JENA BROOKS

Jena was born and raised in Iowa City, IA where she began her dance training at the age of 3. She has that Midwestern charm and her subtle Iowan accent stays under the radar! She moved to South Carolina and trained at The School of Carolina Ballet Theatre (now called DanceArts Greenville) with the professional company members of Carolina Ballet Theatre. She worked closely with artistic directors Hernan Justo and Anita Pacylowski-Justo and was featured in several productions with the company. She attended Joffrey Ballet School’s contemporary ballet intensive in San Francisco for multiple summers. She had featured roles in pieces by notable choreographers Sara Silkin and Bradley Shelver. While ballet was her main focus, she branched out into modern, contemporary, jazz, tap, and hip hop dance styles. Meanwhile, she fell in love with all aspects of theatrical productions and began acting, choreographing, directing, and designing for local theatre shows.

Jena shifted her focus and received her BFA in Acting from Florida State University’s School of Theatre. She continued her dance training through college with the School of Dance and with local Tallahassee dance studios. Early 2021, she moved to Atlanta to pursue film and television acting. She’s represented by KMR Talent and Click Models ATL. She also became a certified group fitness instructor and found her passion for teaching. She’s excited to share her love for movement with the Dance 101 community!