’Tis the season of rainbows and the yearly wave of well-meaning “Be Loud & Proud” infographics, but the truth is, you never really know how simply living authentically through your art can shape future generations-or impact the community around you right now. I’ve spent over 15 years balancing a career as a digital art director while working in NYC nightlife, and I’m often asked by younger folks (and yes, I’m still young) what inspired me to enter this field and launch the TENz platform.
While it might’ve been inevitable that someone with a flair for the dramatic and a soft spot for the avant-garde would land in the arts, there were specific moments that carved out my foundational queer cultural sensibilities and aesthetic: watching RuPaul cut up as Connie in Spike Lee’s Crooklyn. Hearing Lil Louis’ house anthem Club Lonely echo, “Miss Thing, there is no guest list tonight.” Discovering the nightclub scene in the cult classic film Trick on VHS while browsing the Brooklyn Public Library. Gagging at “Divas vs. Challengers,” my first ballroom clip, while browsing YouTube in my dorm room. Being introduced to dancer, choreographer, and all-around performer Jonte’s music video for “Makeup” while scrolling MySpace.
These weren’t just cultural curiosities-they were affirmations of identity in a world where Black queer representation in media remains far too rare.
Whether your introduction to Jonte came through his early jaw-dropping visuals, dancing for icons like Janet Jackson, his reign as a pop star in Japan, or as the face of Ice Breakers, carrying in Beyoncé’s Freakum Dress video, or his global reintroduction on the Renaissance World Tour, one thing’s for sure: Give Jonté their flowers and their 10z!
Photography by Sailey Williams
Styling by Chad g. for THE STYLEMONSTERS
Hair/Makeup by Miyako J
Stylist Assistants Ken Sivells and Alesandra Thomas
Dress by Chuks Collins Boots by Balenciaga Bangles by Haus of Topper Glove by Wing & Weft Hat by Ashaka Givens
Article by Sailey Williams
Jonté grew up in Portland, Oregon during the 1980s in a Christian household-not exactly the typical foundation for someone whose public persona is so deeply tied to the Black, queer dance music experience. But like many of us, he gravitated toward whatever content felt relatable, expressive, and electrifying, carving out his identity through what was available.
One of Jonté’s first encounters with Black queer representation was through the character Miss Roj in The Colored Museum, George C. Wolfe’s groundbreaking play that unpacks the complexities of the Black experience. “When I tell you, my mom said I knew every word of that play as a kid,” Jonté recalls. “When Miss Roj says, ‘Yeah, dance. But don’t be surprised if there ain’t no beat holding you together, ’cause we traded in our drums for respectability’ whew! That inspired me more than anything else because I wasn’t even watching TV during that time.”
In the exhibit “The Gospel According to Miss Roj,” the character-a gender-bending, snapping queen-confronts themes of identity, belonging, and dignity, all while exuding the audacity to be bold, flamboyant, and unapologetically queer in spaces often dominated by whiteness and heteronormativity.
That early cultural beacon, combined with a deep interest in musical theater, led Jonte’ to enroll in the Oregon Ballet Theatre at just 13. After graduating high school, he moved to New York City to train with the prestigious Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. But like many queer creatives who move to the city, Jonté received a second education-one shaped by nightlife.
“I was like, let me just go out and kiki,” he recalls. “I used to go to this party with Boy George, it was called Plaid and happened every Tuesday near Union Square. I’d go to Suzanne Bartsch parties and to Escuelita in Midtown.” Between training at Ailey and club nights, he found himself forming lifelong connections and community. “You meet people by socializing-like Ramon Barnes, who was cast in Britney’s iconic ‘I’m a Slave 4 U’ video, and Danielle Polanco, who was making waves voguing in the ballroom scene and had just booked a gig with Beyoncé. If there was a show Danielle or Ramon was doing, we didn’t mind supporting each other and letting each of us shine. They became part of my chosen dance family.”
As we know, queer people often build chosen family and community structures, much like those found in the ballroom scene. When asked whether he ever joined a house or walked a category, Jonte’ shares:
“We were definitely up in Escos watching the balls, but mostly as spectators,” he says. “I was always outside with Willi and the House of Ninja too. I really wanted to see a time when commercial dance would fully embrace voguing and ballroom. That’s where Danielle [Polanco] comes in, she used to bring celebs to the ball. She brought Janet Jackson to the Latex Ball for the first time. And then I started bringing FKA twigs around.”
Those moments of cultural exchange planted seeds that would blossom years later as ballroom moved toward its own renaissance, from the underground to the mainstage.
As Jonte’ and his chosen family began auditioning for artists big and small, they also performed as club acts, sharpening his unique choreo style and signature flair. While building routines for one set, a friend played him “Make-Up” by Vanity 6-a track written, produced, and largely performed by Prince. “I was just so inspired; I heard it and knew I wanted to recreate it while building a visual and stage show. Not too long after that, I went to LA to audition for Janet Jackson’s iconic Super Bowl XXXVIII performance. And NO, I did not know that titty was coming out. We didn’t rehearse that.”
It’s wild to think how that incident could ripple through pop culture and indirectly introduce both the world and me to Jonte. Over 140 million people witnessed “Nipplegate,” which dominated headlines for weeks, even among those who hadn’t seen it live. At the time, there wasn’t an easy way to find the clip online, and that gap in access is what sparked the creation of YouTube.
“I had my recreation of ‘Makeup’ just sitting on the shelf,” Jonte’ recalls. “Then I saw this new video site and thought, let me do something with this. We recorded a video of us just having fun and it became a thing.”
Back then, the platform was still finding its identity. “It was mostly cat videos, Shoes by Kelly, What What (In the Butt) by Samwell, and Miss Cleo by Milan, those were the only other Black gay things on there,” he says.
But that upload did more than go viral it ushered Black queerness and femininity into the digital era. Seeing dark-skinned Black men in pumps, no wigs, serving full-out original choreo? It woke it up for me. It resonated deeply and signaled the rise of a new generation of queer cultural provocateurs, claiming space and visibility through the power of social media.
The year I saw that video, I knew I had to witness that kind of audacity in person. I remember messaging Jonte’ on MySpace about upcoming performances, and he invited me to catch a show at the Pier during NYC Pride in 2006.
Riding the momentum of Makeup’s online buzz and club bookings with Ramon and Danielle, Jonte’ began releasing original music, including “Bitch You Betta,” with a music video filmed at Escuelita. It further solidified his signature: sharp, ninja-esque choreography and a heel-clad, gender-bending look. “Danielle made Beyoncé watch all my YouTube videos,” Jonte’ recalls. “She told her, ‘This is who you need to work with next.’”
LEFT: Top & Skirt by Chuks Collins Gloves by Wing & Weft Boots by Stuart Weitzman Hat by New Era Glasses are stylist’s own | RIGHT: Jacket and Tie by Landeros New York Hat by Andrew Nowell Jewelry by Haus Of Topper
“If I were a boy, I would probably be Jonte… he wears his stilettos and he is hot. If I was a boy I would still like boys!” – Beyoncé to New Now Next / LOGOtv
Jonte’ began a creative partnership with Beyoncé during the release of her second solo album, B’Day. We gasped when we saw him and Ramon Barnes zipping her into that dress in the opening of Freakum Dress. From the close-ups to the full-out dance shots, it marked one of the first times in recent pop memory that visibly queer Black dancers were given that kind of screen time in a major artist’s music video.
In addition to starring in the video, Jonte’ and Ramon brought their signature flair as choreographers not just to Freakum Dress, but also to Suga Mama and Get Me Bodied.
“You see us visually in Freakum Dress, but people don’t talk about the fact that we did the whole B’Day project and The Beyoncé Experience 2007 world tour,” Jonte’ says. “We literally did just about everything except Irreplaceable. It’s just that people saw us in Freakum Dress and Get Me Bodied-so that’s what stuck.”
The full scope of Jonte’s impact behind the scenes was limited by that era of social media. These days, a dancer can post a clip on Instagram with full credits, but back then, most people only saw what made it to MTV interviews or Making of the Video specials. Still, we saw. And we lived.
So did other countries. While on The Beyoncé Experience tour, Jonte’ picked up an entirely new audience in Japan. His flamboyant style aligned perfectly with the high-camp pop aesthetic beloved by Japanese audiences. “There were some producers backstage like, ‘What do you think? You like it?’ I was like, ‘Let’s try it out,’” Jonte’ recalls. “So I got signed to a Japanese record label, and they literally threw my ass on TV, just to get me out there. And it worked, well! I couldn’t even speak Japanese. Tensai TV-kun was like Saturday Night Live for college kids-it came on every Friday at 1 AM for like eight weeks.”
That visibility launched Jonte’ into a new level of celebrity as a full-blown Japanese pop star. He released new music like “High Kick Pow” and “Ya Rude,” became the face of Cup Noodles and LINE, starred in Ice Breakers commercials, and even had his own line of dolls.
But back in the States, his rise as a solo talent hadn’t quite matched the same level of celebration outside of niche Black and queer circles.
“You know what bothers me?” Jonte’ says. “It’s like… how come we have to go overseas to be seen? How come my own people don’t see that? It’s just like Josephine Baker, she had to go all the way to Paris to be recognized. We never celebrate the greatness we have until someone else does, and then we tag along. That’s some bullshit.”
He laughs, half in awe and half in frustration. “I got my own Hello Kitty doll, girl. That’s how far I had to go. And that’s what’s wrong.”
Jonte’ would return to the States crafting movement for artists like M.I.A., Cassie, Tamar Braxton, and FKA Twigs. He made appearances on America’s Next Top Model (Cycle 19), the documentary Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami, performed “Single Ladies” with Beyoncé alongside choreographer Sean Bankhead on The Tyra Banks Show, and popped out of that cake in Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married?
“Yeah, you know I didn’t want to do that shit, HA!” he says. “I got a personal call from Janet. She said, ‘Can you please come and do this little thing?’ This was maybe three weeks after Michael had passed. I wasn’t gonna say no-I said, ‘Whatever you need, I’ll be there.’ Again, my chosen dance family.”
Coat by Norma Kamali Kimono by Issey Miyake Bodysuit by HUE Gloves by Ty Brooks Goggles by Kroop Boots by Marc Jacobs
As digital media shifted into the influencer era of TikTok and Instagram Reels, Jonte’ admits he hasn’t always been the best at keeping his personal socials updated. Still, he never stopped working-continuing to shape the next generation of performers behind the scenes. That quiet consistency eventually caught the attention of the K-Pop world.
LEFT: Top by Geoffrey Mac Shorts are Stylist’s Own Glasses by Balenciaga Boots by International Concepts | RIGHT: Dress by Adrian Alicea Gloves by Wing & Weft
Jonte’ became the dance force behind global superstars like BLACKPINK, Wonder Girls, Miss A, 2PM, T-ara, and J.Y. Park. “Bitch, it’s the way I even infiltrated the Korean market before it blew up in the U.S.,” he says. “I was working with Psy-you know, Gangnam Style. He was with a label that had BLACKPINK. I was with BLACKPINK from the beginning. And now, my influence literally has billions of views on YouTube.”
All that behind-the-scenes mystery came to an end in 2023 when a sharp blonde bob stepped center stage on the Renaissance World Tour. I remember the timeline gagging in real time as Jonte’ hit every step with precision, poise, and power night after night on that 56-stop international run.
“I had been working on Renaissance behind the scenes the whole time,” Jonte’ says. “We had just wrapped Find Your Way Back and the Black Is King project. I said I would think about it twice before I finally said yes to being on stage. Then COVID happened, and three years went by. But when it was time, I was like… it makes sense. I need to be here. And also, just a little reminder to the girls.”
Whether Renaissance was your first introduction to Jonte’ or a long-overdue reminder, it solidified what many of us already knew: he’s a dynamic superstar with unmatched stage presence. “That was my first time performing on a tour,” he says. “So I had to make sure my endurance was still right-with some big auntie energy for the new dancers-and that I was killing it in that bob.”
Being back on tour reconnected Jonté with artists who’d long admired him from afar. I asked Jonte’ which new pop stars understand the art of stage presence and performance.
“When I’d come off stage, along the tour I’d run into a few folks that do” he says. “Teyana Taylor, that’s my Harlem girl from back in the day. She’s killing it. Victoria Monét too. She came up to me and said, ‘You still smell exactly the same as you did years ago,’ and told me, ‘I don’t think you understand-you belong on stadium stages. Doechii invited me to a show, and I was like, ‘Lemme see what you’re doing.’ And she’s killing it. I also love me some Doja Cat and she loves me too. I’ve been performing a mix with her song ‘Demons.’ But really, they’re extended family. Their choreographers are my peers. The folks working with Lil Nas X, Taylor Swift-those choreographers were onstage with me when you saw me back in the day at Escuelita. Thinking about how we all branched out… it’s wild.”
I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing Jonté’s journey both up close and from afar, a visionary who turned choreography into cultural commentary and shifted the landscape of pop music, and visibility of Black queerness across continents and timelines. From underground clubs to viral screens, from Beyoncé’s stage to primetime in Japan, his legacy isn’t just in the steps he choreographed, but in the doors he kicked open, often in a stiletto heel. Give Jonté their flowers and their 10z!
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