Jennifer Jones, the first African American Rockette, has released her memoir, Becoming Spectacular: The Rhythm of Resilience (Harper Collins-Amistad). The book comes out as the Rockettes mark 100 years of performances.
In the memoir, Jones shares how her love of dance started as a child in New Jersey. Her parents often took her and her sister to Broadway shows like The Wiz, which sparked her passion for the arts. That support helped lead to her history-making role with the Rockettes in 1987, ending a 62-year stretch without a Black woman in the line.
She gained national attention in 1988 at age 20 when she performed in the Super Bowl XXII halftime show. She later performed in the 2001 Broadway revival of 42nd Street, which won a Tony Award, and appeared in commercials for Delta Airlines, Nordstrom Rack, 1-800-Flowers, and TransUnion.
In 2023, she wrote On The Line: My Story of Becoming the First African American Rockette, a children’s book now part of the Library of Congress’s collection. It will be featured at the National Book Festival on Sept. 6, 2025, at the Washington, D.C., Convention Center, representing New Jersey in the Parade of States.
“My story isn’t just about dancing,” Jones says. “It’s about dreaming when others say you shouldn’t, standing tall when it’s easier to shrink, and showing up as your full, authentic self even when no one else in the room looks like you.”
At age 50, Jones was diagnosed with stage three colorectal cancer. Now cancer-free for more than six years, she works as a volunteer and mentor with the Colorectal Cancer Alliance.
She also created the Dancing Jenn doll to inspire children to believe in themselves.
“This doll is a reminder,” she says, “that they can do what they love, and that no matter the challenges or setbacks they face, they can rise above them. They can do anything.”
Jones spent 15 years as a Rockette and continues to share her story through books, advocacy, and public speaking.
Becoming Spectacular, On The Line, and the Dancing Jenn doll are available on Amazon and Walmart Marketplace.
