dance. vision. art.
Originally from Chester, Pennsylvania, dance educator Monique Newton Walker has traveled the world as a performer, educator, and choreographer. She specializes in neo-traditional and contemporary African dance and culture; and has studied ballet, jazz, African, and modern from many dance masters and institutions including Katherine Dunham, Walter Nicks, Jean-Léon Destiné, Philadanco!, The School at Jacob’s Pillow, Dr. Chuck Davis, and Dr. Kariamu Welsh. She is the former dance captain and Assistant to the Artistic Director of Baba Chuck Davis' African American Dance Ensemble, with additional performance credits including: Kariamu and Company: Traditions, world premiere choreography by David Dorfman at the American Dance Festival, and Soul In Motion.
Currently based in the metro Washington, DC area, Monique holds a Bachelor of Arts in Arts Administration, is the former Administrative Director for the Charles County Arts Alliance, a former NextLOOK Residency Artist (MD), and a Master Teacher of the Umfundalai contemporary African dance technique. She is an adjunct faculty member in the Visual and Performing Arts Department at the College of Southern Maryland and teaches Umfundalai at CityDance (MD) and The VIVA School of Dance (DC). Monique has served as a guest lecturer at Drexel University (PA) and the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and on the dance faculty at North Carolina State University and The School at Jacob’s Pillow. She is the former Assistant to the Artistic Director of Chuck Davis’ African American Dance Ensemble and has performed as a principal dancer with Kariamu & Company: Traditions. Her choreography has been presented at the North Carolina Dance Festival, the Philadelphia Fringe Festival (PA), Dance Place (DC), and the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center (MD). Monique continues her mission of using dance, music, and theater as a vehicle for the preservation, promotion, and innovation of African Diasporan dance through her work as a choreographer with her project-based performance company, MoDance Works.