Speaking Through Movement | Alex Jones’ Voices

The dancer/choreographer’s new project should have local audiences talking for some time.

BY JULIE GARISTO | Nov. 13, 2018

Alex Jones (not that Alex Jones) has something to say about the human struggle, and he is speaking through the art of dance.

The prominent local performer, instructor and choreographer serves as an artist in residence at The Studio@620 and has made leaps and bounds as the artistic director of Collective Soles Dance Company in Tampa.

For his grad school independent study, Jones says he’s excited to make one of his dreams a reality — to premiere his own dance company, projectALCHEMY.

According to Jones, “projectALCHEMY produces innovative, collaborative dance events that spark imagination, transform spaces, encourage dialogue and make dance accessible to all.”

Voices by Alex Jones, the project’s first performance since forming on Oct. 18, is an interactive solo dance performance choreographed and performed by Jones.

“I can’t share much about the show,” Jones clarifies. “I’ve been very secretive about it because I don’t want to aid the viewer in how to think.”

While discussing the piece, an element of discovery comes to the fore, something every artist banks on to some degree during a live performance — especially dancers.

“I’m curious about what Voices has to do with the viewer at all,” he adds. “The show is personal. It’s about the experience, yours and mine, and complexity how and when the voice is used — even, whose voice it is that is speaking.”

Creative Pinellas Guest Editor Helen Hansen French has shared the stage with Jones.  “(He’s) a unique mix of technical prowess and emotional vulnerability,” she says. “As a dancer and choreographer he has is adept at conveying complex human emotions with nuance and honesty,  inviting the audience to take a journey with him. Alex’s thorough knowledge of multiple dance styles allows for him to sculpt space with movement that is fresh and original.”

Jones will also be featuring a performance film during Voices, a dance piece he created for his master’s studies at Hollins University.

“Alex is one of my favorite dancers to partner and create with, and I am excited to see what projectALCHEMY does!” Hansen adds.

A USF grad, he trained at The Dance Center at Satya Life, Highlands School of Dance, Harrison Arts Center, and LINES Ballet BFA Program. He has had the opportunity to work with Alonzo King, Bill T. Jones in Serenade/The Proposition, and Doug Varone in The Rite of Spring.

His performances include an appearance in Tunisia with the University of South Florida on behalf of the American Embassy and the Tunisian Dance Federation. He has also performed for Walt Disney World in Dream Along with Mickey, Beauty and the Beast, Hocus Pocus Villian Spelltacular and Lion King: Concert in the Wild as the Spirit of Simba.

So, what does the dancer/choreographer have in mind following this weekend’s debut of his new project?