Dance Series 1 – Digital Program 2022

AL ABRAHAM (he/him), from the Philippines, began his dance training at the Effie Nañas Dance Center and earned a scholarship to the Philippine High School for the Arts, majoring in ballet. He holds a diploma in Creative Performing Arts from the University of the Philippines, where he trained with prominent mentors. Recognized by the Cultural Center of the Philippines Ballet Competition and Korea International Modern Dance Competition, Abraham has performed with Ballet Philippines, Alice Reyes Dance Philippines, Springfield Ballet, and Oakland Ballet. As a choreographer, his works are in Alice Reyes Dance Philippines’ repertoire. Abraham joined Smuin in 2024.

DOMINIC BARRETT (he/him) is a dancer from Cincinnati, Ohio. His training began early on, learning hip-hop and ballroom. At age 11 he started his classical ballet training at The School for the Creative and Performing Arts and the Cincinnati Ballet Academy. While in school, Dominic attended summer intensive programs at Houston Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, and Cincinnati Ballet. After graduating high school, he attended the University of Cincinnati’s College Conservatory of Music for dance on a full scholarship and had the opportunity to perform in China at the Beijing Dance Academy’s 50th Anniversary International Gala in 2014. Since then he has performed professionally with a number of different choreographers, companies, and ballet schools in Cincinnati and around the U.S. He has worked with directors including Mary Beth Cabana at Ballet Tucson as well as Meridith Benson and Mario de la Nuez, former principal dancers with Cincinnati Ballet and directors of De La Dance Company. Dominic has performed a wide variety of classical repertoire, his favorites being Coppélia, La Bayadère, and Don Quixote. In addition, he has performed works by George Balanchine, set by Zapora Kars, and Christopher Wheeldon. Barrett joined Smuin in 2024.

ISABEL BORGES (she/her), a New Orleans native, began her training at the Giacobbe Academy of Dance at age three. At fifteen, she moved to New York City to study at Ballet Academy East under renowned faculty, including mentor Darla Hoover, performing featured roles such as the principal in Balanchine’s Walpurgisnacht. She also trained at summer programs with American Ballet Theatre, San Francisco Ballet, Gibney Dance, Henny Jurriens, and L.A. Dance Project. While earning her B.A. in International Studies from Loyola University, she danced with New Orleans Ballet Theater, learning and performing principal roles including the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker and the principal in Concerto Barocco. Most recently with Cincinnati Ballet II, Isabel performed closely with the company in productions. Borges joined Smuin in 2025.

CLAIRE BUEHLER (she/her), from Milwaukee, WI, trained at the Milwaukee Ballet School & Academy. She went on to dance with the second companies of Milwaukee Ballet, Oklahoma City Ballet, and Nashville Ballet. In 2020, she joined Minnesota Ballet as a company member, and in 2021, she joined Smuin Contemporary Ballet. She has been featured in classical and contemporary works by Paul Vasterling, Gina Patterson, Amy Seiwert, Rex Wheeler, Nicole Haskins, and Kate Skarpetowska. Favorite past performances include Hearts Suite, Seiwert’s Been Through Diamonds, Wheeler’s Take Five, and Skarpetowska’s Sextette. Also an emerging choreographer, Claire recently restaged her work from Smuin’s Choreography Showcase for SoCal Ballet Scene’s festival in Orange County.

JACOPO CALVO (he/him), from Asti, Italy, began training at his hometown school, Ritmo Danza. He moved to New York City to attend The Ailey School on scholarship, performing alongside Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater for its 60th anniversary season. After graduation, he joined Complexions Contemporary Ballet under the direction of Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson, touring extensively nationally and internationally. Calvo joined Smuin in 2024.

MAGGIE CAREY (she/her), of Dayton, Ohio, received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance Performance from Butler University, where she performed works by choreographers including George Balanchine, Nacho Duato, and Paul Taylor. Upon graduating, Carey performed as an artist with Dayton Ballet. She spent two years with the Cincinnati Ballet Second Company, performing works by Victoria Morgan, George Balanchine, Ohad Naharin, and working with choreographers such as Garrett Smith, Nicolo Fonte, and Jennifer Archibald. Carey joined Smuin in 2018 and has since performed works by Amy Seiwert, Michael Smuin, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Trey McIntyre, Matthew Neenan, Rex Wheeler, Gina Patterson, and Val Caniparoli.

ANDERSON DA SILVA (he/him) is originally from Tampa, FL and comes from a Portuguese/Peruvian background. Da Silva trained at Tampa City Ballet under director Paula Nuñez and Osmany Montano. He then studied at Indiana University’s Collegiate Ballet Program at the Jacob’s School of Music. Upon graduation he joined Cincinnati Ballet’s second company for two seasons under Artistic Director Victoria Morgan and then later Jodie Gates. Da Silva then joined the Grand Rapids Ballet as a company artist for three seasons under Artistic Director James Sofranko. Throughout his professional career he has been able to perform works under choreographers such as Christopher Wheeldon, Justin Peck, Twyla Tharp, George Balanchine, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Penny Saunders, Jennifer Archibald, Trey McIntyre, Septime Webre, Val Caniparoli and many more. Da Silva joined Smuin in 2026.

KATHERINE DEUITCH (she/her), a native of St. Paul, Minnesota, began her pre-professional training at Minnesota Dance Theatre before attending two winter terms at the School of American Ballet. After graduating, she joined Ballet Austin II and was promoted to the main company in 2018. During her eight seasons in Ballet Austin’s main company, Deuitch performed a wide range of soloist and principal roles in both classical and contemporary repertoire. Her notable credits include George Balanchine’s Rubies and Serenade; Amy Seiwert’s Traveling Alone and Renaissance; Jessica Lang’s Garden Blue and ZigZag; Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s Symbiotic Twin; and Stephen Mills’ Belle, Desire, Hamlet, and Light / The Holocaust & Humanity Project. She also performed Odette/Odile in Swan Lake and Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty in Ballet Austin’s full-length productions. In 2023, Deuitch participated in the National Choreographers Initiative, dancing in world premieres by Ian Schwanner and Carrie Ruth Trumbo. She has also performed with and staged works for Jennifer Hart’s project-based company, Performa/Dance. Beyond performing, Deuitch served on the faculty of Ballet Austin’s Academy. In March 2026, she premiered her first professional choreographic work, Visions in Periphery, on Ballet Austin’s Butler Fellows. Deuitch joined Smuin in 2026.

Photo by Anne Marie Bloodgood

RICARDO DYER (he/him) is a native of Panama based out of New York City. He received his early training at The Governor’s School for the Arts in Norfolk, Virginia. He graduated with a BFA in Dance Performance from Butler University, where he performed extensively with Butler Ballet including works by Gerald Arpino, George Balanchine and Paul Taylor. Post graduation, Dyer has danced with Charlottesville Ballet, Ballet Memphis, L.A. Dance Project and LA Opera. During his career he has performed works by Trey McIntyre, Matthew Neenan, Julia Adam, Benjamin Millipied, Val Caniparoli, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa and many others. Dyer joined Smuin in 2019.

CASSIDY ISAACSON (she/her), originally from Redmond, Washington, began her training at Pacific Northwest Ballet before continuing her studies privately with the lovely Deborah Hadley. At just 16, she joined Grand Rapids Ballet, where she danced for eight seasons, performing works by celebrated choreographers such as Trey McIntyre (Wild Sweet Love), Alejandro Cerrudo (Extremely Close), Penny Saunders (In Frame), and Annabelle Lopez Ochoa (Written and Forgotten). Since joining Smuin, she has performed countless one-of-a-kind works under Smuin’s umbrella, and has been given the incredible opportunity to choreograph on the Company with over 11 world premieres. She is passionate about her choreographic work and hopes to continue this path, as she aspires to build a professional career in choreography. Isaacson joined Smuin in 2019.

MIMI LAMAR (she/her), was born in New Orleans and raised in Dallas, TX. Lamar began her ballet training at the age of nine and at 15 she was offered a full scholarship to The HARID Conservatory in Boca Raton, FL, where she trained for 3 years. In 2020–21, she received a Silver Medal at ABC/IBC, won First Place at YAGP Dallas, and was a finalist at the YAGP Finals. In 2021, Lamar also attended Ballet Summer Estonia, where she trained and performed in the Gala at the Estonia National Opera House. That same year, Lamar joined the San Francisco Ballet School as a trainee, joining San Francisco Ballet as an apprentice from 2023-2024. She subsequently danced with Oakland Ballet, returning to Texas to perform in projects with ISHIDA Dance Company in Austin and Houston. Lamar joined Smuin in 2026.

LOGAN MARTIN (they/them) started their professional career with Pennsylvania Ballet II in 2010. After further training at Houston Ballet Ben Stevenson OBE Academy, Martin joined Ballet West II before being to the main company in 2014. They subsequently joined Oakland Ballet, where they had the honor of working closely with numerous world renowned choreographers on new works. Throughout their career, Martin has performed principal roles such as Aladdin in Peggy Dolkas and Pamela Robinson Harris’ Aladdin and The Land Prince in their production of The Little Mermaid, Cavalier in Graham Lustig’s The Nutcracker and The Hostess in his Birthdays, Phil Chan’s Exquisite Corpse, Amber Waves and Ballet des Porcelains, and Angel Island Project choreographed by Wei Wang and Natasha Adorlee. They have performed soloist roles in Jessica Lang’s Lyric Pieces, George Balanchine’s Symphony in C, Nicolo Fonte’s Almost Tango and Rite of Spring, and The Unlucky Sailor in Stanton Welch’s Madame Butterfly. Martin joined Smuin in 2026.

ELEANOR PRINCE (she/her), raised in Louisville, Kentucky, trained in the Louisville Ballet School under directors Bruce Simpson and Robert Curran. She continued her training at Stanford University under Alex Ketley and Anton Pankevich, where she graduated with recognition for leadership in ballet and the arts as well as a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and graduate studies in Robotics. Her repertoire as a company artist with Louisville Ballet includes classics such as the Sugar Plum Fairy in Val Caniparoli’s The Nutcracker, Guardian Swan in Swan Lake, La Bayadère, Giselle, Raymonda, Romeo and Juliet, Napoli, Cinderella, Dracula, and George Balanchine’s Rubies, as well as contemporary works by Adam Hougland, Andrea Schermoly, Stephen Mills, Lucas Jervies, and Ching Ching Wong. She is also a 2024 alumna of Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, where she performed in world premieres by choreographers Annabelle Lopez Ochoa and Silas Farley.

SHANIA RASMUSSEN (she/her), originally from Denver, CO, began her professional career with the Sacramento Ballet, performing principal and soloist roles in classical ballets and works by George Balanchine, as well as being featured in works by Jermaine Spivey, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, and Penny Saunders, among others. She was additionally a dancer with Amy Seiwert’s Imagery, touring to The Joyce Theater and Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival. As a choreographer, she has presented numerous works for stage and film. Rasmussen joined Smuin in 2024.

YURI ROGERS (he/him) began his training with the Academy of Ballet San Francisco under the direction of Richard Gibson and Zory Karah. He then had the opportunity to continue his training and perform with the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago, the Grand Rapids Ballet, and BalletMet in Columbus, Ohio. Rogers has performed works by Lar Lubovitch, Leiland Charles, and Edwaard Liang. Rogers joined Smuin in 2021.

JOÃO SAMPAIO (he/him) trained in classical ballet in his hometown of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil under Ana Palmieri and Romulo Ramos. He has won national and international dance competitions, including the Youth America Grand Prix and the World Ballet Competition. Sampaio joined Tulsa Ballet in 2014, where he performed featured roles in Jiří Kylián’s Petite Mort, Wayne McGregor’s Infra, Nacho Duato’s Remanso, Kurt Jooss’ The Green Table, Yuri Possokhov’s Classical Symphony, and Edwaard Liang’s Romeo and Juliet and Age of Innocence. In 2018, he joined Festival Ballet Providence, performing lead roles in George Balanchine’s Serenade, Swan Lake, and The Nutcracker. Sampaio joined Smuin in 2019.

Osnel Delgado is Founder, Artistic Director, Dancer, and Choreographer of Malpaso Dance Company. He danced with Danza Contemporanea de Cuba from 2003 to 2011. In 2012 he founded Malpaso Dance Company with Fernando Sáez, and Daileidys Carrazana. Malpaso Dance Company has become one of the most sought after Cuban dance companies with a growing international profile. Emphasizing a collaborative creative process, Malpaso works with top international choreographers while nurturing new voices in Cuban choreography. An Associate Company of Joyce Theater Productions, Malpaso — together with The Joyce— has commissioned original works from prominent North American choreographers and tours with 11 dancers.

Delgado has worked with choreographers Mats Ek, Rafael Bonachela, Kenneth Kvarnström, Ja Linkens, Itzik Galili, Samir Akika, Pedro Ruiz, Isidro Rolando and George Cespedes, among others. He has created works for DCC, Rakatan and Ebony Dance of Cuba. Delgado is a 2003 graduate of the National Dance School of Havana, where he is also a professor of dance studies.

Photo by Todd Rosenberg

The Belgian-Colombian Annabelle Lopez Ochoa is an award-winning and sought-after choreographer that has created new works for more than 70 dance companies around the world such as the Dutch National Ballet, English National Ballet, Hong Kong Ballet, West Australian Ballet, Ballet Nacional de Cuba, San Francisco Ballet, New York City Ballet, Ballet Hispanico, among many others.

After a 12-years long dance career, where she danced in various European companies such as the Scapino Ballet, she decides in 2003 to focus her energies solely on choreography. In that same year she is hailed “rising star of the Dutch dance scene” (NRC newspaper) and only 7 years later the Temecula Performing Arts Examiner wrote; ”Ochoa is truly a masterful choreographer with an edge for what dance can and should be in this constantly changing industry”.

A versatile choreographer, Lopez Ochoa creates within the dance field but also for theatre, opera, musical theatre. Her wide-ranging body of work includes short conceptual pieces, full-length narrative ballets, and dance films.

In 2019, Annabelle became the recipient of the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award as well as the program director of the Jacob’s Pillow Contemporary Ballet Summer Course.

This season Annabelle will create her 10th narrative ballet “Coco Chanel, the life of a fashion icon” for the Hong Kong Ballet.

Photo by Julio Cesar Herrera

James Kudelka is among today’s most versatile and innovative dance artists. He has choreographed for many of the world’s leading ballet companies and for smaller contemporary troupes. His creative range reflects his eclectic musical interests, command of diverse movement idioms and commitment to working collaboratively with artists from other disciplines. James is renowned for distinctive versions of such classics as The Nutcracker and Cinderella – signature works of The National Ballet of Canada where he served as Artistic Director (1996 – 2005). Equally, James excels in making smaller-scaled dances that are rich in psychological implication and human drama. Born in Newmarket, Ontario and trained at Canada’s National Ballet School (NBS), he began choreographing as a student and continued throughout his dancing years with the National Ballet (1972 – 1981) and Les Grands Ballets Canadiens (1981 – 1990). He began an affiliation with Toronto’s Citadel + Cie in 2006 and has been resident choreographer since 2008 where he has experimented with cross-disciplinary collaborations. As a teacher, James has worked with Vancouver Arts Umbrella, Ryerson University and NBS and he continues to work internationally as a choreographer. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2005 and is among the 2020 Dance Collection Danse Hall of Fame inductees.

Originally from London, Rex Wheeler is a multi-faceted drag performer, actor, producer and choreographer. Having trained in the UK at the Royal Ballet School and Elmhurst, Rex danced with the Slovak National Ballet, Sacramento Ballet and Smuin Contemporary Ballet before becoming a working choreographer here in the US. Rex simultaneously embarked on a career in drag, creating his alter-ego Lady Camden and became the runner up of Season 14 of RuPaul’s Drag Race. He has since performed all over the world, starring in solo shows, performing in world tours, producing music as well as continuing to choreograph and produce shows here in San Francisco. Rex recently starred in a new documentary, “Lady Like,” directed by Luke Willis which has been featured in many film festivals around the world, and continues to perform, choreograph, and produce performances and events throughout the year as both Rex and Lady Camden.

Photo by Maximillian Tortoriello

A recipient of the Princess Grace Choreography Fellowship Award, Darrell Grand Moultrie has established himself as one of the most diverse and sought-after choreographers and master teachers.

Moultrie has created and staged works for dance companies across the world including American Ballet Theatre, The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, BalletX, Atlanta Ballet, Milwaukee Ballet Colorado Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, BalletMet Columbus, Ailey 2, Tulsa Ballet, Richmond Ballet, Sacramento Ballet, The Juilliard School, North Carolina Dance Theatre, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, and NBA Ballet in Japan among others.

Moultrie served as the choreographer for the Pulitzer Prize Winning & 2023 Tony Nominated Play Fat Ham. His work can currently be seen in Disney’s new revival of the Tony Award winning musical AIDA, currently playing The Netherlands. . For his work, he received a “Best Choreography” nomination at the Netherland’s Musical Awards. Additional credits include the world premiere of the new musical, Goddess, at Berkeley Repertory Theatre directed by Tony Nominee Saheem Ali, MCC’s Space Dogs, The Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park production of Merry Wives, the world premiere of Jeremy O. Harris’s off-Broadway play Daddy, Witness Uganda at American Repertory Theater directed by Tony Winner Diane Paulus, Sugar in Our Wounds at Manhattan Theatre Club, the off-Broadway musical Invisible Thread at Second Stage, the world premiere of Redwood at Portland Center Stage Theater, and Evita and Pride & Prejudice at Kansas City Repertory Theatre. Moultrie has collaborated with Tony Award-winning dancer Savion Glover and choreographed El Publico, a new opera at the world famous Teatro Real in Madrid, Spain directed by Robert Castro and Conducted by Robert Heras-Casado.

Darrell served as a choreographer on Beyoncé’s record breaking tour, the Mrs. Carter World Tour.

Moultrie is a proud New Yorker, born and raised in Harlem, and a graduate of Laguardia High School and The Juilliard School.

Toronto-born JENNIFER ARCHIBALD is the founder and Artistic Director of the Arch Dance Company and Program Director of ArchCore40 Dance Intensives. Archibald has choreographed for the Ailey II, Atlanta Ballet, Ballet West, Grand Rapids Ballet, Kansas City Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Pittsburgh Ballet, Sacramento Ballet, Tulsa Ballet, and BalletX among others. She has worked commercially for NIKE, MAC Cosmetics, Tommy Hilfiger, as well as chart-listed artists. She will return to the Crypto Arena to choreograph the opening for KCON’s annual conference.

She was appointed as the first female Resident Choreographer in Cincinnati Ballet’s 40-year history. Jennifer has been commissioned by BalletMet, Grand Rapids Ballet, BalletX, the Washington Ballet, Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre and the Kennedy Centre’s Pathways to Performance program to deliver new works in 2025. Ms. Archibald was the acting Movement Director for Michael Kahn’s The Oresteia at the Shakespeare Theatre Company. Her directorial debut WeAight was named the Official Selection of the 2022 Dance on Camera Festival.  She creates a “Documentary Ballet” format, in which she creates works rooted in historical history bringing communities together. Her documentary ballets are theatrical engagements that evolve beyond the stage and rely on historical education as an integral part of the creative process.  Her projects in this space include – Breakin’Bricks which honors the community of Black Wall Street produced by Tulsa Ballet; Sounds of the Sun which honors the life of dancer Florence Waren exploring her experience during the holocaust produced by the Pittsburgh Ballet and Seven, a biographical work about Olympian Jackie Joyner-Kersee commissioned by MADCO Dance Company.

Archibald’s works have been performed at venues including Aaron Davis Hall, Central Park’s Summerstage Mainstage, Jacob’s Pillow Inside|Out Stage, Lincoln Center, New York’s City Center, and The Kennedy Center. She was awarded a Choreographic Fellow for Ailey’s New Directions Choreography Lab under the direction of Robert Battle and is a Joffrey Ballet Winning Works Choreographic Competition recipient. Her commissioned work “DIRT ” was presented at TED TALK by St. Louis-based MADCO Dance Company. Arch Dance Company’s Chasing Shadows, was remounted for Dallas Black Dance Theater’s 2018/19 season. Archibald was also the 2018-19 recipient of the City of New York Dance Initiative.

She is currently an Acting Lecturer at the Yale School of Drama and was appointed as a Guest Faculty Lecturer to develop the Hip Hop dance curriculum at Columbia/Barnard College. Jennifer is also a guest artist at several universities including Boston Conservatory, Columbia College Chicago, Fordham/Ailey, Goucher College, Miami New World School of the Arts, Purchase College, Point Park, Princeton, South Carolina’s Governor’s School of the Arts, University of South Florida, Oklahoma University and Virginia Commonwealth University. She is a returning guest choreographer for the School at Jacob’s Pillow. www.Jennniferarchibald.com

Cellist and composer Julia Kent was born in Vancouver, Canada, and lives in New York City. She makes music using layered and processed cello, electronics, and found sounds, creating haunting and evocative soundscapes that range from hushed intimacy to cinematic expansiveness. She has released five solo records, the most recent being Temporal on UK label Leaf, and has toured throughout North America and Europe, including appearances at Primavera Sound, Mutek Montreal, Meltdown, and Unsound.

She also composes for film, television, theatre, and dance, including award-winning film scores and music for productions at the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm, BAM Fishman Space in New York City, Ballett Nationaltheater Mannheim, and Balletto Teatro di Torino.

www.juliakent.com

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Trey McIntyre was created in 1969 as a collaboration between his mother and father. His interest both in art and getting the hell away from Kansas led him to train at North Carolina School of the Arts and the Houston Ballet Academy. In 1989, he was appointed Choreographic Apprentice to Houston Ballet, a position created especially for him, and in 1995 he became the company’s Choreographic Associate. He has worked for more than 30 years as a freelance choreographer, producing more than 100 pieces during the span of his career so far. He also did a bunch of other cool things, including working with a lot of amazing companies such as The Stuttgart Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Queensland Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, New York City Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theatre, BalletX, The Washington Ballet, Ballet Memphis, and San Francisco Ballet.

He has won numerous awards and honors such as the Choo San Goh Award for Choreography, a Lifetime Achievement Award from The National Society of Arts and Letters, two personal grants for choreography from The National Endowment for the Arts, and is a United States Artists Fellow. In 2019, he won the Isadora Duncan Award for Outstanding Achievement in Choreography for his work Your Flesh Shall be a Great Poem, which he created for San Francisco Ballet for their Unbound Festival. He was named one of Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch” in 2001, one of People Magazine’s “25 Hottest Bachelors” in 2003, and one of Out Magazine’s 2008 “Tastemakers.” The New York Times critic Alastair Macaulay said of Mclntyre, “…There’s a fertility of invention and a modernity of spirit here that are all Mr. Mclntyre’s own.” The Los Angeles Times wrote, “…There is indeed such a thing as genuine 21st century ballet, and it belongs more to this guy from Wichita than any of the over-hyped pretenders from England, France or Russia.”

In 2005, he founded his dance company, Trey McIntyre Project, achieving great audience and critical success. McIntyre created over 23 original works for the company as well as numerous film projects, interactive site specific works, and photography collections.

A confessed polymath, McIntyre has developed a cult following for his photography of the human body (see more at Patreon), written several published essays, and completed the feature-length documentary Gravity Hero, which premiered at the Dance on Camera Film Festival at Lincoln Center.

His main focus recently has been adding more love into the world. He loves you and doesn’t even know you.

Matthew Neenan, described as “one of America’s best dance poets” by The New York Times, began his dance training at the Boston Ballet School and with noted teachers Nan C. Keating and Jacqueline Cronsberg. He later attended the LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts and the School of American Ballet in New York. From 1994-2007, Matthew danced with the Pennsylvania Ballet, where he danced numerous principal roles in the classical, contemporary and Balanchine repertoire. From 2007 – 2020, Matthew was the Choreographer in Residence at the Pennsylvania Ballet where he created 20 original ballets. Matthew’s choreography has been premiered and performed by The New York City Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, The Washington Ballet, Ballet West, BalletMet, Colorado Ballet, Ballet Memphis, Milwaukee Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Tulsa Ballet, OKC Ballet, Kansas City Ballet, Nashville Ballet, Parsons Dance, BODYTRAFFIC, Juilliard Dance, and USC Kaufman School of Dance, among many others. He has received numerous awards and grants for his choreography from the National Endowment of the Arts, Dance Advance funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Choo San Goh Foundation, the Independence Foundation and four fellowships from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. In 2006, Matthew received the New York City Ballet’s Choreographic Institute’s Fellowship Initiative Award. In October 2009, Matthew was the grand-prize winner of Sacramento Ballet’s Capital Choreography Competition and was also the first recipient of the Jerome Robbins NEW Program Fellowship for his work At the border for Pennsylvania Ballet. In 2005, Matthew co-founded BalletX with fellow dancer Christine Cox. BalletX has toured and performed Neenan’s choreography in New York City at The Joyce Theater, NY City Center, The Skirball Center, Symphony Space and Central Park Summerstage, The Kennedy Center, Vail International Dance Festival (where he has created 5 world premieres), Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Segerstrom Center, Laguna Dance Festival, Spring to Dance Festival in St. Louis, as well as several venues internationally. His ballet The Last Glass was listed in The New York Times Top 10 in 2013.

JUSTIN PECK is a two-time Tony Award winning choreographer, director, filmmaker, and dancer based in New York City. He is currently the acting Resident Choreographer and Artistic Advisor of New York City Ballet.  Peck has created and developed over 50 dance and theater works for stages around the world, including work for Broadway, the Palais Garnier, the Sydney Opera House, Brooklyn Academy of Music, and Lincoln Center.  He has created extensively for film, most notably choreographing Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story (2021).  In 2024, Peck directed and choreographed the original Broadway musical Illinoise.  In 2025, Peck co-choreographed the Broadway musical Buena Vista Social Club in collaboration with Patricia Delgado.  Peck’s honors include the Tony Award for Best Choreography for Carousel (2018) and Illinoise (2024), the National Arts Award (2018), the Golden Plate Honor from the Academy of Achievement (2019), the Bessie Award for Rodeo (2015), and the World Choreography Award for the film West Side Story (2021).

Headshot by Ryan Pfluger

Alejandro Cerrudo was born in Madrid, Spain. His professional career includes work with Victor Ullate Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, Nederlands Dans Theater 2 and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (HSDC). Cerrudo became HSDC’s first-ever resident choreographer in 2008 and held that position until 2018.

Cerrudo’s body of work has been performed by over 20 professional dance companies around the world. Honors include an award from the Boomerang Fund for Artists (2011) and the Prince Prize for Commissioning Original Work from the Prince Charitable Trusts (2012) for his acclaimed, first evening-length work, One Thousand Pieces. In 2014 he was awarded the USA Donnelley Fellowship by United States Artists. Also, Cerrudo was one of four choreographers invited by New York City Ballet’s Wendy Whelan to create and perform original duets for RestlessCreatures. In 2017 Cerrudo was invited by Daniil Simkin to choreograph a site-specific performance for the Guggenheim Rotunda, a Works & Process Rotunda Project commission, featuring Daniil Simkin and original costumes by Dior. Cerrudo’s Sleeping Beauty, created with Ballet Theater Basel in 2016, was nominated as “Production of the Year” in Switzerland in the “Tanz, Jahrbuch 2016” by the Neue Zürcher Zeitung.

In 2020 Cerrudo was appointed Pacific Northwest Ballet’s resident choreographer, with that, he became the first artist in the company’s history to have the honor of holding that title. Independently, he directed and choreographed his show, “It Starts Now,” which premiered in 2021 at The Joyce Theater in New York. In 2022, Cerrudo was appointed artistic director of Charlotte Ballet.

Headshot by THE GINGERB3ARDMEN

Julia Feldman received her training under Pamela Hayes of Pamela Hayes Classical Ballet and began her professional career with the Sacramento Ballet in 2011, where she is currently a Company Artist. She discovered her passion for choreography through the company’s annual choreographic showcase program, creating a new work each year since 2012.

In 2015, Feldman co-founded Capital Dance Project (CDP), a collective of professional dancers based in Sacramento dedicated to creating world premiere works in collaboration with local visual artists and musicians. Feldman has created ten works for CDP to date, and has played an integral role in shaping the organization’s mission, management, and collaborative vision behind its annual Behind the Barre and Digital Series productions.

In 2019, she was selected for the National Choreographer’s Initiative in Irvine, California, under the direction of Molly Lynch. In 2021, Feldman was one of three choreographers commissioned to co-create a new Nutcracker for the Sacramento Ballet, led by Artistic Director Anthony Krutzkamp. The following year, she was selected for the New York Choreographic Institute’s Spring Session, directed by Adrian Danchig-Waring.

She has since premiered three full works for the Sacramento Ballet: Hearts (April 2022), Pockets of Light (March 2025), and All I See Sometimes (October 2025). Feldman is thrilled to be creating a new work for Smuin Contemporary Ballet’s Spring Point, under the direction of Amy Seiwert.

Photo by Rachel Seva.

Babatunji is a dance artist, choreographer, and creative innovator based out of San Francisco. Though never formally trained as a child, Babatunji was always moving his body to the beat. At the age of 15, he discovered the art of hip hop. Following this epiphany of love, he grew up through his teens breaking and popping on street corners in Hilo, Hawai’i. After being “discovered” by a local dance instructor, he began his formal training in various styles of dance, including ballet. This would inevitably lead him to Lines Ballet’s Training Program, and from there, into the company.

For over a decade he has worked with one of the greatest American choreographers, Alonzo King. As a freelance dancer, Babatunji has worked with Post:ballet, Ishida Dance Company, SFDanceworks, tinypistol, Ballare Carmel; as well as performed works by choreographers and artist such as Adji Cissoko, Yue Yin, Danielle Rowe, Brett Conway, Rich and Tone Talauega, David Harvey, Mike Tyus, Vân-Ánh Võ. Additionally, his work for film includes features in Rafael Casal and Daveed Diggs’ Blindspotting on Starz, as well as Misty Copeland’s short art film Flower.

Over the past 8 years, Babatunji has developed a unique movement language, blending his background in ballet, contemporary, breaking, and hip hop. He has choreographed for Berkeley Ballet Theater, Boston Dance Theater, Post:ballet, Trolley Dance, SFDanceworks, ZiRu Dance, among other Bay Area companies. As a solo artist, Babatunji has performed internationally, collaborating with visual, sound, and technical artists of countless genres. His work has been seen at Museum of Dance, Lion’s Jaw performance + dance festival, København Danser, and SFJazz in collaboration with Terri Lyne Carrington. In 2015, he was awarded a Princess Grace Award, as well as a Chris Hellman Award for his outstanding achievements and promise in the world of dance.

Babatunji is immensely grateful to his mom for providing him with every opportunity and the guidance of her wisdom along the way.

Photo by RJ Muna.

MAGGIE CAREY (she/her), of Dayton, Ohio, received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance Performance from Butler University, where she performed works by choreographers including George Balanchine, Nacho Duato, and Paul Taylor. Upon graduating, Carey performed as an artist with Dayton Ballet. She spent two years with the Cincinnati Ballet Second Company, performing works by Victoria Morgan, George Balanchine, Ohad Naharin, and working with choreographers such as Garrett Smith, Nicolo Fonte, and Jennifer Archibald. Carey joined Smuin in 2018 and has since performed works by Amy Seiwert, Michael Smuin, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Trey McIntyre, Matthew Neenan, Rex Wheeler, Gina Patterson, and Val Caniparoli.

CASSIDY ISAACSON (she/her), originally from Redmond, Washington, began her training at Pacific Northwest Ballet before continuing her studies privately with the lovely Deborah Hadley. At just 16, she joined Grand Rapids Ballet, where she danced for eight seasons, performing works by celebrated choreographers such as Trey McIntyre (Wild Sweet Love), Alejandro Cerrudo (Extremely Close), Penny Saunders (In Frame), and Annabelle Lopez Ochoa (Written and Forgotten). Since joining Smuin, she has performed countless one-of-a-kind works under Smuin’s umbrella, and has been given the incredible opportunity to choreograph on the Company with over 11 world premieres. She is passionate about her choreographic work and hopes to continue this path, as she aspires to build a professional career in choreography. Isaacson joined Smuin in 2019.

Julia Adam was born in Canada and began her early dance training in her hometown of Ottawa, Ontario. At the age of thirteen, she continued her studies at the National Ballet School in Toronto, graduating in 1983.  Julia then spent five years honing her skills with the National Ballet of Canada before joining San Francisco Ballet in 1988, where she completed her illustrious dancing career. As a principal dancer, she gained  recognition for her lyricism, musicality, and broad theatrical range, performing a wide array of roles under the direction of Artistic Director Helgi Tomasson. Julia retired from the stage in the spring of 2002. Upon  retiring, Julia turned her focus to choreography, a passion she had cultivated throughout her dancing career. Her first ballet, The Medium is the Message, created for San Francisco Ballet’s Choreographic Workshop  in 1993, received acclaim for its wit and distinctive movement style. This success was followed by many other works and led to commissions from various companies and earned an Isadora Duncan Award for  Choreography. In collaboration with composer Matthew Pierce, Julia created Night for San Francisco Ballet’s 2000 Discovery Program, which was met with critical and popular acclaim. The ballet toured  internationally, performing at venues such as the Paris Opera’s Palais Garnier, The Royal Opera House in London’s Covent Garden, and City Center in New York. Julia and Pierce continued their collaboration with  Crossing for The Joffrey Ballet in 2001 and Reverence for Cincinnati Ballet in 2002. The success of Night led to further commissions by San Francisco Ballet, including Angelo (2002) and Imaginal Disc (2003),  another collaboration with Pierce. In 2008, she created a rose by any other name for San Francisco Ballet’s New Works Festival, celebrating their 75th anniversary. In 2009, Julia choreographed her first full length ballet, The Nutcracker, for Marin Ballet, and subsequently created full-length works for Diablo Ballet and Ballet Memphis. With over 100 works to her name, Julia has choreographed for numerous prestigious  companies, including San Francisco Ballet, Houston Ballet, The National Ballet of Canada, and The Joffrey Ballet. She has also created and staged ten works for Ballet Memphis, where she served as Artistic  Associate from 2010 to 2013. In 2012 Amy Seiwert invited Julia to choreograph for Imagery creating a deeper peer connection that started during their year’s work together at Margaret Jenkins CHIME program.

In 2014, Julia co-founded Julia Adam Dance with her partner and husband, Aaron Lucich, a project that reflects their shared passions for art, community, food, and the natural world. She was named Performance  Director and Resident Choreographer at Marin Ballet in 2022 where she continues to teach and choreograph for the students. Julia continues to choreograph across the country, earning critical acclaim while also teaching and mentoring the next generation of dancers.

Nicole Haskins, originally from Venice Beach, California, danced professionally for over two decades with Sacramento Ballet, The Washington Ballet, Amy Seiwert’s Imagery, Kansas City Ballet, and Smuin Contemporary Ballet, where she retired in 2019. She is now the Artistic Director of San Jose Dance Theatre.

Alongside her performing career, Haskins cultivated a vibrant choreographic career with commissions at Smuin Contemporary Ballet, Richmond Ballet, Dayton Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theatre and Sacramento Ballet where she co-choreographed their new production of The Nutcracker alongside Colby Damon and Julia Feldman.

Since retiring from the stage, Haskins has dedicated herself to nurturing the next generation of dancers, serving as the Resident Choreographer for Mid-Columbia Ballet and the inaugural Trainee Program Director at Ballet Idaho. In her current role as Artistic Director of San Jose Dance Theatre, she choreographed the world premiere of The Wizard of Oz and proudly leads the company into its 60th Anniversary production of The Nutcracker.

“Art is Risk made Visible.”

Former Smuin artist Ben Needham-Wood is an Emmy Award-winning choreographer and filmmaker who currently serves as the Artistic Director of Boulder Ballet. His works have been performed at festivals, concerts, and galas across the U.S. and Canada by companies such as Amy Seiwert’s Imagery, Dimensions Dance Theatre of Miami, and the Boulder, Kansas City, Louisville, and Smuin Contemporary Ballets. Ben is the first appointed Artistic Fellow of Amy Seiwert’s Imagery. He and his wife, Sadie, recently launched the Professional Dance Residency of Marin in Marin, CA.

Photo Credit: Amanda Tipton, Courtesy of Boulder Ballet

Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Myles Thatcher trained in classical ballet with Margo Clifford Ging, The Harid Conservatory, the Edward Ellison Professional Training Program, and San Francisco Ballet School. He joined the San Francisco Ballet in 2009, where he continues to work as a soloist dancer. In 2025 he was appointed SF Ballet’s Creation House Associate Choreographer. Thatcher has choreographed stage and film work on an array of companies such as San Francisco Ballet, New York City Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, Scottish Ballet, and others.

Choreographer Nicolo Fonte is known for his unique movement language as well as the highly developed fusion of ideas, dance and design that is a hallmark of his work. A first generation American, Fonte, whose parents emigrated to the US from Argentina, started dancing at the age of 14. He studied at the Joffrey Ballet School in New York, San Francisco Ballet, School of American Ballet and also completed a Bachelor Degree of Fine Arts at SUNY Purchase.

Mr. Fonte received a Choo San Goh award for Almost Tango, his 2002 choreography for Pacific Northwest Ballet. Almost Tango was also voted as one of Dance Europe’s “Best Premiere’s” when it was re-staged for The Australian Ballet in 2004. His very first full-length work Re: Tchaikovsky, created for The Gothenburg Ballet in 2005, appeared on the “Best of 2005” lists of both Ballett-Tanz and Dance Europe. Since that time, Fonte has created an additional three full-evening works for BalletX: Beautiful Decay (2013), Beasts (2015) and Sidd: A Hero’s Journey (2023) based on the classic novel Siddhartha.

Fonte’s choreography has been performed by companies all over the globe – from Tulsa Ballet in the USA to Het National Ballet in Amsterdam to the National Dance Company of El Salvador.  In addition to his four original full-length ballets, re-invigorated versions of classic scores and extraordinary collaborations with artists across many disciplines are all well represented in Mr. Fonte’s work. From 2002 to 2006 Nicolo enjoyed an ongoing creative partnership with The Gothenburg Ballet in Sweden. From 2013-2023 he was the resident choreographer for Ballet West in SLC and from 2016-2021 he was also the resident choreographer for Oregon Ballet Theatre creating numerous successful works to the repertories of both those acclaimed, as well as many other ensembles.

MY’KAL STROMILE received his BFA from The Juilliard School under the direction of Larry Rhodes, following training with Kim Abel, Ceyhun Ozsoy, Dereque Whiturs, and Anna-Marie Holmes at The School at Jacob’s Pillow. A 2014 U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts, an honor awarded by President Barack Obama, he has performed works by William Forsythe, Aszure Barton, Crystal Pite, Dwight Rhoden, and Jerome Robbins, among others. Stromile also danced with Bruce Wood Dance, Disney Productions, and Boston Ballet (2018– 2024), where he was a Princess Grace Award nominee.

Stromile has choreographed new works for Boston Ballet, including Form and Gesture in 2023, The Leisurely Installation of a New Window in 2026, The Juilliard School, the Joyce Theater’s UNITE Ballet Festival, AILEY II, and Vail Dance Festival, among others. In 2024, he was commissioned by the Paris Opera Ballet, creating Word for Word, and collaborated with CHANEL on costume designs. He also participated in the 2024 New York Choreographic Institute at New York City Ballet. He is the recipient of Juilliard’s Hector Zaraspe Prize in Choreography and was recognized with Choreographic Honors three consecutive years. Stromile considers himself a movement architect, taking a multidisciplinary approach to his practice, collaborating with artists and technologists.

Headshot by Liza Vol Photography