Michael O’Neal Jr.

Michael O’Neal Jr. (Majinn) is a queer, mixed-race, African-American dance artist and educator who utilizes his training in multiple dance styles to find and express his whole self. Majinn believes that to be the best dancer and person he can be, he should be versatile and push his own comfort zone. Majinn aims to help people become more confident in their bodies, express themselves and be confident speaking their voice on and off of the dance floor rather than just making people better dancers with his teaching. One of Majinn’s biggest goals in dance is to spread the histories of street/club styles dance in and out of academia so that the cultures are learned and more respected. As well as to give back to the communities that these art forms were created from. Majinn’s art to for himself and the communities he comes from always striving to be authentically himself in his movement and work. You take Hip-Hop or House class from Majinn at Velocity Dance Center.

Majinn received a 2019 GAP Award funding for Intertwined (working title) a solo being created for CD Forum’s Showing out Showcase based on the ideas of masculinity. This funding will help Majinn in booking space to work on both iterations of the 5-minute piece in November and a 10-minute piece in January. The funding will help in supporting financial costs of travel, food, and work equipment that Majinn will need to create this new solo on how he relate to masculinity and what masculinity is to him.