi to our dancer collective. “I dance because I believe it is a form of expression that can help exemplify an idea better than words can. I also feel quite joyous when dancing! I want to use my art to fight social injustice, and words don’t always translate to everyone. I felt drawn to Pones in Public because they tell stories that need to be told. It’s such a blessing to be able to make the world a better place by doing something you love, so when I heard that I could dance for social justice, I knew I had to give it a try!“ - @dindin.fernando #pones #dancer

Always love our partnership with @cancer_support_cincynky Repost from @cancer_support_cincynky 💥FREE PROGRAMS THIS WED. 6/26 IN EASTGATE💥 👩🏽‍🍳 10:00 AM Cooking for Wellness: Soulful Kitchen: Hybrid with @chefgabio from Afromeals 🔗Register Here! https://ow.ly/coUu50Sox6I 💃 12:00 PM Dancing through the Ages: In-Person with @ponesinc 🔗Register Here! /Events/Info/Dancing_Through_The_Ages_with_Pones_In-Person_Eastgate-25147 👣 1:00 PM Healthy Steps: In-Person with Marcy Kantor 🔗Register Here! /Events/Info/Healthy_Steps_In-Person_Eastgate-24989 🧘🏻‍♀️ 2:00 PM Yoga Wellness: In-Person 🔗Register Here! /Events/Info/Yoga_Hybrid_Eastgate_and_Zoom-22953 🖌️ 6:00 PM Rainbow Sunflower Paint & Sip Night 🔗Register Here! /Events/Info/A_Colorful_Gathering_Paint_Night-25317 💞 And get registered to win a Bob Evans gift card if you attend Dancing, Healthy Steps, & Yoga! 💞

We loved teaching again at the highly successful Batesville Middle School Century Fair! We heard a lot of parents and grandparents reflecting back to us about how much they enjoyed watching their kids dance through the decades. We taught over 150 middle schoolers choreo from our Dancing through the Ages class! “We had almost 100% participation and the kids did wonderfully!” -Kim, Pones Executive Director & Teaching Artist Thank you to Batesville Middle School for having us, and thank you to Pones teaching artists Kim, Marrow, Jensen, and Ian for all your expertise. #pones #laboratoryofmovement #danceforeverybody

Pones está contratando instructores que hablen español para nuestra clase ¡Vamos a Bailar! Los solicitantes deben tener habilidades sólidas o fluidas en español, y deben sentirse cómodos con la gestión del aula y liderando movimientos de danza/creativos. Clase con un co-profesor. Envíe un correo electrónico a Jackie@pones.org expresando interés, experiencia, disponibilidad y/o cualquier preguntas. Pones is HIRING Spanish-speaking instructors for our ¡Vamos a Bailar! dance class. Applicants must have strong or fluent Spanish skills, and should be comfortable with classroom management and leading dance/creative movement with a co-teacher. Please email Jackie@pones.org with your interest, experience, availability, and/or any questions.

Our apprentices had the wonderful opportunity to meet and work with Radha Lakshmi (@radartist )! We want to say a huge thank you to Radha for taking the time to come out and teach us all about her artwork. Radha is the designer of the mandala mural that the apprentices will be dancing in front of later this summer. During the morning session, the team learned about the historical, cultural, and spiritual background of mandalas in India. The team then was able to create their very own design using different stencils, colored sand, and rice flour. #cincyart #mandala #arteducation

Pones welcomes Alaska to our dancer collective. "I’m excited to join Pones to share my love of dance and movement with people. I fell in love with site specific performance and devised performance for social change while studying in college. It brings me such joy to share dance with others in many different ways. I suffer from some health issues that prevented me from dancing in a way i was used to and I love being able to showcase that dance can be celebrated in anyone’s body." - @alaska.babe #pones #cincyarts #dancer

Join us as we celebrate LPFC’s 3rd Anniversary and the Finale of the RuedX Cincinnati weekend event in style! Please dress in uninterrupted WHITE attire and get ready for an unforgettable night at the beautiful Knox Joseph Distillery @ The OTR Stillhouse. Two amazing DJs –local legend DJ Tony Pabon and DJ Timba Titan of Baltimore, Maryland, plus lots of friendly out-of-town dancers will be in attendance! Expect to never leave the dance floor as this pair of all-star DJs spins non-stop modern and traditional Cuban dance music all evening long. Admission is FREE and the Knox Joseph Distillery’s vast array of house-made spirits, cocktails, wine, beer, seltzer and delicious food will be available for purchase. Old friends, new friends, dancers of all styles, plus self -described “non-dancers” are welcome to attend. Don’t forget to save us a dance and make sure to arrive early to catch a special appearance by the acclaimed performance art troupe, “Pones” Cincinnati ! Guests pay for their own food and drinks, but admission is FREE. This event is Open to the Public. Parking is available at the venue, as well as on Central Parkway and surrounding streets.

Happy Pride Month🌈✨ Fun Fact: A little over half of the Pones collective identifies as LGBTQIA+! Pones recognizes the importance of queer joy and artistry, and is proud to be an open, safe, and inclusive environment for all. “It matters not who you love, where you love, why you love, when you love, or how you love. It matters only that you love.” – John Lennon #pride #pridemonth #love #pones

“Art is a way to form bridges and strengthen awareness of the challenges and joys of our ever-changing world.” -Pones Teaching Artist Alexandra Pones is excited to have former ArtsWave youth apprentice Alexandra back this summer as a Pones Teaching Artist! Alexandra Leurck, a Cincy native is a multidimensional and interdisciplinary learner, artist, and person. She graduated from Miami University in Oxford, OH with a BA in Theatre and Arts Management/Entrepreneurship with minors in Dance and Women/Gender/Sexuality Studies. Her creative practices primarily lie within theatre, directing, dance, and performance art, focusing on crafting site-specific, immersive work in response to social justice and environmental issues. She believes art is a way to form bridges and strengthen awareness of the challenges and joys of our ever-changing world. She is also a RYT200 Yoga Instructor and aims to incorporate meditation, movement, and Yoga philosophy into arts in healing and various mindful spaces. She hopes to ignite feelings of empowerment, self-discovery, healing, and zest through dance and art. Leurck is proud to be teaching with Pones! #pones #laboratoryofmovement #danceforeverybody