Dance Series 1 – Digital Program 2022

AL Abraham, originally from the Philippines, holds a diploma in Creative Performing Arts from the University of the Philippines. He has danced professionally with Ballet Philippines, Alice Reyes Dance Philippines, Springfield Ballet, and Oakland Ballet, performing works by Phil Chan, Natasha Adorlee, Adam Sage, and Graham Lustig. Abraham has won awards at the Cultural Center of the Philippines Ballet Competition and Korea International Modern Dance Competition. He is an aspiring choreographer, with several of his ballets in repertoire at Alice Reyes Dance Philippines. Abraham joined Smuin in 2024.

Photo by Elijah Espino.

TESSA BARBOUR, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, trained at Alwin School of the Dance before studying abroad in Warrington, England on a scholarship awarded to her at the Cecchetti International Competition. She has danced with New Mexico Ballet, Connecticut Ballet, and San Diego Ballet. Her favorite past performances include Man in Black by James Kudelka and Indigo by Stanton Welch. Since joining Smuin in 2016, Barbour has performed works by Val Caniparoli, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Trey McIntyre, Helen Pickett, and Amy Seiwert.

Meet The Artist

Dominic Barrett 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. He is excited to be in San Francisco for his first season with Smuin!

CLAIRE BUEHLER is from Milwaukee, WI and trained at the Milwaukee Ballet School & Academy. She danced with Oklahoma City Ballet’s Studio Company, Nashville Ballet II, and Minnesota Ballet before joining Smuin. Her favorite past performances include Cygnets in Swan Lake and Dew Drop in The Nutcracker, as well as contemporary works by Paul Vasterling, Gina Patterson, and Chris Stuart. With Smuin, Buehler was been featured in Excelsis, a new work for The Christmas Ballet by Rex Wheeler, and in Amy Seiwert’s Been Through Diamonds.

JACOPO CALVO, from Asti, Italy, began his training at 11 at his hometown school, Ritmo Danza. He moved to New York City to attend The Ailey School on scholarship at 18, where he performed alongside the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater for its 60th anniversary season in Memoria at New York City Center and for the Ailey Spirit Gala in the David Koch Theater at Lincoln Center. Upon graduating from The Ailey School, he joined Complexions Contemporary Ballet. Under the co-direction of Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson, Jacopo spent three seasons extensively touring nationally and internationally.  In addition to working with artist Nick Cave in The Let Go at the Park Avenue Armory, he has worked with choreographers Ricardo Amarante, Francesca Harper, Marcus Jarrell Willis, Brice Mousset, Ray Mercer, and Earl Mosley to name a few. This is Jacopo’s first season with Smuin.

MAGGIE CAREY, 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 a guest artist with the 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 Contemporary Ballet in 2018 and has since performed works by Amy Seiwert, Michael Smuin, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Rex Wheeler, Gina Patterson, and Val Caniparoli.

Meet The Artist

MENGJUN CHEN, a native of Wenzhou, China, trained at the Beijing Dance Academy and Joffrey Ballet Academy of Dance. After receiving his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Beijing Dance Academy, he joined Milwaukee Ballet where he performed major roles in Giselle, Swan Lake, Romeo & Juliet, The Nutcracker, Don Quixote, Cinderella, Dracula and La Boheme. Chen also performed contemporary works by Matthew Neenan, Gabrielle Lamb, Ma Cong, Amy Seiwert and Val Caniparoli. In 2014, he was a finalist in the USA International Ballet Competition. Chen joined Smuin in 2015.

Meet The Artist

Gabrielle Collins is from West Hartford, Connecticut and began her pre-professional training at the Hartt School. In 2014, she was a New York City finalist at the Youth America Grand Prix and won the gold medal at the Connecticut Classic for both the senior female and pas de deux categories. From 2014-2017, she danced with Atlanta Ballet II and performed leading roles including Marya in John McFall’s The Nutcracker. Additionally, she had the opportunity to be a guest dancer for The Atlanta Opera’s Romeo and Juliet. Gabrielle is an alumnus of the Ballet Program at Jacob’s Pillow where she was featured in Yury Yanowsky’s World Premiere at the opening gala in 2016. She joined Tulsa Ballet II in 2017 where she appeared in a soloist role in Helen Pickett’s Meðal and in the North American Premiere of Derek Deane’s Strictly Gershwin, among many others. She also performed in works by renowned choreographers such as Ma Cong, Jennifer Archibald and Penny Saunders during her time in Tulsa. In February 2020, Gabrielle performed the title role in Septime Webre’s Carmen with Dayton Ballet. In 2020, Gabrielle joined Cincinnati Ballet under the direction of Victoria Morgan. In Cincinnati, she has performed works including William Forsythe’s In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated, Helen Pickett’s Petal, Stephanie Martinez’ Kiss, Alejandro Cerrudo’s Extremely Close, David Morse’s Our Story, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s Written and Forgotten, Twyla Tharp’s Nine Sinatra Songs, Jennifer Archibald’s SIT, “Spring” and “Autumn” in Victoria Morgan’s Cinderella, Act III Pas de deux from Don Quixote, and Cathy Marston’s Moving, Still, among many others. Gabrielle is thrilled to continue her career with Smuin Ballet.

RICARDO DYER 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.

JULIA GUNDZIK, originally from Oxford, OH, began her pre-professional training at the Washington School of Ballet and Cincinnati Ballet Academy. From 2021 to 2023, she danced with Cincinnati Ballet II, performing works including Minus 16 by Ohad Naharin, Written and Forgotten by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Confetti by Gerald Arpino, Alice in Wonderland by Septime Webre, Our Story by David Morse, and world premieres by Amy Seiwert and Jennifer Archibald. In 2023, she danced with Moving Arts, performing soloist roles in two world premieres, Intra by Christian Denice and Yin Yang by Gabriel Lorena. In 2023, Julia was promoted to New Dancer at Cincinnati Ballet, skipping a rank in the company. She danced soloist roles in David Morse’s world premiere More Room to Play and Don Quixote by Anna-Marie Holmes. Julia is also a passionate dance educator, teaching and choreographing at the Cincinnati Ballet Academy and Ballet Tech of Ohio. She took on the role of the Young Performer’s Rehearsal Director, running many of the children’s rehearsals for Cincinnati Ballet’s The Nutcracker. This is Julia’s first season with Smuin.

CASSIDY ISAACSON, originally from Redmond, Washington, trained at Pacific Northwest Ballet before joining Grand Rapids Ballet Company at age 16. Some favorite works performed during her eight years at Grand Rapids Ballet include Trey McIntyre’s Wild Sweet Love, Alejandro Cerrudo’s Extremely Close, Penny Saunders’ In Frame and Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s Written and Forgotten. Isaacson joined Smuin in 2019.

Meet The Artist

DANIEL KUBR is from Switzerland, where he started his professional ballet training at the Theater Basel. In 2015, he moved to Carlisle, Pennsylvania, to train at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet under the direction of Marcia Dale Weary. In 2018, Daniel joined Cincinnati Ballet as a second company member. Starting in 2019, he was a trainee with Texas Ballet Theater before joining Sacramento Ballet as an apprentice in 2021. He was promoted to the main company in 2023. Some of his favorite pieces he has performed include State of Matter by Ihsan Rustem, Ghost Light by Penny Saunders, George Balanchine’s Who Cares?, Carry Me Anew by Ma Cong, and Gregory Dawson’s Strange Love. Daniel is excited to join Smuin for The Christmas Ballet!

TESS LANE trained at South Bay Ballet in Torrance, CA, performing Robert Kelly’s Summertime at the International Ballet Competition in Jackson, MI. While apprenticing with Sacramento Ballet, she performed works by George Balanchine, Ron Cunningham, and Lila York. Lane joined California Ballet Company in 2013 and was featured in Swan Lake, Giselle, Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream as well as Septime Webre’s Peter Pan, The Great Gatsby, and Fluctuating Hemlines. She also danced in the National Choreographers’ Initiative in 2017 and 2018. Lane joined Smuin in 2018.

Meet The Artist

MARC LAPIERRE began his early training at Ballet Etudes in Norwalk CT under the direction of Nanette Vallas. While at Ballet Etudes he trained closely with Christina Fagundes. He then attended Ballet Academy East in New York City under the direction of Darla Hoover and at age 16, Marc furthered his training at The School of American Ballet. He then went on to dance with Los Angeles Ballet, where he had the pleasure of dancing works by August Bournonville, George Balanchine, Aszure Barton and Alejandro Cerrudo. Two years later he joined Oregon Ballet Theatre as an apprentice and was promoted to the Company corps de ballet in his second season. During his time with OBT, he danced works by Alvin Ailey, Ben Stevenson, Nicolo Fonte, Christopher Stowell, and Trey MyIntyre. LaPierre joined Smuin in 2021.

TEREZ DEAN ORR, originally from Hudson Valley, New York, received her training at the prestigious School of American Ballet, the official school of the New York City Ballet. In 2005, she joined the State Street Ballet of Santa Barbara, dancing a wide range of contemporary and classical works. Dean Orr joined Smuin in 2008 and has been featured in works by Jiří Kylián, Trey McIntyre, Val Caniparoli, Helen Pickett, Amy Seiwert, Ma Cong, Adam Hougland, and Michael Smuin. While dancing full time, she received her BA through the Saint Mary’s College LEAP program.

Meet The Artist

Originally from Denver, CO, Shania Rasmussen received her dance training at Colorado Ballet Academy and the School of American Ballet. She began her professional career with Sacramento Ballet in 2014. During her 9 years with the company, she performed principal and soloist roles in classical ballets as well as works by George Balanchine, and was featured by contemporary choreographers including Jermaine Spivey, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Penny Saunders, Val Caniparoli, Jennifer Archibald, and Caili Quan, among others. She has additionally been a dancer with Amy Seiwert’s Imagery, with whom she has toured to The Joyce Theater and Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival. In addition to performing, Shania enjoys choreographing and has presented several works for Sacramento Ballet’s choreographic showcase, as well as creating unique works for stage and film for Capital Dance Project. Outside of the dance world, she is passionate about a variety of creative pursuits, including theater acting, writing, and composing music.

YURI ROGERS 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 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.

Portrait by Maggie Carey

Photos by Chris Hardy

Brennan Wall, originally from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, studied at Los Angeles Ballet Academy. She danced with Silicon Valley Ballet (previously Ballet San Jose) as a trainee before joining The New Ballet’s Studio Company. In 2017, Wall joined Ballet de Monterrey under director José Manuel Carreño. She performed in Luis Serrano’s La Bayadere, Swan Lake, and Don Quijote, and danced soloist roles in The Nutcracker, Alberto Méndez’s Phantom of the Opera, and Diego Landin’s Shorthand of Emotion. Wall joined Smuin in 2019.

Meet The Artist

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.