Janis Dionne

Can you picture it?

I grew up on a farm making mud cakes for fun. Pretty funny right? Well, actually my parents raised us in the “city” of Greenville, South Carolina. I grew up dancing and swimming. It’s true what they say about Aquarius people. We get bored very easily. I stayed busy in dance classes and companies, and the swim team starting at the age of 7. The only dancing you see me doing these days is in the dance club, or with the children I work with. And I’m more of a chill vibe lounge woman so you probably wouldn’t catch me at a “club”. You might catch me listening to some cool music out at Joe’s Pub, or Crash Mansion. You might even catch me singing at the Living Room or some other venue. Definitely might catch me zipin all thru New York. I’m a woman on the go. I’m also a woman on the slow. I like to take it easy. Especially at this great spa on Washington Street and Park Ave. in Brooklyn. If you don’t know, now you know. Check it out.

I started singing early on, but never really loud enough where anyone could here me. To say I was shy is a big ass understatement. I was extremely shy. It was ridiculous. It took me a long time to come out of my shell. However I always put myself out there. In my preteens I had my first radio and television experience through an organization called 4-H. Who knows what I’m talking about? “I pledge my head to clearer thinking, my heart to greater loyalty, my hands to better service, and my health to better living,. For my club, my community, my country, and my world.” Ha! Who knows what I’m talking about? Oh yeah, I did it. Ha!

I’m a girl from the bible belt. Southern Baptist. It was oratorical contests, church choir, revival, vacation bible school, and Sunday school for me. I grew up there. My brother and sister, and I went to the same church my parents went to growing up. It was all family and it was all country. Belton, South Carolina. I love it there. It’s so beautiful. I appreciate it now more than I did then.

The acting bug hit me when my dance school posted an audition for a local community theater for the production of FAME, and I landed a part as a dancer. I wanted of course to be the lead. I wanted to be the one singing, acting, and dancing.

High School for me was all about going to performing arts school. Half of my day was spent at regular High School, and the other half at Greenville’s Fine Arts Center. I loved it there. My teacher at the time, Ike Stoneburger, really nurtured me and believed in me. I miss him. I wish I knew where he was.

My move to D.C

I’m so glad I was accepted to Howard University considering it was the only school I applied for. I have great memories of going to school and living in D.C. I met so many great people that I still stay in contact with today. They are my family. AND THEY KNOW WHO THEY ARE! Shout out HU! I lived there, I went to school there, I worked there, and I loved there.

Acting was my thing at Howard. Can’t say I was singing where anyone could hear me yet. Matter of fact, I can still remember a very funny Jelly’s Last Jam audition where I had to sing. Just me and the piano. I’ll keep the details to myself. I will tell you though that I was afraid of pianos for a while after that. Ha! Needless to say, it was funny.

My move to N.J

I knew I wanted to go to graduate school after Howard but I honestly didn’t put much thought into where I would go. I hate to say I pretty much threw a dart at some choices on a wall. I hate saying that but in reality that’s what I did. I get like that sometimes. Had I strategically planned for my future I would have chosen more wisely. I say that even though my choice ended up being top notch. I trained at Rutgers University for three years in an intense acting program that is based on the Sanford Miesner technique. I studied with the phenomenal Maggie Flannigan , Bill Esper, and Hal Scott.

It was at Rutgers that I spent $70,000 on an education that was preparing me for acting while at the same time I planned and started a singing career with my cohort Jamie Jackson. Now I miss myself some Jamie Jackson. She’s in LA now. Long story. Jamie is an Aquarius sister. I believe she is my soul sister, and I can’t wait to see her again. She plays for a guy named WUZ. Check it out!

My move to New York (Well to Brooklyn, Manhattan, Staten Island, The Bronx, back to Manhattan, and now in Brooklyn again.)

I moved to New York in 2001. I thought it would be so easy to find an apartment that wouldn’t cost an arm and a leg. It wasn’t. I thought it would be easy to find a job that pays a lot but is flexible with a performers schedule. It wasn’t. It took me three months to find my first job, and that job disappeared with 911. It was a block and a half away from the World Trade Center. I moved on, and on, and on, and on.

Jamie and I actually accomplished a lot together with our singing/ songwriting group, J Soul. AKA Sultry Jones! Ha! We performed all over New York, and surrounding areas. We recorded at Jimi Hendrix’s Electric Lady Studios. We met many cool people, and had lots of fun. Thinking about those times makes me smile. There was a lot of crazy going on at that time but there was also a lot of good shit. Jamie is a superstar, and I’m her number one fan. Rock on Sista!

Wild Child

After saying goodbye to Sultry Jones, I said hello to my writing project Wild Child. Wild Child is my baby. It is a play with music. And it ROCKS! I’ve been hiding it like I used to hide my voice. I’m now ready to let it out. It deals with issues such as drug abuse and mental illness. Pretty dark subjects yet this play isn’t a downer. I will be listing on my page soon dates that I am having readings of the play in Manhattan. I have a couple of the songs on here, and the video clips on this page are from a show I did at SIR. It was a fundraiser for Wild Child, and I performed four of the songs from the play.

I am here on Myspace to open a door into my musical universe.

Not only that, I love meeting people and listening to new good music and this is a great place for that. However, for me, it is a way to introduce you to my music. You may love it and stick around. You may dislike it and it gives you a frown. Oh well, we’ll all just keep moving on then and be glad no one was injured on the point of introduction. You feel me? Tally ho then!

I write about things that matter to me.

I am inspired by life. I love working with other artists and collaborating. I love to write. I also love a great melody. Hit me if you are looking to collaborate. That’s with all styles of music. I am also singing with the band AUGUST RHODE

I am so glad you stopped by to visit. As they would say in my neck of the woods, “yall come back and see us!”

I wish you all blessings and much more.