Rebekah Bono is a dance educator, performer, choreographer, and administrator. She holds a BA in dance from James Madison University and an MFA degree in dance from the University at Buffalo. Over her 15+ year teaching career, she has served as the instructor of record for Jazz, Hip Hop, and general education courses at UB, an adjunct professor of dance at Mary Baldwin University. Her work in dance studios in Virginia and New York has allowed her to train hundreds of students of all ages in tap, jazz, hip hop, modern/contemporary, and ballet. She has also led numerous workshops and master classes at events such as the American College Dance Association (ACDA). As a performer, she has appeared across the East Coast with Soul Steps and Shannon Hummel/Cora Dance in New York City, most recently as a dancer in Starring Buffalo’s Rent in Concert at the Shea's Theatre in Buffalo, NY.

Her choreography has been presented in concert dance settings, theatrical productions, and competitive stages. Her most current scholarship includes but is not limited to research on culturally relevant, interdisciplinary, and anti-racist teaching practices, especially through forms of the African diaspora. She developed and taught an Open Hip Hop technique course for undergraduate students at UB as well as presented a multimedia and multi-genre thesis work on expanding the embodied archive through autoethnography that included tap, jazz, contemporary, and dance on film for which she gained her MFA in dance with distinction.

In addition to her artistic work, Rebekah has managed education programs, developed teacher-training initiatives, directed youth companies, and produced performances. Through her work, she uses dance to inspire creativity, tell stories, practice discipline, and cultivate meaningful relationships. Rebekah has recently relocated back to Virginia and is looking forward to returning to JMU in the fall as an instructor of jazz and musical theatre dance!