When Charm La’Donna was only a child, she knew her footsteps would leave marks on some of the world’s biggest stages. That reality manifested as a career as a professional dancer, which was launched when she landed a spot in the ensemble for Madonna’s Confessions Tour in 2006 while in high school. Born Charmaine La’Donna Jordan, the 37-year-old brings her Compton-bred spirit to every studio. Guided by mentorship from the legendary choreographer Fatima Robinson, La’Donna’s career continues to expand into new territories.
At the 2025 Emmy Awards, the California native was literally her own competition. Despite being up against herself in the Outstanding Choreography For Variety or Reality Programming category, for her work in the Netflix Beyoncé Bowl special and Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl LIX halftime show, history was made. With the two nominations, she became the fourth Black woman to be recognized in the category, joining the ranks of Robinson, Debbie Allen, and Chloé Arnold.
“To be one of four, well, first of all, I am beyond blessed and grateful,” she told VIBE last month as she prepared to host a dance class during the Red Bull Dance Your Style U.S. National Championship weekend in San Francisco.
“When I found out, I did the whole shock face. Just being nominated once for something, but being nominated twice, I really couldn’t believe it. I know it probably sounds crazy, but I couldn’t believe it,” she said. “Again, I am honored and I’m proud to continue on opening the doors and showing and being an inspiration, hopefully, for other young girls who look like me and who want to do what I’m doing, to say, ‘Hey, yo, it’s possible.’ Yeah. I’m just thinking about it, I’m still on a high.”
As the host of Red Bull Dance Your Style, alongside Sway Calloway, Charm La’Donna was tasked with empowering the morale at the competitive event. As later explained by the VMA winner, the space created by the tournament, social media, and digital spaces has opened doors for dancers worldwide.
“I’m grateful for them,” she elaborated. “I’m not necessarily a freestyler, I don’t battle, but just seeing dancers being put on a platform where they can truly, truly shine, and we truly allow the world to see why we work eight hours a day, and in the mirror and in the street. It’s super awesome, and this is why I’m grateful to be a part of something like Red Bull Dance Your Style and be able to host, because I’m truly inspired by a lot of the videos I’ve seen, even before hosting this. It’s definitely special, and I think it’s allowing dance to be seen and respected in such a great way.”
Although she excels at orchestrating dance routines, La’Donna’s creativity is not limited to rhythmic eight counts. As an all-around creative, many chapters for the acclaimed choreographer are still being written.
Charm La’Donna at Apple Original Films And A24’s “Highest 2 Lowest” Los Angeles Premiere held at The Academy Museum on August 13, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images
VIBE: What do you think is the biggest misconception about choreographers, especially when it comes to more entertainment spaces?
Charm La Donna: I just think sometimes people think or could think that choreographers are just simply people who create dance steps, and we are so much more. We’re directors, we’re innovators, we’re creative. We’re, nine times out of 10, so involved in more than just the dance, even though the title doesn’t say that. Give us our props.
What would you say is the hardest part of your job, and how do you overcome it?
The hardest part about being a choreographer? Those three-hour phone calls, those pre-calls about what… No, I’m just kidding. That’s a good question…Maybe this is not the hardest. For me, personally, [but] there are times where I’m exhausted, physically exhausted or tired, because I’m doing multiple jobs and sometimes you’re on a plane, you’re off a plane straight to a rehearsal. Maybe being tired in the body.
What are some self-care things that you do to keep yourself together?
I could tell you that right now. [The] gym is a must. I know people think that, ‘You’re dancing all day, you don’t have to work out.’ Guys, yes, we do. We work out. We have to keep the stamina up, keep our bodies healthy. I try, this is a strong try, to eat my best and [go to the] sauna when I can. Massages are key when I can. Having days off when I can. Those are my maintenance things.
How does being from Compton inspire your movement?
It’s so interesting, because when you want to explain stuff like this, I just want to be like, ‘Look, this is where I’m from.’ I don’t know, it’s just how I move. But I could see why one would ask that. I just think that the experiences in dance as an expressive art form, the things that we intake, and the things that I see in the music that I listened to growing up, are all a part of that, and it’s culture. It’s my culture. You know how to brush your teeth every morning, because you do it every day. How I walk, how I talk, how I dance is my culture. It’s in me from where I’m from.
Who I am and where I’m from have inspired everything I do, just as much as the training that I’ve had growing up. Being classically trained, all these art forms, all these experiences, really are what I’m inspired by and continue to be inspired by daily.
I read that you were trained in multiple disciplines. Which one would you say would be your favorite?
There’s a technique. My teacher was the best ever, Don Martin. When I say this, people are going to be like, ‘What, Charm?’ It is the Horton Technique. I love the Horton Technique by Lester Horton. Please, look it up. I love Luigi Jazz (created by Eugene Louis Faccuito).
Was there any style of dance that was hard for you to capture?
When I got to my teenage years, I was done with ballet. I was so done.
Does that feel more rigid?
I don’t know. I think it was my body. My curves were starting to happen, and I was just like, ‘I don’t know,’ and then I fell in love with Horton, and I still took ballet class, because it’s just also the form, the technique. I still wanted to take it, but I pivoted my way more towards Horton and modern. It was a rough relationship with ballet for a little bit, but at my big age now, I’m so grateful that I’ve been able to train and study as much as I can with the teachers that I’ve had, because all of that, too, is a part of why my work is the way it is as well. I can’t deny that, you know what I’m saying? I can’t deny that part of me without saying all of this has cultivated Charm La’Donna.
Charm La’Donna attends the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards at Prudential Center on September 12, 2023 in Newark, New Jersey.
Noam Galai/Getty Images for MTV
What do you do differently to prepare for teaching a class versus a choreography job?
I’m about to tell you right now, and you’re going to laugh at this. I’m about to see all the dancers come in here, I’m going to fill the room, I’m going to pick a song, and I’m going to start dancing. That’s what’s going to happen, because I truly get inspired by the bodies in the room, the people in the field. I want to know, ‘How are y’all feeling? Are y’all feeling up? You’re feeling down?’ I do that, and it’s gotten me this far. Sometimes I do prepare, if I don’t have a lot of time for a job and things need to be seen beforehand. But what I’m feeling right now, we’re just going to vibe.
What would be a very specific piece of advice you would give young girls now who are looking to start professional dance and choreography careers?
This may sound vague or not enough, but I would say be yourself. Do things that feel right to you. Follow your morale. Trust your gut, and if you can, walk into every room as if God sent you there, and you’ll be booked.
How do you hope to or plan to continue extending your creative profile beyond dance?
I’ve been able to explore, and that is the most beautiful thing. That’s something else. If I could tell my younger self or anyone else coming up, be open to exploring and wanting to continue to learn. I want to direct and do dance films and shoot dance films differently. Yes, I did music before, because that was definitely a passion that I still have. Maybe one day I’ll score the music I’m directing. The video, the film I’m directing. It’s just all going to come full circle. I’m truly a fan of the arts; I love everything about it. I hope that answers the question.
