Jolene Konkel began her dance training in Milwaukee, Wisconsin under ballet master William Reilly, a member of Jerome Robbins’ Ballets: USA. While in Milwaukee, she performed with the Milwaukee Ballet, Danceworks, and the Milwaukee Opera Company before relocating to Chicago to study jazz dance at Gus Giordano Dance School and Lou Conte Dance Studio. She completed her BFA in Dance from the University of Minnesota where she studied under/performed works by Lisa Houlton, Joanie Smith, Erin Thompson, Cathy Young, Zoe Sealy and Danny Buraczeski, and holds an MFA in Performance and Choreography from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee.

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As a choreographer and dance educator, her work spans jazz, modern, and musical theatre dance. Her choreography has been selected and presented at the Cowles Center for Dance, Bloomington Center for the Arts, The Ritz Theater (Renovate Choreographers Evening), Rhythmically Speaking (2008, 2011, 2018), MN Fringe Festival, Patrick’s Cabaret, The Old Arizona, and Jazz Here, Jazz Now at the University of Minnesota. She has created original works for residencies at Belhaven University, University of Northwestern, Southwest Minnesota State University, and internationally through the University of the Nations.

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Her choreography for educational musical theatre has received national acclaim, showcased at the International Thespian Festival, Hennepin Theatre Trust Spotlight Awards, the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival, and the American Alliance for Theatre and Education. In 2024, her work earned a Platinum Award, Judges Pick, and Overall Best Dance award from the Chicago National Association of Dance Masters.

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A dedicated educator for over 20 years, Ms. Konkel has taught and developed curriculum across community education, public schools, and higher education. Her teaching includes courses in Choreography, Dance History, Musical Theatre, Pedagogy, and technique classes in Jazz, Modern, Ballet, and Tap.

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She is the founding Artistic and Executive Director of Concerto Dance, where she continues to develop original repertory rooted in both jazz and modern dance forms, known for its rhythmic complexity, theatricality, and musicality.