395,943 views | Daniel Alexander Jones • TED2020
What to do when everything feels broken
"Some call me a soul sonic superstar," says Jomama Jones, the alter ego of TED Fellow and theater artist Daniel Alexander Jones. In this stunning talk and performance, Jomama Jones invites us to consider how coming undone can be the first step toward transformation. It's a powerful story of community, growth and renewal -- and how breaking apart can mean breaking open.
This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.
Learn more about Daniel Alexander Jones's work.
"Some call me a soul sonic superstar," says Jomama Jones, the alter ego of TED Fellow and theater artist Daniel Alexander Jones. In this stunning talk and performance, Jomama Jones invites us to consider how coming undone can be the first step toward transformation. It's a powerful story of community, growth and renewal -- and how breaking apart can mean breaking open.
This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.
Learn more about Daniel Alexander Jones's work.
About the speaker
Daniel Alexander Jones creates unique and ritualistic dramatic experiences through music, monologue and improvisation by channeling Jomama Jones, a mystical alter ego.
Song: Jomama Jones and Josh Quat | Video concept and direction: Justin Miller, 2020 | Watch
"Undone"
Jomama Jones's in-person TED Talk was to be followed immediately by a live performance of this original song by Jomama Jones and Josh Quat. We were thrilled to record this version to share with you.
Todd London | HowlRound, 2019 | Article
"A Lover's Guide to American Playwrights: Daniel Alexander Jones"
An essay by Todd London that places my recent work in context. London is a prolific writer and leader in the field who has been intimately involved in the cultivation of hundreds of theatre artists' voices. Here he asserts, "Against the national myth that hails the 'self-made,' Daniel lifts up a powerful countermyth: selfhood is collectively made, shaped by the community of others."
Daniel Alexander Jones | 3Views, 2020 | Article
"A Selection from Evidence of Love"
This is an essay featured on the vital new site 3Views. In Evidence of Love, I respond to the challenges facing theatre as a result of our national reckoning with race and power by reflecting on an innovative series of works I was part of 25 years ago that have resonance with this time. (Be sure to scroll down on the linked page to find the full essay embedded with ISSU!)
Daniel Alexander Jones | Public Theater/Joe's Pub's, 2018 | Watch
"Jomama Jones: Black Light - Joe's Pub Live! From the Archives"
A link to the Public Theater/Joe's Pub's production of the show Black Light to experience an evening with Jomama as she (presciently) considers the crossroads at which the USA finds itself. Jesse Green of the New York Times wrote: “'Black Light,' recorded live at Joe's Pub on March 17, 2018, makes unrest deeply personal — and deeply complicated, too."
Jerry Portwood | Rolling Stone, 2018 | Article
"In 'Black Light,' Jomama Jones Channels Cosmic Soul, Prince Wisdom"
The Rolling Stone article profiling Jomama and Black Light.
Daniel Alexander Jones, 2020 | Watch
"Who is Jomama Jones?"
A brief overview of Jomama's origin story.
Robert Faires | The Austin Chronicle, 2015 | Article
"Omi Osun Joni L. Jones' Theatrical Jazz"
Just as within our Music and Dance and Visual Art traditions, there are rich distinctions within Black American Theatre that are often blurred in mainstream discourse. Scholar Dr. Omi Osun Joni L. Jones (no relation) has written a book about the tradition informing my work and my community of collaborators: Theatrical Jazz: Performance, Àse, and the Power of the Present Moment. Here's an interview from a few years back that gives an overview of her work.
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Arts organizations
Here are three organizations I love that actively embody the work of healing and civic transformation through the arts. Check them out and consider supporting their powerful missions. They lead by example, centering the richness and complexity of their communities while demonstrating the power of embodied practice: Penumbra Center for Racial Healing, allgo and Pillsbury House Theatre.