Hidden Gems: Meet Jonia Queen of Raiz Brazil Dance Company

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jonia Queen

Hi Jonia, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I am born and raised in Brazil, originally from Recife city, capital of Pernambuco state in Northeast of Brazil. I immigrated to the US , specifically Los Angeles, to continue to be a professional dancer , since I realized there were more opportunities here.
I grew up dancing different Brazilian folk dance styles and also started later training in more classical styles like Jazz, Ballet, Contemporary and Hip Hop. When I first arrived in Los Angeles I was dancing a lot commercial Hip Hop among the other styles , until I connected to few other Brazilians that were also trained in different dance styles and they were dancing in Brazilian Samba Shows. I always loved dancing Samba for fun in Brazil and starting doing that professionally here, it was a dream come true!
As I dove more and more into the Samba Shows world, dancing for different Samba Entertainment companies, I started having my own vision to create my Company, Raiz Brazil Dance Company.
I wanted to fulfill my whole creative vein, creating, choreographing, coaching, directing and performing, I just LOVE doing it all! And I had to start learning the business side of my art, like booking, writing contracts, people managing , HR, customer service and marketing.
I felt challenged ( still feel this way ) with that side of the business.
What keeps me fueled is my passion for the Brazilian Samba, my passion for Dance, creating and also working on my craft to share with the audiences really keeps me hyped up.
In parallel of my work with Raiz Brazil Dance Company, I always kept perfecting my skill as an individual Samba Dancer, what led me to win different competitions and earn different titles, like “Sambalá Samba School Queen of the Drums 2008-2011” , “San Diego Brazil Carnival Queen 2014”, “Santa Barbara Brazilian Carnival Queen 2014” , “Hollywood Carnival Queen 2015” , also winning the National competition in the US and becoming “Samba Queen USA 2016/17 “. I also was privileged to win national online Samba Designer competition becoming “ “Cory Thomas Samba Designer Ambassador 2018/19”. And in 2019 I was officially awarded by the Hollywood Carnival as “ Hollywood Carnival Queen 1st” becoming the Queen Brand Ambassador for the Hollywood Carnival.
As a Company, Raiz Brazil also accomplished few Awards , winning 1st place in the Los Angeles Samba Group competition in 2009, and we won 1st place with our Raiz Brazil Student Team in the National Samba Queen and King Competition in Arizona in 2017 in the Semi-Pro category.
Over the years, Raiz Brazil Dance Company was graced also with 4 international tours, showcasing our Samba Show in Mexico, China, Thailand and Russia. And I have directed and choreographing also our Samba Dancers for big artists, like Ozomatli at the Playboy Festival in the Hollywood Bowl in 2012 , and Sergio Mendes at the Hollywood Bowl in 2016 and in 2021.
We also had 3 residencies going on until pandemic , monthly at Rio Grill Brazilian Steakhouse in Clovis ( Central California) for 7 years, ( they closed due to pandemic), weekly at the Conga Room nightclub in LA for 10 years ( they just closed down on February 2024) and we continue weekly in our residency at Kravings Fusion Brazilian Steakhouse in Tarzana ( great Los Angeles ) showcasing our Show from Wednesday through Saturday at 7:30om and 8:30pm. It’s an amazing Dinner Show experience, not to be missed in LA area!
It has been a fun journey, and I feel very blessed and grateful to God, for all the opportunities given to me and our Company, Raiz Brazil, to keep spreading our Brazilian Art and Culture, in Los Angeles , the United States and the World.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road always feels challenging. Because having the integrity for the art and culture that I represent, and being commercial at the same time, as we are not main stream kind of art, needs always adjustments to be made, and always balance a lot different factors.
I believe that what really helps is that I just love doing it all, from teaching and coaching my Dancers , to make sure they represent our Art with a lot authenticity ( I don’t settle until I see they are delivering what I expect ) , and I love creating elaborate choreographies with a theatrical flare , that can be performed in a small party or a big stage. And as a Director, I really care to bring the best from each Dance Artist, and I love to see their growth!
As an Individual Dance Artist, I love to keep challenging myself as a Performer , performing our Raiz Brazil Show and also performing in Solo Shows as a Samba Queen, Samba Artist.
The high standards that I have makes me work really hard, because I want to reach for excellence in everything that I do. But I learned to give myself some grace as well, and always have fun during the process!
Another big challenge is to negotiate to get what we really deserve as Artists and to keep working non stop! Sometimes I have to explain to clients that what they are hiring is not only the 30 minutes Samba Show/Entertainment. They are hiring a product that involves weekly rehearsals/practice, expensive costumes that we import from Brazil, our individual/personal production with make up, hair and everything involved in our presentation, and as business owner I also have overhead expenses that includes, Company storage for the big costumes pieces , LLC, business accounting, studio rental for the rehearsals, marketing, music editing and more!
As I mentioned before, my passion for Samba , my passion for Dance always fuels me to continue doing what I do, despite all obstacles.

As you know, we’re big fans of Raiz Brazil Dance Company. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Raiz Brazil Dance Company is a Dance and Entertainment Company specialized in Brazilian Samba Shows,/Brazilian Dances Performances and Entertainment also integrating the audience, with participation with the Brazilian Carnival Vibe and Energy!

What set us apart from other Samba Shows, it is the constant updating of our technique, to keep the authenticity of our Brazilian Samba, representing in the way Samba is currently in Brazil. Also what set us apart is the theatrical element in our choreographies , and the artistry and level of our choreographies and Samba Artists.

We perform in Corporate Parties, Birthday parties, Barmitzvas, Sweet 16, Quinceaneras, Weddings, Holiday/Christmas Parties , Concert
Openings, Concerts, and more!

To book us you can go to our website:
www.raizbrazilsambashow.com

So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
What matters to me, before anything is to be a good mother, and as a single mother, be an example for my daughters as someone that doesn’t settle for the minimum, but is always seeking for growth, to keep perfecting my craft, with human and artistic integrity, and always seek the fun during the process.
Also always keep balancing personal life and professional life, what is the most challenging, specially being a full time Artist.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.raizbrazilsambashow.com
• Instagram: Individual Artist IG: @joniaqueen. Company IG: @raizbrazildancecompany
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/raizbrazildancecompany?mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Twitter: @RaizBrazil
• Youtube: @joniadeemc
• Yelp: Check out Raiz Brazil Dance Company

Image Credits
Photographers:
Shutter Euphoria Photography
Dexter Brown Photography
Lindsay Rosenberg