BY AVERY CHENAULT
PHOTOS BY TAMARA REED MILLER AND COURTNEY SEARCY

Featured in Vol 9, Issue 1: Community

“I just need a space to dance,” Mona Lisa Lanier said to me as she flicked on the lights of a former elementary school turned community recreation center. The room, once a classroom, is now a dance studio with mirrors and photos of dancers in brightly colored costumes lining the wall.

Lanier proudly pointed out her students and how much they’ve grown since these photos were taken.

I watched as Lanier repeatedly had the girls practice walking onto the dance floor gracefully until their form was right. She prompted a student to straighten her arms and asked kindly, “How was your day today? Good?”

Lanier teaches her students grace and precision and remains joyful and encouraging through every critique. She plays an integral part in teaching her students strength and confidence and a love for the place where they live.

“I’m a Jacksonian,” Lanier said, as she shared with me more about the origin of the Mona Lisa Lanier School of Dance.

Born into a creative family, Lanier’s brothers, Farris Jr., Marlone, and Fenoye, were a part of a band originally called “The Jacksonians,” later known as Lanier & Co. As her brothers sang, Lanier used her gifts to choreograph for them. Lanier’s brothers eventually performed her choreography on Dick Clark’s hit television show, “American Bandstand.”

Her parents, Farris and Laverne Lanier, encouraged each of their children in their creative journeys, and Lanier eventually went on to perform in multiple ballets and now teaches others the joy of dancing everyday.

“I always wanted to dance,” Lanier said. “I have danced all my life.”

A Jackson-native, Lanier was approached about teaching dance classes at Jackson Junior Arts and Humanities School after successfully choreographing a cheerleading routine for a group of students at Jackson Junior High.

A third grade teacher at the time, Lanier was surprised by the offer.

“I thought it over and thought it over and said ‘I’ll do it,’” Lanier said. “It was an honor.”

After teaching dance classes in the Jackson public school system for years, Lanier started the Mona Lisa School of Dance in 2017 and continues to give back to the community as she enriches the culture of Jackson. She currently teaches ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop, liturgical, retro style dancing, African folk, and line dancing to students of all ages.

Amidst Lanier’s diverse resume, she stays true to her Jackson heritage by choreographing many of her studio’s dances to the music of important Jackson artists such as Denise LaSalle, Carl Perkins, Gil Scott-Heron, and her brothers’ music, Lanier & Co.

By choreographing her dances to songs by Jacksonians, Lanier has exposed her students to new music that they have quickly grown to love.

“These kids say, “Ms. Lanier, I love Gil Scott-Heron!”

Lanier is not just teaching her students about the legacy of Jackson, she is adding to the history of this community. She is not only teaching her students proper technique and form, she is teaching life lessons that go beyond the dance studio.

“I want them to be empowered,” Lanier said. “They can be anything they want to be.”

She speaks of her students with immense pride. She is proud of who her students are and who they are becoming. While many people in the dance industry desire to relocate to bigger cities, Lanier models that leaving a legacy doesn’t always look like leaving the place where you came from.

“I may not ever get to New York,” Lanier said. “But I can bring New York to Jackson, Tennessee.”

Through challenging seasons, Lanier continues to see the value in teaching dance to her students. Even through a cancer diagnosis and the difficult times that followed, she never let go of her love for dancing. Now a cancer survivor, Lanier continues to love dance and pursues her passion with even deeper joy and gratitude.

“At my lowest point when something is wrong, God always manages to bring that dancing to me,” Lanier said.

People like Lanier are essential in keeping creativity in Jackson alive and empowering the next generation.

As Lanier’s students round out another day of rehearsal, “Share Your Love with Me,” by Lanier & Co. plays from the radio in the corner.

The girls, dressed in pink tights and black leotards, strike the final pose of their dance routine. Their toes are pointed and arms placed gracefully above their heads, exactly as Lanier has taught them.

Their teacher beams with pride.

“My dream is a dream that came true,” Lanier said.

Avery Chenault has called Jackson home for over a decade. She currently studies journalism and intercultural studies at Union University. She enjoys writing, learning to cook new recipes, and getting lost in a good book.

Tamara Reed Miller is a Hairstylist/Entrepreneur and a Photographer. Tamara is a graduate of Haywood High School & West TN School of Cosmetology. Her gift for hair & photography can be seen.

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