Jessica Miller Tomlinson, a graduate of The University of North Carolina School of the Arts with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Contemporary Dance, embarked on her career in Chicago, where she received a scholarship at the Lou Conte Dance Studio. During her tenure there, she collaborated with Lauri Stallings, a former member of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and the current Artistic Director of gloATL, and performed with her company, NANDANSE.

From 2005 to 2017, Jessica Miller Tomlinson held various roles within the Thodos Dance Chicago organization, including dancer, choreographer, assistant rehearsal director, Director of the Thodos Youth Ensemble, and teacher. During this period, she performed and toured nationally and internationally.

During her time at Thodos Dance Chicago, Jessica Miller Tomlinson had the privilege of working with and performing works by renowned choreographers such as Lucas Crandall, Brian Enos, Ron De Jesus, Ahmad Simmons, Stephanie Martinez, Francisco Avina, Lar Lubovitch, Bob Fosse, Gustavo Ramirez Sansano, Zac Whittenburg, Robyn Mineko Williams, Garfield Limonius, and many others. Jessica’s choreography continued to evolve through the Thodos New Dances Performance Series, with several of her works eventually becoming part of the company’s repertoire. Following a Grand Prize win and a $10,000 grant from the Joyce Theater Foundation’s A.W.A.R.D. Show!: 2009, Jessica produced her first evening-length performance, JMT / JLS Choreography. Subsequently, she collaborated with colleague Jacqueline Stewart to produce JMT/JLS Dance Gallery.

Jessica Miller Tomlinson’s Award-Winning Choreography has been commissioned or produced by numerous esteemed organizations, including the Chautauqua Ballet Company, the NC School of the Arts, Water Street Dance Milwaukee, the New Century Dance Project, Dance Wisconsin, Aerial Dance Chicago, Take Up Space Dance Fest, Moonwater Dance Project, Alluvion Dance Chicago, Hot Crowd, Dancing To Dream Fundraiser, DanceWorks Chicago, Chicago Repertory Ballet, The Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Idaho Dance Theatre, Regional Dance America, Columbia College of Chicago, Spring To Dance Festival St Louis, Washington and Lee University, The Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Dance For Life, Common Conservatory, Dance in the Parks, The Dance Gallery Festival, The MidWest RADFest, YAGP, The Universal Ballet Competition, Visceral Dance Chicago, Nebraska Contemporary Dance Theatre, Eisenhower Dance Detroit, The Harvest Chicago Contemporary Dance Festival, Pure Vibe Dance Center, Northern Illinois University, SHIFT DANCE | FESTIVAL Albuquerque, and Thodos Dance Chicago. Jessica has collaborated with Dance For Life’s Our Voices Dance, Jacqueline Stewart/JAXON Movement Arts, Joshua Manculich, the local Chicago band District 97, and the Andy Warhol Silver Clouds Exhibit at the MCA.

Jessica won Idaho Dance Theater’s Inaugural New Visions Choreography Competition and DanceWorks Chicago’s Inaugural NewMoves Choreography Competition. She also won the College of DuPage Choreography Competition in 2018. She has been a Finalist for the Avant Chamber Ballet Women’s Choreography Competition, in addition to being a Finalist for the METdance Emerging Choreographer Competition. She was selected as a Finalist for Western Michigan University’s National Choreography Competition in 2026. Out of 250 applicants, Jessica was named as one of two 2026 Choreographic Fellows for the New Century Dance Project in Santa Fe, New Mexico, hosted by Zeitgeist Dance Theatre under the Artistic Direction of Francisco Gella, with mentoring from Jim Vincent. 

Jessica served as an Adjunct Faculty member at Northern Illinois University for two years. Her professional experience includes serving as a Guest Alumni Choreographer for UNCSA and an Artist in Residence at Eisenhower Dance Detroit, Columbia College of Chicago, and Washington and Lee University. Recently, she held the position of Faculty member for the Hubbard Street Youth Dance Program and the Joffrey Academy of Dance, where she taught contemporary classes for the Joffrey Studio Company and Trainees. Additionally, she has been a modern dance instructor for Regional Dance America MidWest and a Guest Faculty member for the Water Street Dance Milwaukee Festival for four consecutive years. In August 2026, she contributed to the remounting of Thodos Dance Chicago’s acclaimed work, “A Light in the Dark,” for American Midwest Ballet. During this endeavor, she coached the role of Helen Keller, a role she originated in 2013 under the direction of Broadway legend Ann Reinking. Jessica currently serves as a ballet instructor for Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Visceral Dance Chicago, Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre, Chicago Repertory Ballet, and South Chicago Dance Theatre, where she held the position of Rehearsal Director for four seasons. Jessica is also a faculty member for The Rooted Space, Chicago Movement Collective, and Pure Vibe Dance Center.