James Kinney (he/him)
James Kinney is a World Choreography Award–winning director, choreographer and creative producer whose visionary work has made him a celebrated force across stage, screen and fashion. Most recently, Kinney conceived, directed and choreographed five acclaimed short films, selected for multiple world-renowned festivals. In fashion and live events, Kinney has brought his choreographic eye to global brands like Hermès of Paris and MARLI New York. A Broadway veteran whose performing credits include Fosse and Sweet Charity, Kinney also has choreographed countless international productions. His work has enjoyed world-premiers at the Fire Island Dance Festival and Hudson Valley Dance Festival and with New Jersey Ballet.  Special thanks to Skye Mattox, Ella Posner and Christopher Prismarov.

Nick Alvino (he/him)
Nick Alvino’s credits include Broadway’s Death Becomes Her and The Music Man (with Hugh Jackman) and The Light in the Piazza  at City Center Encores!. Many thanks to James Kinney and Alex Nordin for the opportunity to dance in paradise. @nickalvino 

Cory Betts (he/him)
Cory was born and raised in Sacramento, CA. He was a company dancer with Eugene Ballet from 2013 to 2020. His recent credits include Cats with Royal Caribbean Cruises, the national tour of An America in Paris and the Japan tour of A Chorus Line. He is now a freelance performer/instructor based in New York.

Ashley Blair Fitzgerald (she/her)
Ashley Blair Fitzgerald, originally from Ellicott City, MD, was most recently seen on Broadway in New York, New York. Prior to that she played The Dark Lady in the original Broadway cast of The Cher Show, which she won the 2019 Chita Rivera Award for Best Dancer in a Broadway show. She understudied Misty Copeland in the Broadway hit revival of On The Town, danced alongside Vanessa Hudgens in Gigi and was part of the original cast in the Off-Broadway cult hit Trip of Love. First national tours include her Helen Hayes-nominated role of Kate in Twyla Tharp’s Come Fly Away, Dirty Dancing, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Fosse.

Barton Cowperthwaite (he/him)
Barton Cowperthwaite is from Denver, CO, and is happy to be performing at Fire Island Dance Festival! Theater: Original Broadway cast of The Outsiders (Brill/Bob), first national tour of An American in Paris  (Jerry US). Television: Tiny Pretty Things (Netflix), Girls 5 Eva (Peacock), Fosse/ Verdon (FX) Center Stage: On Pointe (Lifetime). Dance: Lar Lubovitch, Pontus Lidberg, Shaping Sound: After The Curtain, Lauren Lovette, Gabrièl Stone Shayer, Michelle Dorrance, Bad Boys of Dance: Romeo & Juliet. @bartonc

Leigh-Ann Esty (she/her)
Leigh-Ann Esty is thrilled to be dancing on Fire Island for the first time! A big thanks to James Kinney for making this possible. Theater credits include Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel on Broadway, and the national tours of An American in Paris and Disney’s Frozen. TV/film credits include West Side Story, Maestro, The Gilded Age and Fosse/Verdon. Leigh-Ann spent 11 seasons performing with Miami City Ballet company as a senior corps de ballet member. @leighesty

Weston Krukow (he/him)
Weston Krukow, a University of Arizona alumni, has performed most notably with San Francisco’s Smuin Ballet, Chicago’s Lyric Opera, Radio City’s Christmas Spectacular, Broadway’s The Phantom of the Opera and Christopher Wheeldon’s American in Paris. For television, he has danced in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, The Gilded Age, Westworld and Severance. He produced, choreographed and performed in BaseBallet, a documentary showcasing the athleticism of dance. All my love to Ted, my family and every teacher I’ve ever shared a room with. @westonkrukow

Mattie Love (she/her)
Originally from Utah, Mattie Love is a 2023 Chita Rivera Award winner for Outstanding Dancer in a Broadway show. Her credits include Madonna’s The Celebration Tour, Bob Fosse’s Dancin’, Wicked, the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, Fosse/Verdon (FX) and New Year’s Eve with Steve Harvey: Live from Times Square.

Corey John Snide (he/him)
Corey John Snide started dancing in Albany, NY, competing at the regional, national and international level. He performed on the West End in the title role in Billy Elliot the Musical before joining the original Broadway cast of Jason Robert Brown’s 13, alternating the lead role of Evan Goldman. After graduating with a BFA in dance from The Juilliard School, Snide’s been the dance captain for the Broadway revival for Cats and Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel, appeared in the West Side Story revival, tapped on the FX hit mini-series Fosse/Verdon and served as the assistant choreographer for the Cats film. He is currently on faculty at Pace University and is creator of the Capital District Arts Initiative, a performing arts education program and production company.

Gibney Company
Gibney Company, led by Artistic Director Gina Gibney and Director Gilbert T. Small II, commissions and performs works by renowned and emerging choreographers from New York and around the world who are committed to exploring connections between the rigorous, often superhuman physicality of contemporary dance alongside responsive, humanistic storytelling. Presenting a broad range of aesthetics and techniques, Gibney Company has an unrelenting focus on artistic excellence and social integrity.

Since its expansion in 2020, the Company has commissioned works from a wide range of choreographers including Rena Butler, Lucinda Childs, Peter Chu, William Forsythe, Emilie Leriche, Mthuthuzeli November, Alan Lucien Øyen, Gustavo Ramirez Sansano, Jermaine Spivey and Spenser Theberge, Sonya Tayeh and Yue Yin, and performed works by Sharon Eyal, Johan Inger, Ohad Narahin and Twyla Tharp.

Roy Assaf (he/him)
Roy Assaf is a mammal of the hominid family, belonging to the species Homo sapiens, although there are those who are convinced he possesses Neanderthal genes. He was born in 1982 in the rural community of Sde Moshe in a place that some call Israel, and some call Palestine. At age six, he began giving tap concerts for his neighbor, who watched him dance on his concrete balcony from her window across the yard, and he soon began creating and performing his own dances for monthly family gatherings in Jerusalem. At the age of 16 he met Regba Gilboa, an educator, dance lover and believer in people who rooted in Assaf the confidence that dance is where he belongs. In 2010, after three years in France, he came back to the place that some call Israel, and some call Palestine. And after one year of idleness, he gathered the courage to make a dance. After which he created another one and another and another and continues to this day.

Graham Feeny (he/him)
Graham Feeny  joined Gibney Company as an artistic associate in 2022. He previously apprenticed with Chamber Dance Project, danced with BalletCollective and staged Justin Peck’s Become A Mountain for BalletX. Feeny is a graduate of The Juilliard School, where he performed works by Marco Goecke, Bobbi Jene Smith, Justin Peck, Trisha Brown, Jamar Roberts, Paul Taylor and Ohad Naharin. Most recently, he premiered an extended version of his duet “home” at the Fuori Programma Festival in Rome. @grahamfeeny

Zack Sommer (he/him)
Zack Sommer (he/him) is a native of San Diego. He completed his early dance training at Danceology Performing Arts Campus before attending The Juilliard School, where he graduated with a BFA in 2024. There he performed works by choreographers Medhi Walerski, Aszure Barton, and Ohad Naharin. During his senior year, Sommer was a guest artist with Ballet BC and with Gibney Company. Upon graduation, Zack joined Gibney Company and has worked with choreographers like William Forsythe, Emilie Leriche, Roy Assaf, Lucinda Childs and more, and continues as an artistic associate with the company. @zacksommer_

Niya Smith will no longer be performing. Jayden Williams has taken her place.

Kyle Abraham (he/him)
Kyle Abraham has premiered his work to international audiences and acclaim since 2006. Abraham has been profiled in Vanity Fair, Ebony, Harper’s Bazaar, Kinfolk, O Magazine, Paper, Vogue and W Magazine, among many others. He was nominated this year for an Olivier Award for Best New Dance Production and Rose Prize for International Dance for An Untitled Love at Sadler’s Wells. Abraham is the recipient of a National Dance Critics Award for Choreography, Dance Magazine Award; Princess Grace Statue Award; Doris Duke Award and The MacArthur Fellowship. Abraham has been commissioned by a variety of dance companies, including American Ballet Theatre, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, The National Ballet of Cuba, New York City Ballet, Paul Taylor American Modern Dance and The Royal Ballet. In 2024, Abraham premiered three new works to much acclaim, the evening-length work Cassette Vol. 1 in Hamburg, Germany; Mercurial Son for American Ballet Theatre and Dear Lord, Make Me Beautiful at the Park Avenue Armory. 

Abraham serves as the Claude and Alfred Mann endowed professor in dance at The University of Southern California Glorya Kaufman School of Dance. Abraham is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the inaugural Black Genius Brain Trust and the inaugural cohort of the Dorchester Industries Experimental Design Lab, a partnership between the Prada Group, Theaster Gates Studio, Dorchester Industries, and Rebuild Foundation.

Jamaal  Bowman (he/him)
Jamaal began his dance training at the age of 14 in Maryland, where he was born and raised. In 2021, he graduated from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia as a director’s scholar, under the direction of Donna Faye Burchfield. He has collaborated with Nora Chipaumire, Tommie Waheed-Evans, Maleek Washington, Helen Pickett, Fana Fraser, Jocelyn Cottencin, Nacera Belaza and Sidra Bell. His personal practices are centered around queer Black joy, theater, improvisation, and comedy. He hopes to reshape the future for queer Black people like him, to give them more opportunities to shine. Bowman joined A.I.M by Kyle Abraham in 2022. @carefreeblackboy

Mykiah Goree (he/him) 
Mykiah Goree, a native of Houston, received his early dance training from Houston Ballet Academy and Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts under the direction of Melissa Bowman and Janie Carothers, respectively. He attended The Juilliard School, where he performed works by Tiler Peck, Rena Butler, Jamar Roberts, Ohad Nahrin, Trisha Brown, Camille A. Brown and Omar Román De Jesús. Goree’s choreographic work was selected for Juilliard’s Choreographers and Composers 2022, MOVE|NYC’s summer intensive, Juilliard’s Senior Production 2024 and Juilliard’s Choreographic Honors. He is very grateful to all who have built him into the human being and artist that he is today. Goree joined A.I.M by Kyle Abraham in January 2024. @my.ki.ah

Faith Mondesire (she/her)
Brooklyn-born dancer Faith Joy Mondesire joined A.I.M by Kyle Abraham in 2023. Her roots in dance started as a liturgical dancer at her local church. Later she worked with choreographers such as Joseph Hernandez, Sidra Bell, Kristen Foote, Melanie Gambino, Doug Varone and Abdel R. Salaam and Dyane Harvey (Forces of Nature Dance Theater), among others. Dance Magazine published her feature “I’ll Never Forget My First Pair of Flesh Tone Tights” in 2020. Mondesire trained at the Edge School of The Arts, Brooklyn Dance Project, Restoration Youth Arts Academy, LaGuardia High School, SUNY Purchase, Alonzo King Lines Ballet Summer Intensive. @_faithjoy_

Keturah Stephen (she/her)
Keturah Stephen, a Brooklyn native, began her dance journey at Restoration Youth Arts Academy, where she trained in modern, African and hip-hop. She attended Brooklyn High School of the Arts, as well as The Ailey School. She is a graduate of the Conservatory of Dance at SUNY Purchase College. Throughout the course of her training, Stephen has worked with and performed works by Earl Mosley, Loni Landon, Roderick George, Trisha Brown and Antonio Brown. Stephen appeared in the film In the Heights, under the direction of Ebony Williams. Stephen joined A.I.M by Kyle Abraham in 2022. @_turahh_

Gianna Theodore (she/her)
Raised in West Palm Beach, FL, Theodore began her dance training at Ballet East Studio under the direction of Susan Lyle and Chelsea Nasby. She graduated with a BFA in dance from the Ailey/Fordham Program. Throughout the course of her training, she has performed works by Robert Battle, Chuck Wilt and Bradley Shelver. Theodore has ventured through many cultures and styles of dance which has helped land her lead roles in music videos. She has also performed with artists such as Ebony Williams, Mark Caserta, Maleek Washington and Jennifer Archibald. She recently performed during a residency with Helen Simoneau Danse. Gianna joined A.I.M by Kyle Abraham in 2019. @giannatheodore

Olivia Wang (she/her)
Originally from Queens,NY, Wang is a first generation Chinese American artist. She has recently graduated with a BFA in Dance from the Conservatory of Dance at SUNY Purchase College. She has trained at The Ailey School, French Academie of Ballet and was a part of the inaugural class of MOVE|NYC. Wang has had the opportunity to perform works by Keerati Jinakunwiphat, Norbert De La Cruz III, Martha Graham, Michiyaya, Nigel Campbell, Kyle Abraham and Roderick George. Wang has attended summer programs at A.I.M, Martha Graham, MOVE|NYC, and Hubbard Street. Wang joined A.I.M by Kyle Abraham in 2024. @_oliviawangg

Jayden Williams (he/him)
Williams is a dance artist from Brooklyn, NY. He is a recent graduate of Point Park University, where he earned his BFA in dance with a concentration in modern. In 2018, he joined MOVE|NYC‘s Young Professionals Program under the direction of Nigel Campbell and Chanel DaSilva. Williams has trained at the French Academie of Ballet and has received scholarships to train with Ballet Hispanico, Complexions Contemporary Ballet and Movement Invention Project. Williams has performed works by Mike Tyus, Jae Man Joo, Houston Thomas, Manuel Vignoulle, Martha Nichols, Penny Saunders, Paul Taylor, Juel D. Lane, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Roderick George, Rennie Harris and Karla Puno Garcia. Williams joined A.I.M by Kyle Abraham in 2025. @_jaydennchristian

Christopher Wheeldon (he/him)
Christopher Wheeldon trained at The Royal Ballet School and joined The Royal Ballet in 1991. In 1993, he moved to New York City Ballet, where he was promoted to soloist in 1998 and became the company’s first resident choreographer in 2001. Since then, he has created and staged work for many of the world’s leading ballet companies. He is artistic associate of The Royal Ballet, where his acclaimed productions include Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and The Winter’s Tale, both co-productions with The National Ballet of Canada.

In 2014, he directed and choreographed An American in Paris, which played in Paris, on Broadway and in London. He most recently directed and choreographed MJ The Musical, which won four Tony Awards including Best Choreography and continues to run on Broadway, on tour and internationally. Wheeldon has also earned an Olivier Award for the show’s West End production.

His many honors include the Martin E. Segal Award from Lincoln Center, the American Choreography Award, the Dance Magazine Award, multiple London Critics’ Circle Awards, the Leonard Massine Prize, the Benois de la Danse and an Olivier Award. In 2016, he was named an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) and was made an Honorary Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Christopher D’Ariano (he/him)
Christopher D’Ariano is from the Bronx, NY. He joined Pacific Northwest Ballet as an apprentice in 2017 and was promoted to corps de ballet later that year. Christopher was promoted to soloist in 2022. Christopher has danced as a guest artist at Fire Island Dance Festival, Jacob’s Pillow, Hudson Valley Dance Festival and Chop Shop Contemporary Dance Festival. He has choreographed three works for Pacific Northwest Ballet’s NEXT STEP. He has been commissioned to create works for the Seattle AIDS Memorial Pathway, Seattle International Dance Festival, The Seattle Project and the Seattle Art Museum.

Ashton Edwards (they/them)
Ashton Edwards is from Flint, MI. Edwards joined Pacific Northwest Ballet as an apprentice in 2021 and the corps de ballet in 2022. Since joining the company, they have performed leading roles in works by George Balanchine, Justin Peck, Crystal Pite, Kent Stowell and more.  Edwards is a recipient of the 2021 Princess Grace Award and a two time medalist at the NAACP’s National ACT-SO competition. They have performed with The Seattle Project, Ballet22, New York City Ballet and in MOBBallet’s Pathways to Performance. Edwards also appeared on the digital cover of Dance Spirit Magazine.

Complexions Contemporary Ballet
Complexions was founded in 1994 by master choreographer Dwight Rhoden and the legendary Desmond Richardson with a singular approach to reinventing dance through a groundbreaking mix of methods, styles and cultures. Today, Complexions represents one of the most recognized, diverse, inclusive and respected performing arts brands in the world. Having presented an entirely new and exciting vision of human movement on five continents, more than 20 countries, to more than 20 million television viewers and to more than 300,000 people in live audiences, Complexions is poised to continue its mission to bring unity to the world one dance at a time.

In the 30 years since its inception, the company has borne witness to a world that is becoming more fluid, more changeable, and more culturally interconnected than ever before – in other words, a world that is becoming more and more like Complexions itself. @complexions_ballet

Dwight Rhoden (he/him)
Dwight Rhoden earned the distinction from The New York Times as “one of the most sought out choreographers of the day.” Rhoden performed with Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, Les Ballet Jazz De Montreal and as a principal dancer with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

In 1994, alongside Desmond Richardson, he founded COMPLEXIONS Contemporary Ballet, bringing their unique brand of contemporary ballet to the world, forging a center for innovation and cutting-edge programming. Rhoden’s choreography has been the lynchpin of the company’s repertory development. In three decades, he has created over 100 ballets for COMPLEXIONS, as well as for numerous other companies, including the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Joffrey Ballet and New York City Ballet, among many others.

Rhoden has also choreographed for So You Think You Can Dance and collaborated with artists including Prince, Lenny Kravitz, Paul Simon, Nina Simone and more. Currently he is an adjunct professor at Howard University and the Artistic Professor of Dance at Chapman University. @dwightrhodenchoreo

Christian Burse (she/her)
Christian Burse, originally from Austin, TX, began dancing at age two and trained with Joyce Willet and RISE Dance Company. She later studied at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and Dance Industry Performing Arts Center in Dallas. A U.S. Presidential Scholar finalist, National YoungArts Foundation winner and Texas Young Master, Burse was offered an apprenticeship with her dream company, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, at age 17. She relocated to New York, touring internationally with the company while completing high school. Today, she performs globally as a full company member. @christian_burse

Reed Luplau (he/him)
Reed Luplau was born in Perth, Australia, and graduated from the Australian Ballet School. As a performer, Luplau’s credits include Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 and the original revival of Fiddler on the Roof. In television and film, Reed has appeared in Beauty, Fosse/Verdon, Halston, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Five Dances and Mao’s Last Dancer.

His choreography credits include Places, Please at Lincoln Center, Broadway Bares, Phish at Madison Square Garden, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Disney Cruise Line productions, A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Santa Fe Opera and Hudson Valley Dance Festival.

Reed has worked with prestigious companies such as The Australian Ballet, Sydney Dance Company and West Australian Ballet. He is currently developing When We Touch, a dance narrative set to music by LP and focused on the final week of the fall of the Berlin Wall. @reedluplau

Zachary Downer (he/him)
Zachary Downer is thrilled to be performing in this year’s Fire Island Dance Festival! Broadway: MJ the Musical (Marlon/Nicholas Brothers); Hello, Dolly!; Cats (Mr. Mistoffelees). Off-Broadway: GODDESS: A New Musical, Alice By Heart. Tours: Hugh Jackman’s The Man. The Music. The Show. world tour. TV: Netflix’s “Halston,” The 43rd Annual Kennedy Center Honors; NBC’s Annie Live!, Nickelodeon’s Blue’s Big City Adventure. Love to family and Lakey Wolff & Co. @zachdestyn

Aydin Eyikan (he/him)
Broadway: MJ the Musical, Wicked, Bob Fosse’s Dancin’, The Music Man. National Tour: Wicked. Television: World of Dance (NBC). @aydineyikan 

Stephen Hernandez (he/him)
Broadway: Wicked, Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Hello, Dolly!. National Tours: Hamilton, Newsies: The Musical, We Will Rock You. Training: EDGE Performing Arts Center, Colorado Ballet. Thanks to my family, Sofia and my partner Reed for your endless support. @stevohernandez

Giuseppe Little (he/him)
Giuseppe Little is a graduate of The Institute for American Musical Theatre, and is signed with CESD. Credits: national tour of A Christmas Story (Grover Dill), Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (Disney Cruise Line), Phish’s New Year’s Eve Show, Broadway Backwards, Broadway Bares: Come Out, Come Out (Associate Choreographer/Swing). An immense amount of love and gratitude to all of the beautiful souls in my life for your constant support. @giuseppemlittle

Nando Morland (he/him)
Nando Morland is a dancer, actor and creator based in New York City. Broadway: Bob Fosse’s Dancin’, West Side Story, Wicked. Off-Broadway: Sleep No More, Life and Trust. Tours: Fiddler on the Roof, Wicked. TV: Up Here (Hulu). Music Video: Jinkx Monsoon’s “Leave It To Me,” Monét X Change’s “Give and Take.” Morland has worked with The Kuperman Brothers, Sonya Tayeh and Celia Rowlson-Hall. Dance Magazine‘s Top 25 to Watch (2019). Dance Company credits: Gallim, Madboots Dance, Rashaun + Silas, Stefanie Batten Bland. BFA from NYU Tisch. @nandomorland

Braylon Browner (he/him) 
Braylon Browner is a contemporary dancer from Killeen, Texas, currently pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance, Class of 2027. He gained national recognition as a Top 8 finalist on Season 18 of So You Think You Can Dance in 2024, where his expressive solos and dynamic stage presence captivated audiences.

Beyond television, Browner has built a substantial online following through improvisational dance videos on TikTok and Instagram, with several clips earning millions of views. His authentic, emotionally resonant and deeply personal performances have been praised by viewers for their healing quality and vulnerability.

While balancing his academic studies, Browner also teaches at dance conventions and studios across the country, sharing his passion and artistry with young dancers. His journey reflects a rare blend of technical excellence, creative exploration and unwavering authenticity, positioning him as an emerging voice in the contemporary dance world.

MasterZ at Work Dance Family
MasterZ at Work Dance Family is a group of talented individuals who come from all different dance backgrounds including jazz, hip-hop, street jazz, house, African, voguing and contemporary. The company was founded by Black trans femme choreographer Courtney Washington Balenciaga. Informed by her own experience as a teased queer teenager who found refuge in dance, her work conveys how her gender transition spurred transformative emotional, creative and physical liberation. The dances she creates are a representation of resiliency, and foster community and family in under-resourced areas of Brooklyn.

With Works & Process the company has performed at the Guggenheim, Lincoln Center, the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, SummerStage Von King and internationally at the Guggenheim Bilbao. The company has been presented by Jacob’s Pillow, Fire Island Dance Festival, Queens Pride and recently performed for Madonna. 

Courtney Washington Balenciaga (she/her)
Courtney Washington Balenciaga is from the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY. Washington Balenciaga attended the Jackie Robinson after-school program where she trained in African dance. Washington Balenciaga is known as a community organizer and founded her own dance company, MasterZ at Work Dance Family, in addition to founding a kiki ballroom house known as The House of Juicy Couture. As a legend in the community, she continues her work in organizing and innovating ballroom. 

DeAndré Cousley (he/him)
DeAndré Cousley, a Queens, NY, native,  began training at 13, following his acceptance to LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. He has worked under the direction of artists including Sidra Bell, Earl Mosley, Billy Porter and Desmond Richardson. Cousley attended Steps on Broadway’s Professional Training Program, where he honed his technique in classical ballet, jazz, tap, contemporary and modern techniques such as Graham, Limón and Horton.

Jay Parel (he/him)
Jay Parel studied hip-hop, jazz and modern dance at Brooklyn School for Music & Theatre. He has trained with companies such as NonaLee Dance Theatre, Mad About Dance and Urban Dance Alliance. Parel has danced for multiple tours, music videos, television shows, films and onstage.

Brian Starke (he/him)
Brian Starke, born in the Bronx and raised in Queens, NY, has been dancing since the age of six. His choreography has been featured on stages including the Guggenheim Museum in New York City and Spain, Lincoln Center, Jacob’s Pillow, SummerStage and more. He aims to establish himself as a household name in the industry while continuing to create safe, inclusive spaces for dancers of all shapes, sizes and backgrounds.

Jaylen Wallace (he/him)
Jaylen Wallace, a passionate Brooklyn native, has been drawn to the arts since a young age and continues to deepen his connection to self-expression through movement. He is primarily trained in hip-hop and its foundational styles, with additional experience spanning street styles, classical techniques, contemporary dance and West African traditions.

Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures
Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures is an iconic, groundbreaking British dance theater company, famous for telling stories with a unique theatrical twist. Since 1987, New Adventures has changed the popularity of dance in Britain, creating works that have altered the public perception of what is possible when it comes to telling stories without words. @mbnewadventures

Matthew Bourne (he/him)
Matthew Bourne is firmly established as the UK’s most popular and successful choreographer and director. He is the creator of the world’s longest-running ballet production, a record-breaking nine-time Olivier Award winner and the only British director to have won the Tony Award for both Best Choreographer and Best Director of a Musical.

Bourne began his dance training at the age of 22 and danced professionally for 14 years. As artistic director of Adventures in Motion Pictures (1987–2002), he created many signature works, including Spitfire, Nutcracker!, Highland Fling, Swan Lake, Cinderella and The Car Man. In 2002, he founded New Adventures, which quickly became the UK’s busiest and most successful dance company and a leading exporter of British dance worldwide. With New Adventures, he created further hit productions, including Play Without Words, Edward Scissorhands, Dorian Gray, Sleeping Beauty, The Red Shoes and Romeo and Juliet.

Bourne has also had an award-winning career in musical theatre. His 30-year collaboration with producer Cameron Mackintosh has included Mary Poppins – currently on a major UK tour, My Fair Lady and Oliver! His recent work includes directing this Broadway season’s Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends and The Midnight Bell, which premiered in 2021 and won the 2022 National Dance Award for Best Modern Choreography. He also directed the new production of Lionel Bart’s Oliver! for Chichester Festival Theatre, now running at the Gielgud Theatre in London’s West End.

In 2001, Bourne was awarded an OBE for services to dance and was knighted in the Queen’s New Year Honours in 2016. That same year, he received the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Award. In 2024, he was awarded the Freedom of the City of London. @MatthewBourne13

Jackson Fisch (he/him)
Jackson Fisch is a performer and creator whose work spans contemporary dance and theatrical storytelling. With Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures, his roles include Freddie, Serg and Ivan in The Red Shoes; Malcolm, Wilfred and the Angel in Cinderella; original cast Balthasar and Romeo in Romeo and Juliet (2019/20); Carabosse/Caradoc and Tantrum in Sleeping Beauty; and Romeo, Balthasar and Lennox in the 2023/24 tour of Romeo and Juliet. Other credits include Decadance by Ohad Naharin for the 2022 Sydney Festival and ab [intra] with Sydney Dance Company. He is founder of Hunch Production Company, launched in 2023. @jacksonfisch

Rory Macleod (he/him)
Rory Macleod is a 23-year-old dancer from Edinburgh, Scotland, currently performing as The Swan/Stranger in Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake. He trained at Laine Theatre Arts in Surrey, England, graduating in 2021. His credits with Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures include The Car Man (Marco), Nutcracker! (Gobstopper, Allsorts Man, cover Nutcracker), Romeo and Juliet (Romeo and Mercutio) and Sleeping Beauty (Leo, Archie, Sir Evelyn, Lord Rupert). Other credits include Clueless The Musical (Christian), a music video for Editors, Dick Whittington at Bristol Hippodrome, The Best of Rock Musicals at Eventim Apollo and Time Flies at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.

Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE, A Dance Company
Celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2025, EVIDENCE, A Dance Company was founded by Ronald K. Brown in his childhood neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. The company blends African dance with contemporary choreography, music and spoken word to explore human struggles and triumphs. Brown uses movement to highlight community in African-American culture and showcase African dance forms and rhythms. EVIDENCE, A Dance company tours across the U.S. and internationally, performing and teaching in countries including Cuba, Brazil, France, Hungary, Ireland, Mexico, Colombia, South Africa, Nigeria and Senegal. The company also offers workshops, community classes and master classes, reaching 20,000 people annually. EVIDENCE, A Dance Company partners with Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, The Billie Holiday Theatre and The Joyce Theater.

Ronald K. Brown (he/him)
Ronald K. Brown, raised in Brooklyn, NY, is the 2024 recipient of the Martha Hill Mid-Career Achievement Award, the American Dance Guild Lifetime Achievement Award and the Dance Teacher Award of Distinction. His honors include the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award (2020), the Dance Magazine Award (2018) and the Samuel H. Scripps/ADF Award (2018). Brown earned an AUDELCO Award for choreography in Regina Taylor’s Crowns, two Black Theater Alliance Awards and a Fred & Adele Astaire Award for The Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, adapted by Suzan Lori Parks.

He has set works on Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ailey II, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, Philadanco, Ballet Hispánico and others. Collaborators include Omotayo Wunmi Olaiya, Craig G. Harris, Ernie McClintock, Patricia Hoffbauer, Rokiya Koné, Jason Moran, Arturo O’Farrill and Meshell Ndegeocello.

Brown has performed with Mary Anthony Dance Theater and Jennifer Muller/The Works. He was named Def Dance Jam Workshop Mentor of the Year (2000) and has received the Doris Duke Artist Award, Guggenheim Fellowship, National Endowment for the Arts Choreographers Fellowship, New York Dance and Performance “Bessie” Award, and The Ailey Apex Award.

He is co-artistic director of The Billie Holiday Theatre’s Youth Arts Academy and a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.

Demetrius Burns (he/they)
Demetrius Burns is a Boston-raised dancer and choreographer originally from Anniston, AL. He holds a BFA in dance with a choreography emphasis from the Boston Conservatory and an MFA in dance from Hollins University. A dedicated educator and performer, Burns has trained with institutions including Bates Dance Festival, the Earl Mosley Institute of the Arts, Jacob’s Pillow, and through programs with Complexions Contemporary Ballet and Sidra Bell. He is currently in his ninth season with Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE, A Dance Company, where he also serves as rehearsal director. @iLIKEFAME

Austin Coats (he/him)
Austin Warren Coats is a multi-hyphenate artist whose work explores and uplifts queer identities of color through movement, illustration and fashion. Raised in Reynoldsburg, OH, Coats was first inspired by Dexter’s Laboratory and the church, but formally began dance training in college, earning a B.A. in dance studies with a secondary concentration in fashion design. He later earned an M.F.A. in choreography from New York University. As a performer, Coats has worked with artists including Silvana Cardell,  Ori Flomin, Angela Luem, Jess Pretty and Jamal White. He is now in his fifth season with Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE, A Dance Company. @austin_wears_coats

Aaliyah Fisher (she/her)
Aaliyah Fisher is a Jamaican American performer and creator born and raised in New York, now based between Philadelphia and New York City. She began her training with Eleone Dance Unlimited and earned a conservatory certificate from AMDA in 2021. She joined Philadanco’s second company in 2022, working with artists including Kim Bears-Bailey, Christopher Huggins and Milton Myers. Fisher completed her BFA in dance at Bennington College in 2025 after attending the University of the Arts. She continues to explore performance and its power to effect change through critical inquiry and movement. @liyah_1206

Ashley Green (she/her)
Ashley Green began her training at Columbia City Jazz, where she discovered her love for dance. She earned a BFA in dance from Point Park University in 2020, studying under Garfield Lemonius and performing works by Kyle Abraham, Aszure Barton, Peter Chu and Darrell Grand Moultrie. She joined Whim W’Him Seattle Contemporary Dance in 2021, the same year she was named one of Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch.” Green is a recipient of the Princess Grace Award in Dance and has performed or created work with Arkansas Ballet, Jonah Bokaer Arts Foundation, McKoy Dance Project, and more. @Awagreen98

Jacquelin Harris (she/her)
Jacquelin Harris began her dance training at Dance Productions Studios in Charlotte, NC, under Denise Britz-Clark. She graduated with honors from the Ailey/Fordham BFA Program and was a semifinalist for the Presidential Scholar in the Arts and a silver ARTS award recipient. A former member of Ailey II, Harris joined Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and has also performed with the Merce Cunningham Trust, Roderick George and Twyla Tharp,. She was named one of Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch” in 2016 and received a Princess Grace Foundation-USA dance fellowship in 2017. @jacquelinh

Yannick Lebrun (he/him)
Yannick Lebrun, born in Cayenne, French Guiana, began his training at the Adaclam School under Jeanine Verin. After graduating high school in 2004, he moved to New York to study at The Ailey School on scholarship. He joined Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 2008 after dancing with Ailey II. Lebrun was named one of Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch” in 2011 and was featured by France-Amérique as one of the 50 most talented French people in the U.S. He has choreographed for Ailey II and ABT Studio Company and was a 2024 UK National Dance Award nominee. @yannicklebrun

Samiyah Lynnice (she/her)
Samiyah Lynnice holds a BFA in dance performance from The Hartt School and is a graduate of New World School of the Arts in Miami. She spent seven years with Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, where she served as associate artistic director and was nominated for the Princess Grace Award. Her credits include Standing on the Shoulders by Cleo Parker Robinson and Resist by Micaela Taylor. She is the repertoire holder for Winifred R. Harris’ work and has performed with Anita Baker on “The Songstress” tour. Lynnice joins EVIDENCE, A Dance Company, for her first season. @S_miyah

Spirit Priester (she/her)
Spirit Priester, a Queens native, is a recent graduate of the Conservatory of Dance at SUNY Purchase. She began training at Innervisions Theater Arts Center in Jamaica, Queens, and continued at MOVE|NYC| and LaGuardia High School. At SUNY Purchase, she performed works by renowned choreographers including Norbert De La Cruz III, Andrea Miller and Kevin Wynn. In May 2025, she received the Kyle Abraham Rising Dancer Award. Prister is thrilled to begin her first season with Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE, A Dance Company, and looks forward to this new chapter in her artistic journey. @spiritdakota

Amina Vargas (she/her)
Amina Lydia Vargas, born in Washington, D.C., began her training with Assane Konte at Kankouran West African Dance Company and later studied at The Washington School of Ballet and Duke Ellington School of the Arts. She is an alumna of The Ailey School, where she studied on an Artistic Merit Scholarship. Vargas works with choreographer Hope Boykin as a dancer and re-stager, performing in States of Hope, Bernstein’s MASS and at Carnegie Hall. A Jacob’s Pillow 2024 Musical Theatre alumna, she has performed works by Christopher Huggins, Kevin Iega Jeff and others. In 2025, she joined EVIDENCE, A Dance Company. @amina.lydia

Malcolm Young (he/him)
Malcolm Miles Young is a New Jersey–born artist and performer. He earned a BFA in Dance from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, where he worked with renowned choreographers including Al Blackstone, Bill T. Jones, Ray Mercer and Shamel Pitts, and performed with the cast of Disney’s Newsies. He made his Broadway debut in The Lion King and toured nationally as Randy Jackson in MJ the Musical. A 2021 Palm Springs International Dance Festival award winner, Young is now pursuing an M.A. in media producing at NYU and performing with Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE, A Dance Company. @malcolmmyoung

Aurélie Garcia
Aurélie Garcia is a dancer, dance teacher and choreographer. She grew up in the South of France, moving to New York City at eighteen to attend The Ailey School. She graduated from their scholarship program in 2018. Garcia has performed with companies such as Alison Cook Beatty Dance, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, An Nuo Spiritual Dance & Art, Ballet Hispánico, Bloodline Dance Theater and Ntrinsik Movement. Garcia joined MOMIX in 2019.

Blake Bellanger 
Blake Bellanger is a graduate of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, where he received a BFA in contemporary dance. In 2022, Bellanger began his professional dance career with Marigny Opera Ballet in New Orleans. He has performed works by Diogo de Lima, Gina Patterson and Yoshito Sakauraba. For Bellanger, dance is about making connections with others through the artistic expression of human emotion and story. Bellanger joined Momix in 2023.

Jared Bogart 
Jared Bogart graduated with a BFA in dance from Jacksonville University. Bogart danced five seasons with Ballet Hispánico under artistic director Eduardo Vilaro, where he worked with renowned choreographers such as Ronald K. Brown, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa and Gustavo Ramirez Sansano. He performed and taught with PARA.MAR Dance Theatre under founder and director Stephanie Martinez. Most recently, Bogart performed with Dua Lipa as a backup dancer at the 2024 Grammy Awards. Bogart joined MOMIX in 2024.

Lyvia Baldner 
Lyvia Baldner is originally from Onalaska, WI, and recently graduated summa cum laude with a BFA in ballet from Texas Christian University. Baldner performed with the Align Dance Theater, Elevator Project, Zion Dance Project and in Fort Worth’s Ballet Concerto. Performance highlights include works by Elizabeth Gilaspy, Peter Pucci, Keith Saunders, Kara Wilkes and Dr. Jessica Zeller. Baldner joined MOMIX in 2024.

Madeline Dwyer 
Madeline Dwyer is a New York City-based dancer and artist. She began training at Stowe Dance Academy in Vermont and later at the Boston Ballet School pre-professional program under Margaret Tracey. She has studied with the School of American Ballet, the Martha Graham School and GALLIM, and graduated summa cum laude from the Ailey/Fordham BFA Program. Dwyer is the resident choreographer at Hudson River Opera and a company dancer with White Wave Dance. Dwyer joined MOMIX in 2024.

Piper Jo Whitt 
Piper Jo Whitt grew up in Dallas and has been dancing since the age of three. She completed the Jazz & Contemporary Trainee Program at Joffrey Ballet School in New York City, graduating magna cum laude with a BFA from New Jersey City University and the Joffrey Ballet School. Whitt has participated in several intensive workshops, including Tulsa Ballet, the University of Colorado Dance Program and Joffrey Ballet School. Whitt joined Momix in 2024.

Seah Hagan
Seah Hagan was born and raised in Tallahassee, FL. She began her training at the Southern Academy of Ballet Arts, and graduated summa cum laude from the Florida State University Schools. On her 18th birthday, Hagan began her professional dance career with the world-renowned company MOMIX. She has since toured around the world, performing in three original shows with featured solos in all three. Hagan joined MOMIX in 2017.

Nathaniel Davis 
Nathaniel Davis was born in Toronto, Canada. He started training at the age of 17 and attended the New World School of the Arts, graduating cum laude with a BFA in dance. He has worked with the Peter London Dance Company in Miami, FL, and Artichoke Dance Company in Brooklyn, NY. He has performed works by Kyle Abraham, Darshan Bueller, George Balanchine, Robert Battle, Bill T. Jones, José Limón and Daniel Ulbricht. Davis joined MOMIX in 2017.