Biography
Kara Jenelle “KJ” Wade, MFA is a multi-hyphenate choreographer, performer, and cultural conduit who joins Loyola Marymount University’s Dance Department as a Tenure-Track Assistant Professor. She holds a B.A. in Dance with a Minor in African American Studies from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and an MFA from UCLA’s Department of World Arts & Cultures/Dance. With 15 years of experience in the performing arts, she brings a dynamic blend of choreography, education, activism, and production to her academic role.
KJ’s career spans over 18 countries, where she has taught and performed as a guest artist. She recently represented the United States as a cultural performer at the 2025 World Expo in Japan and is preparing for her company’s debut at Jacob’s Pillow Summer Dance Festival. She has served on faculty for programs such as Ladies of Hip Hop, AfroNation Portugal, Next Level Hip Hop Diplomacy, and Debbie Reynolds Dance Studio. Her performance credits include Beyoncé (Black Is King), Janet Jackson, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Wizkid, Tiwa Savage, Yemi Alade, Daddy Yankee, Gladys Knight (Coming 2 America), the Black Eyed Peas, and Step Afrika!. Her work has appeared on BET, Nike, NBC, the Latin Grammys, The Ellen Show, and YouTube, where her choreography has garnered over 19 million views.
KJ is the Founder and Artistic Director of KaJe Movement Collective and the visionary behind Delta Chi Xi Honorary Dance Fraternity, Inc. She is also an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Through her teaching, she creates brave, embodied, and globally conscious classrooms that merge technique, culture, and community with scholarship and soul.
KJ’s career spans over 18 countries, where she has taught and performed as a guest artist. She recently represented the United States as a cultural performer at the 2025 World Expo in Japan and is preparing for her company’s debut at Jacob’s Pillow Summer Dance Festival. She has served on faculty for programs such as Ladies of Hip Hop, AfroNation Portugal, Next Level Hip Hop Diplomacy, and Debbie Reynolds Dance Studio. Her performance credits include Beyoncé (Black Is King), Janet Jackson, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Wizkid, Tiwa Savage, Yemi Alade, Daddy Yankee, Gladys Knight (Coming 2 America), the Black Eyed Peas, and Step Afrika!. Her work has appeared on BET, Nike, NBC, the Latin Grammys, The Ellen Show, and YouTube, where her choreography has garnered over 19 million views.
KJ is the Founder and Artistic Director of KaJe Movement Collective and the visionary behind Delta Chi Xi Honorary Dance Fraternity, Inc. She is also an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Through her teaching, she creates brave, embodied, and globally conscious classrooms that merge technique, culture, and community with scholarship and soul.
