Jon Jackson

The Washington Ballet: Principal
Ailey II

Jon Jackson, of Washington DC, is a United States Navy Veteran, a founding principal dancer of The Washington Ballet, and a founding principal actor of the former Ebony Impromptu Theatre Company. Jackson, a graduate of McKinley Tech High School, got his theatrical start in the Workshops for Careers in the Arts Drama and Dance Departments. While there, he was the lead actor in Everyman and Estaban. Both musicals were performed with the Everyman Street Theatre Company, among other productions. Jackson went on to The Juilliard School, where he was featured in The Juilliard Dance Ensemble, dancing leading roles in world premiere works, including Anna Sokolow’s Ellis Island and Ride the Culture Loop, Daniel Lewis’s Proliferation, and Kazuko Hirabayshi’s Nowhere But Light. The Washington Ballet came next. There he danced in world premiere works including Choo-San Goh’s Fives and Synonyms, Mary Day’s The Nutcracker, and George Balanchine’s Concerto Barocco and Serenade, among others. Jackson was a member of The Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble (Ailey II) and was featured in Louis Johnson’s The Ball with The DC Black Repertory Dance Company.

Jackson’s debut as a choreographer came in 1999 with his world premiere work The Investigation (a solo) in the Joy of Motion Dance Project Choreographer’s Showcase. He has been a featured actor and dancer in numerous Washington regional theatre productions, including, although not a student there, those of the Howard University Players. He has also danced in the operas Antony and Cleopatra and Rusulka while attending Juilliard and Lily with the New York City Opera. “Jon Jackson/Silver City Dance” has been associated with Jackson, regarding some past dance company activity in the Washington Metropolitan area. Jackson’s mentors include Mike Malone, Peggy Cooper Cafritz, Charles Augins, and Debbie Allen. The Washington Post, The New York Times, and Dance Magazine have also cited him over the years for outstanding performance. Jackson returned to dance as an adult ballet student in 2005 to accompany his many theatrical interest and talents. He can readily be seen in class on occasional weekends at The Washington School of Ballet and more often at Maryland Youth Ballet in downtown Silver Spring, MD during the week.