Daily Inspiration: Meet Versaille Jones

Today we’d like to introduce you to Versaille Jones.

Hi Versaille, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
When I was younger my mom decided to see if I , at the age of 3 years old, would grow a liking towards ballet. And I did ! This extracurricular activity would then be added to soccer,swimming,girl scouts, chess club, BIPOC counsel , cheerleading etc. Around middle school my mom gave me the choice of which activity I was most passionate about. One of the easiest choices I’ve made to date.

I did most of my foundational training at Gwinnett Ballet Theater under Wade Wathall and Terminus Ballet. There I maintained a focus in ballet and other forms of “traditional” styled dance practices. By middle school was when I began to shift my attention toward dance-making. I had always, as a kid, found ways to create little shows for my family or friends like I imagine most kids do , but it wasn’t until around 7th grade that I even considered choreography to be an option that artists could take in their careers. From there I proposed a program to my dance teacher called the Youth Performance Division that would allow students to choreograph their own pieces.

Later on in high school I continued my dance training at my home studio while also entering the dance company program for St. Pius X under Lisa O’Connor. My fascination with choreography continued into college where I attended the University of the Arts under Donna Faye Burchfield. This is where my style of creation moved toward a realm of absurdism and experimentation. I remember beginning to question the value systems of dance. For instance, what would change if I were to present to you a full length ballet vs an hour long durational performance of me mimicking movement from audience members. My college experience was very transformative for me because it laid the groundwork in how I approached preliminary research and other methods that prepared me in my choreographic practice.

From 2023 to 2025 I began the process of taking everything I’ve learned in institutionalized settings and applying them to my professional career. I applied to everything I could get my hands on even things I didn’t have the qualifications for (something I still do today). As of now I have presented work several spaces in and outside of the state including Dance Canvas palette project and summer residency , Oregon Fringe Festival, Spoke the Hub Winter Follies showcase, Houston Barnstorm, Dance Canvas CCDI program, Decatur School of Ballet’s Meli Kaye Residency, Fly on a Wall’s ETA, and CORE’s LIFT. All of this on top of working in dance education and healthcare made for a very busy Versaille!

It wasn’t until January of 2026 that I started my journey toward getting my MFA in choreography at Reinhardt University. I’m about to get into my third semester along with rehearsals for my upcoming evening length show “Brain.Fry.” that will be premiering in November 2026.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I think a common question that we will all have to answer at some point in our lives is “ Do you have any regrets?”. While attempting to not be cheesy , my answer would be No. Of course I have had many moments of guilt or lack of confidence, but I do not carry any overall sense of regret toward anything in my life. At least now anyways. There were many days when I looked at myself and didn’t like what I saw , whether that was my body , my race , or anything else that someone could put up to a magnifying glass and judge. My struggles have molded my personhood.
Everytime I mess something up I learn something new and every time I feel less than I become more perseverant.
This is why I tend to release regret. Because I don’t hold much value to it. What would be the point? Without struggles we would not be where or who we are. We would be an amalgamation of everything we’ve never learned.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
In this portion of my life I’d say that my choreographic work focuses heavily around absurdism. I center a lot of my projects on the relationality between what is tangible and what is considered “fantasy” or “delusion”. All of this is with the understanding that everything I make as a black artist will be seen as political because to be black in America is to be in constant pursuit of breaking through the glass ceiling that is unevenly distributed and inequitable power.

Something that sets me a part would have to be that I have a consistent eagerness to test my limits when it comes to dance. I take pride in the weird and odd nature of my projects and I approach everything I do with the confidence to be unfavorable to others.

We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I consider myself to be a huge science fiction fan! Doctor Who is my favorite show of all time and I’ve been watching it since I was about 8 years old. I love going to conventions and cosplaying characters I’m into, especially Dragoncon which falls around my birthday this year! I’m also a big reader so any chance I get I’m usually picking up another sci-fi book. Jeff Vandermir is my top author right now but I’m about to start getting into “Time in Joint” by Philip K Dick so that may change !

Contact Info:

• Website: https://versaillejones.squarespace.com
• Instagram: @versaillejonesdancer
• LinkedIn: @versaillejonesdancer