A native New Yorker of Dominican descent, Joann’s profound sensibility of various cultures has allowed her to produce ground-breaking events within the Latino, Caribbean, Brazilian, underground art and dance communities for over seven years now. These happenings have truly preserved the traditional values of these cultures while engaging her audience in an educational experience that’s simply fun and inviting to be a part of. The authenticity of these events have brought together some of the most revered political and artistic leaders together in a provocative celebration of its shared African ancestry in various unique venues throughout NYC.

Her first involvement in the music industry was with the legendary party Body & Soul NYC in 1998. Joann wore several hats; everything from merchandise, design, promotion, management and administration. Eventually, she became one of the “people’s person” catering to fans worldwide; whether it was shipping merchandise overseas, correspondence, accommodating performing artists and handling ticketing for two of the biggest parties known to take place at Central Park SummerStage (over 10,000 people attended both events). After attaining great momentum in her experience, creativity and popularity she was ready to graduate to a more self-expressive position while continuing to be a part of the Body & Soul family. She's actually designed quite a few event flyers and t-shirts for them; you can check them out in her FaceBook graphic design album and still continues to be a part of their promotions and party decor aspect.

Joann's debut as a curator found her in collaboration with Emerging Arts to assemble a stunning piece called Metamorphosis: A Haitian Tale which featured fine art, poetry and live musical performances direct from Haiti. Ms. Jimenez was immediately recognized for her rare self-taught conceptual talents and was asked to curate a solo show for Elanit Kayne called Soft White at the Brecht Forum. Her uptown urban roots got to play an instrumental role in the success of her next show “GhettoFab”. A photo exhibition of spray can art by Jonathan Singer honoring the artistic excellence of Franco the Great, The Graffiti Hall of Fame, Fame City International, Lee Quinones, Tat's Cru, and Chico (The Mural King). Her now trademark boldness was exhibited in her anti-fashion show with Elanit Kayne during New York Fashion Week directly across the street from the 6th Avenue tents at club Show. The event called Wear Me Out was hosted by Mums from the acclaimed HBO television series OZ and featured installation artists Noah Baen and Paul Rhyand, Dixie Fun Dance Theater and was presented in association with LifeBEAT.

Considered a maven of the New York City’s underground house circuit, Joann has been one of this city’s key event promoters, breathing new life into a dance scene that had been suffocated by cabaret and club laws. Joann and her convivial crew of music lovers completely rebel with some of the most creative renegade parties New York has ever witnessed. Her unique style of multimedia club performances has inspired an entire generation of parties and was instrumental in the founding of The Melting Pot NYC, which is still ongoing, by its co-founder veteran DJ Kervyn Mark. It was at TMP that she staged the first ever dance event at the legendary Nuyorican Poet’s Café and began hosting some of the world’s top DJs. “At one of her infamous loft parties, the lights were low and people were dancing with such rapture that you could smell their sweet sweat perfumed by wafts of African incense. The space was on 27th street just above a hip-hop bar so loud that the City’s Taliban-inspired anti-dance zealots were sure to miss us upstairs letting loose. Then there was the music, simply unlike any I’d ever heard before.” -John McCormick, Flavorpill

After her very first trip to Brazil, she co-founded a monthly event called ALMA with Brazilian DJs True and Miller Cruz alongside Manchildblack in 2004. ALMA ("soul" in Portuguese) "All for the Love of Music & Art" is a new Brazilian collective that fuses live instrumentation with Brazilian grooves, house, broken beat, drum n' bass and other forms of underground Latin electronica. It has received nothing but rave reviews since its start and keeps growing. The idea is to feature the traditional sounds of Brazil, from samba to forro and to incorporate all the newly inspired sounds coming from a new crop of musicians from Brazil and beyond. The party has featured Louie Vega and The Elements of Life, Joe Claussell, Osunlade, Rich Medina, King Britt and countless others until it concluded in 2008. This unique sound was captured in ALMA’s mixed CD released on Wave Music in September 2007. 

Ms. Jimenez’s stellar artistic designs can be found on t-shirts for Body & Soul, Wave Music and Deep Space NYC, worn by trendsetters and celebrity DJs worldwide. She played a critical role in marketing and promotions for Francois K.’s Wave Music record label also for over 6 years, and has done the same for Deep Space NYC (Francois K.’s Monday residency at Cielo) since it started almost 8 years ago. Her photography has captured the spirit of Francois’ critically acclaimed weekly and has been used for many international music publications such as BPM, Big Shot, International DJ and so on.

She also co-founded RAZA, which means race, with veteran promoter Benny Soto (Cielo/718 Sessions/Dance.Here.Now) and Carmen Valentin, in celebration of their Latin roots. Rodrigo Salazar of Impacto Latin News says, “It may be the only current party that will spawn an artistic movement or musical revolution, or both. It’s a mix of musical genres, art (often done live on the spot), dance classes, and whatever can bring forth something vital and new. A night club that spawns creativity seems crazy but that’s what they probably said about Cabaret Voltaire”. RAZA's past guests have included such seasoned performers as Luisito Quintero, Yerba Buena, Bryan Vargas & !Ya Esta!, The Welfare Poets, DJ Afro (Los Amigos Invisibles), Bobbito Garcia, among many others. This soiree, the only of its kind in NYC's fashionable meat-packing district, has also hosted the 'still-talked-about' Fania Records release party for the late-great Hector Lavoe with his nephew, Grammy Award-winning DJ/Producer Little Louie Vega at the helm. It’s one of the main reasons why Joann was nominated two years in a row as Promoter of the Year by the Undaground Archives Awards and was chosen as one of the Unsung Heroes of NYC’s Nightlife by Time Out NY magazine. 

In 2007, she became involved with one of her longest time friends, REDness - who is best known for Soulgasm and House Dance International. When these two get together, it's like two kids running through a candy store with endless possibilities with a surge of creativity that no one can match. They started off with an all girls shindig called Kitty Kitty Bang Bang graduating into an outdoor venture called the Seaport Soul Series taking place in the summer, every Thursday right on the South Street Seaport's boardwalk. They started it in 2008 and were called back again in 2009 to continue bringing their stellar line-up of some of the most well known and talented DJs playing Deep House, Funk, Soul, Classics and more. Due to the success of their collaboration there, they were then called to host a few Saturday night parties on The Beach at Governor's Island as will as Water Taxi Beach - South Street Seaport location. 

In 2008, Joann and Red along with John Davis (Body & Soul) came together to produce an institution that that made a lot of noise called "Sunday Shoutin". In October 2009, they debuted their "3 Kings of House Part 2" featuring none other than Louie Vega, David Morales and Tony Humphries at Webster Hall. Sunday Shoutin' brought out some of the biggest names in house music such as Barbara Tucker and Ultra Naté. These house divas not only came in to check out the vibe, but unexpectedly took the stage together, adding to that vibe and setting the tone of how it's all meant to be. This collaboration created dance music nights that people are still talking about.

In the same year. she also collaborated in one of her dearest ventures: a cultural, spiritual and socio-political movement called "The Tribes of Humanity". This organization was implemented by her 'brother from another mother' and spiritual advisor, Maximvs Prophet. The Grand Gatherings is designed to promote awareness, unity, building community, empowering, informing, mobilizing and creating a culture defined by 'the people.' Their vision is to build a family of evolutionaries and revolutionaries who will aid in cultivating a culture of love and unity, bringing together families, communities, nations and beyond. Their goal is to mobilize a coalition for change and hopes to uplift people on all levels. They’ve managed to pull off a couple of authentic - real deal sweat lodges right in the middle of Brook Park in the Bronx.

In September 2009, Joann joined forces with DJ/Producers Antonio Ocasio (Tribal Winds) and Lou Gorbea (Omi Tutu Production/Vega Records) to create a monthly party called ¡WEPA!. This celebration concentrates on the preservation of their Latin and dance music heritage by combining the sounds of Afro-House and Latin Soul along with Randy Montalvo on congas. Every month they come together and throw a bash with the motto "Welcome to El Barrio" incorporating live drumming, dominoes, a traditional Latin drink named coquito, a cigar roller and an amazing array of visuals honoring their culture. This collaboration has been going strong for over a year and it has become "the mecca of the Afro-Latin experience married to the underground dance music tradition in New York City."

In January of 2010, one of the biggest catastrophes imaginable hit very close to her native home, the earthquake in Haiti. She came together with Antonio Ocasio and Jephté Guillaume to produce Song, Dance & Love for Haiti. They successfully raised over $10,000 for the victims and contributed the funds to Doctors Without Borders. They wouldn’t have been able to do it without the help of their friends: Joaquin “Joe” Claussell, Sabine Blazin, François K., Hex Hector, Danny Krivit, DJ True, Jellybean Benitez, Louie Vega, Nicolas Matar, Willie Graff, Benny Soto and Cielo Club. 

Joann continues on a fulfilling path of producing “atmospheres” that bridge the gaps between ideals, cultures, generations and genres. Her events showcase artists of every ethnicity in fun, non-judgmental environments that audiences can't get enough of. She's also known for assembling the most eclectic groups of music lovers to dance under one roof since the better days of NYC. Her events often embrace various cultures and integrate them into musical celebrations where people of “all walks of life” feel at home and free to just be. 

Parties:
1998 – 2001 (Body & Soul NYC) Office Administration + PR + Merchandise Management
1998 – Present (Body & Soul NYC) Merchandising + Flyer Design + Party Décor + Promotion
2002 – 2004 (The Melting Pot NYC) Co-Founder + Curator + Promoter + Graphic Design
2003 – Present (Deep Space NYC) Promotions + Party Management 
2004 – 2008 (ALMA NYC) Co-Founder + Producer + Promoter + Graphic Design + Programming
2007 – 2008 (RAZA NYC) Co-Founder + Producer + Promoter + Photographer + Programming
2009 – Present (WEPA NYC) Co-Founder + Producer + Promoter + Photographer + Graphic Design

Some Collaborations:
Francois K., Danny Krivit, Joaquin “Joe” Claussell, Louie Vega, Bobbito Garcia, King Britt, Osunlade, DJ Afro (Los Amigos Invisibles), Rich Medina, David Morales, Tony Humphries, DJ True, MKL, Kervyn Mark, Jephté Guillaume, Hex Hector, Jellybean Benitez, Fania Records, Agape Ft. Nadia Harris, Erick Paredes, Manchildblack, Daniel Moreno, Elements of Life Band, House of Rhumba, Kalunga, Derek Santiago, Jordan Eagles, Brian Coxx, Ray Vasquez, DJ Sabine, Jihad Muhammad, Ian Friday, Angel Rodriguez (Slam Mode), Juan Valentin, DJ Eric Rodriguez, Ilu Aye, Welfare Poets, Kalunga, Boricuation, Camaradas, DJ David Medina, Bryan Vargas & Ya Esta, DJ Bless, Yerba Buena, Luisito Quintero, Wanda "Wepa Woman" Ortiz, DJ Ronzilla, Flaco Navaja, Oveus Maximus, DJ Curly, Charo, Anane, DJ Cuba, Havana New York, Chris Annibel, Joey Vega, Cyro Batista, Richard Vasquez, Tommy Bones, Josh Milan, Nicolas Matar, Willie Graff, Benny Soto, John Davis, Redness, Brian Burnside, Turntables on the Hudson, 718 Sessions, Barbara Tucker, Ultra Naté, Monique Bingham, Ruben Toro, Duce Martinez, Darryl James, Lil Ray.

Some Venues:
Sullivan Room, Cielo, SOBs, Element, Pyramid, Bar 13, Nuyorican Poets Cafe, Brecht Forum, Water Taxi Beach, Webster Hall, Governor’s Island, South Street Seaport, Knitting Factory


Current Work: Photography, Event Consultant, Event Producer, Branding, Graphic Design.