Lihann Jones
- Actress
Lihann Jones, originally from Kenmore, New York, has spent most of her life dancing or performing in some fashion. She has danced in her parents' nightclubs in Montana and Idaho, and she has acted in television shows and commercials. As a preteen she had a recurring role as beautiful but snobbish Jessica on Small Wonder (1985). She has danced to the parade routes and stages of Disneyland, and in the old dance halls of the West Coast where she danced with the Joint is Jumpin' swing troupe. Dance became her passion, but she continued with her formal education. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in English/Creative Writing from California State University of Long Beach.
In 2005, Lihann relocated to Buffalo, New York and worked as a full-time dance instructor and performer for a local ballroom dance studio. She performed in various DanceSport competitions throughout the country in the Pro/Am Division, her students consistently placing well in the scholarship and multi-dance divisions. In 2010 she received her Associate Certification in International Ballroom from the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing; in 2012 she received her Associate Certification in American Ballroom from the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing. In 2013, she helped develop Suneel's Celebrity Gala for the Suneel's Light Foundation; a ballroom dance competition with local celebrities and professional ballroom dancers performing to raise funds for children with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. In 2014 Lihann continued her role as co-chair for the event and helped turn Suneel's Celebrity Gala into the most successful fundraising event to date for the Suneel's Light Foundation. That year, she created Ballroom Revolution, a dance studio dedicated to teaching body awareness, connection between dance partners, and how to have fun and feel confident in any dance situation. She continues to develop her dance and teaching skills by attending multiple Lindy Hop conferences, Ballroom symposiums, Argentine Tango workshops, and teacher seminars a year.
Lihann met her wife Lauren Becker at the Strasenburgh Planetarium in Rochester, NY in October 1995. They have been together ever since. They had a wedding ceremony at the same planetarium in October 2006, but New York didn't recognize same-sex marriages until June 2011, so on October 7, 2011, they got a marriage license in Kenmore, New York, where both are from, and had a legal wedding on October 21, 2011.
In 2005, Lihann relocated to Buffalo, New York and worked as a full-time dance instructor and performer for a local ballroom dance studio. She performed in various DanceSport competitions throughout the country in the Pro/Am Division, her students consistently placing well in the scholarship and multi-dance divisions. In 2010 she received her Associate Certification in International Ballroom from the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing; in 2012 she received her Associate Certification in American Ballroom from the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing. In 2013, she helped develop Suneel's Celebrity Gala for the Suneel's Light Foundation; a ballroom dance competition with local celebrities and professional ballroom dancers performing to raise funds for children with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. In 2014 Lihann continued her role as co-chair for the event and helped turn Suneel's Celebrity Gala into the most successful fundraising event to date for the Suneel's Light Foundation. That year, she created Ballroom Revolution, a dance studio dedicated to teaching body awareness, connection between dance partners, and how to have fun and feel confident in any dance situation. She continues to develop her dance and teaching skills by attending multiple Lindy Hop conferences, Ballroom symposiums, Argentine Tango workshops, and teacher seminars a year.
Lihann met her wife Lauren Becker at the Strasenburgh Planetarium in Rochester, NY in October 1995. They have been together ever since. They had a wedding ceremony at the same planetarium in October 2006, but New York didn't recognize same-sex marriages until June 2011, so on October 7, 2011, they got a marriage license in Kenmore, New York, where both are from, and had a legal wedding on October 21, 2011.
