J'na Jefferson was a competitive gymnast while growing up on the Jersey Shore, but after recognizing her passion for movement through her gym's required ballet and jazz classes, she switched to dance at age 13. She trained at the Perna Dance Center until age 17, studying ballet, jazz, hip-hop, tap and modern, and returned to teach jazz and hip-hop classes from 2015-2017. During her time as a student at Perna, she danced at the Kennedy Center and for the (former) New Jersey Nets. As a teacher, she helped to choreograph a special performance by Tony winner Alex Newell for the 2017 Cherry Blossom Festival in DC.

J'na attended Rider University in Lawrenceville, NJ, where she danced and choreographed for the school's dance ensemble, and served as the school's dance club advisor in her senior year. She was also a member of Rider's hip-hop dance team (DTG), who performed at home basketball games and at the coveted Division I MAAC Tournaments. During her senior year, she served as DTG's Vice President and co-choreographer, and was named the team's MVP. 

After graduating, she trained under Luam Keflegzy (Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, Janelle Monae) for the "Rock The Industry" developmental program in 2015, and attended Red Bull Dance workshops with Les Twins and JaQuel Knight in 2018. In the years since, she's choreographed for high school and college dance teams, as well as for the world-renowned theater festival, Under The Radar. After joining DanceWorks and rediscovering herself through creating, her passion has continued to blossom, warranting her opportunities to dance, choreograph and teach around NYC and NJ. She's excited to show a new side of hip-hop for Season 22!