She currently performs for Pones, a Cincinnati-based dance company that provides artistic opportunities for community growth by creating engaging ways for audiences to experience dance and performance art. Founded in 2008, Pones creates site-specific performances through a fusion of movement and dance with other art forms.<\/p>\n
The dancers have performed with international musicians in music videos, done pop-up performances and flash-mob dancing, and partnered with social justice nonprofits. They have performed for schoolchildren, business professionals, military veterans and hospice patients.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/files\/2022\/03\/Ayauna-Goodwin-59614_010-508x339.jpg\")
<\/a>Ayauna Goodwin, who performed with the Emerald Jazz dance team at Wright State, now dances with Pones in Cincinnati. (Video by Kris Sproles \/ photos by Erin Pence)<\/p><\/div>\n
Pones\u2019 performances have been seen in over 90 Cincinnati-area locations as well as in Indianapolis and Chicago. Goodwin recently performed at an event that featured a mural in Covington, Kentucky.<\/p>\n
Goodwin grew up in Cincinnati, where she started dancing and ballet at the age of 5. She joined Uptown Arts, an after-school program, and fondly recalls becoming a quick-change artist in the back of her mother\u2019s van during the fevered rush from school to dance class.<\/p>\n
Goodwin moved on to community dance teams, cheer teams and her church\u2019s Praise dance team. High school for her was at the Cincinnati School for Creative and Performing Arts.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was an amazing experience,\u201d she said. \u201cThe hallways are filled with music, filled with singing. I was able to be in plays and musicals as well as be the captain of the cheer team. So I was very much involved in the performing aspect of the arts.\u201d<\/p>\n
After graduating from high school in 2016 and coming to Wright State, she joined the university’s Emerald Jazz dance team.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was a little bit scared because my technique wasn\u2019t up to par as I expected it to be,\u201d she recalled. \u201cI was scared I wouldn\u2019t be able to fill the requirements that they needed me to fulfill. However, I pushed myself.\u201d<\/p>\n
With the support of the coach and fellow dancers, Goodwin quickly found her groove.<\/p>\n
The highlight of her time with Emerald Jazz was reaching the finals in the Division One hip-hop portion of the 2019 National Dance Alliance competition in Daytona Beach, Florida. It was a first for the team, which placed seventh.<\/p>\n
\u201cFinally being able to hit that finals floor \u2014 that was really nice,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m glad that I had that experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
Goodwin said she matured at Wright State, where she learned how to make new friends, received the support of faculty, and enjoyed personal growth by being involved in campus organizations.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/files\/2022\/03\/Ayauna-Goodwin-59614_013-508x292.jpg\")
<\/a>Ayauna Goodwin was a member of the Emerald Jazz when the team placed seventh in the hip-hop portion of the 2019 National Dance Alliance competition.<\/p><\/div>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been this grand experience, and I\u2019m glad I got involved versus just going to class and going back to the dorms,\u201d said Goodwin, the first person in her family to earn a bachelor\u2019s degree.<\/p>\n
Following graduation, Goodwin worked as a dance and fitness instructor for Pretty Girl Fitness in Kettering, did some choreography for others and hosted her own dance classes.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a learning period for myself,\u201d she said. \u201cIt taught me how to host my own events, how to cater to different personalities.\u201d<\/p>\n
To give her body a break from the rigors of dance, Goodwin is working as a professional makeup artist. But she found it hard to stay away from what she loves and in November discovered and joined Pones.<\/p>\n
\u201cDance is a passion of mine,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The floor of the Wright State Nutter Center holds a special place in Ayauna Goodwin’s heart. Continue reading