NOW: Premieres

Ephrat Asherie

Ephrat Asherie Dance Artistic Director // Ephrat “Bounce” Asherie is a NYC based b-girl, dancer, and choreographer and a 2016 Bessie Award Winner for Innovative Achievement in Dance. Asherie received Dance Magazine’s Inaugural Harkness Promise Award in 2018 and in 2017 she received a National Dance Project award. Asherie is a 2019 New York Foundation for the Arts Fellow and a 2018-2019 City Center Choreography Fellow. She is a 2020 MAP Fund Awardee and a 2021 Jerome Hill Artist Fellow. Her new work, UnderScored: Live and Direct, is currently in development and was awarded a 2019 Creation and Development Award from the National Performance Network. It is set to premiere in 2021 at Works & Process at the Guggenheim. Her company, Ephrat Asherie Dance, has been presented at the Apollo Theatre, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, the Joyce Theater and FIraTarrega, among others. She is honored to have worked and collaborated with Michelle Dorrance, Rennie Harris, Bill Irwin, Gus Solomons Jr., and Buddha Stretch. Asherie received her MFA from the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee where she researched the vernacular jazz dance roots of contemporary street and club dances. She has taught and set work at many university dance programs including Smith College, University of Richmond and University of California, Santa Barbara.  Immersed in NYC’s underground dance community for two decades, a space where the collective consciousness energizes and celebrates the unique interactivities and movements of each individual, she is forever grateful to the club for giving her the confidence to pursue a life as an artist.  

Manon Bal

Manon Bal (Dancer) is a versatile professional dancer from Marseille, France. She has trained at the IFPRO Centre de International de Dance Rick Odums in Paris and at the prestigious Ailey School in New York City. As a choreographer, Manon is the co-founder of Mozaik Dance in collaboration with Janine “J9” Micheletti and Sun Kim. The company has presented their work “Sad Hope” at Jacob’s Pillow, San Francisco Hip Hop Dance Fest, and as a part of the New Victory Dance Series. As a performer, Manon has danced with PMT Dance Company at Barclays Center for the Nets Halftime Show, and worked for respected choreographers such as Ronald K Brown, Tweet Boogie, Jon Rua, and Miki Tuesday.  

Lil Buck

Lil Buck is a movement artist who began jookin at age 13. Named one of Dance Magazine’s 25 to Watch, he gained international notoriety after an impromptu piece with Yo-Yo Ma went viral. Since then he has collaborated with artists including JR, Damian Woetzel, the New York City Ballet, Madonna, Benjamin Millepied, and Spike Lee. Buck is an avid arts education advocate, recipient of the WSJ Innovator Award. He has collaborated with brands like Glenfiddich and Louis Vuitton, and launched a capsule collection with Versace.​

India Bradley

India Bradley is a member of New York City Ballet’s Corps de Ballet. She was born in Detroit, Michigan and began her dance training at the age of four at The Link School of the Arts in Troy, Michigan. At the age of eleven, she attended the Academy of Russian Classical Ballet in Novi, Michigan, under the direction of Sergey Rayevitskey.

Ms. Bradley attended the summer program at Dance Theatre of Harlem in 2012, and entered DTH’s Professional Training Program under the direction of Andrea Long that fall.

She attended the 2014 summer session at the School of American Ballet, NYCB’s official school, and enrolled as a full-time student later that year.

Ms. Bradley was named an apprentice in August 2017 and joined the Company as a member of the Corps de Ballet in August 2018.

Preston Chamblee

Preston Chamblee was born in Wendell, North Carolina and began his dance training at the age of 14 at the Raleigh School of Ballet under Mary Legere and Pablo Perez. He continued his training at the International Ballet Academy in Apex, North Carolina from 2010 to 2013. Mr. Chamblee studied at the School of American Ballet (SAB), the official school of New York City Ballet, during the 2012 and 2013 summer courses, and enrolled as a full-time student in 2013. Mr. Chamblee was named an apprentice with NYCB in August 2014 and joined the Company as a member of the corps de ballet in February 2015. Mr. Chamblee was promoted to the rank of soloist in January 2022.

Herman Cornejo

Herman Cornejo was born in Villa Mercedes, San Luis province, Argentina, and began his ballet studies at the age of eight at Teatro Colón’s Instituto Superior de Arte, Buenos Aires. At fourteen he received a scholarship from the School of American Ballet, the dance school of New York City Ballet and on his return to Buenos Aires he joined Julio Bocca’s Ballet Argentino. In 1999 Herman joined American Ballet Theatre, New York, was promoted to Soloist in 2000 and was appointed Principal Dancer in 2003. Herman has participated in numerous galas and has performed as Principal Guest Dancer with Ballet del Teatro Argentino de La Plata, Boston Ballet, Compañía de Danza Contemporánea de Cuba, Corella Ballet Castilla y León, New York City Ballet and Sapporo Ballet.

Chun Wai Chan

Mr. Chan born in Guangdong, China, and he trained at the Guangzhou Art School from 2004 to 2010. In 2010 he was a finalist at the Prix de Lausanne, which earned him a full scholarship to study with Houston Ballet’s second company, Houston Ballet II. In 2012 Chan joined Houston Ballet as a member of the corps de ballet and he was promoted to principal dancer at HB in 2017. Mr. Chan joined NYCB as a soloist in August 2021, and in May 2022 was promoted to principal dancer.

His repertory with Houston Ballet included the Nutcracker Prince in Ben Stevenson’s The Nutcracker; Mazurka boy in Ètudes; Lucentio and Hortensio in John Cranko’s The Taming of the Shrew; the Bluebird in The Sleeping Beauty; Aminta in Sylvia; the lead male in Paquita; Emerald in David Bintley’s Aladdin; Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake. Leading roles that Mr. Chan has accomplished include Tapestry, Clear and Sons de L’âme by Stanton Welch; ONE/End/ONE by Jorma Elo; In the middle, Somewhat elevated by William Forsythe; Serenade, The Four Temperament by George Balanchine; Petite Mort, Wings of Wax, Sinfonietta and Svadebka by Jirí Kylián; Dyad 1929 by Wayne McGregor; and The Concert, The Cage by Jerome Robbins. He created the leading roles in Zodiac by Stanton Welch; Murmuration by Edwaard Liang; and Reveal by Garret Smith.

Patricia Delgado

Michelle Dorrance

Michelle Dorrance (Artistic Director, Choreographer, Dancer) is a New York City–based artist. Mentored by Gene Medler (North Carolina Youth Tap Ensemble), she studied under many of the last master hoofers. Career highlights include: STOMP, Derick Grant’s Imagine Tap!, Jason Samuels Smith’s Charlie’s Angels/Chasing the Bird, Ayodele Casel’s Diary of a Tap Dancer, Mable Lee’s Dancing Ladies, and playing bass for Darwin Deez. Company work includes: Savion Glover’s Ti Dii, Manhattan Tap, Barbara Duffy and Co., JazzTap Ensemble, and Rumba Tap. Solo work ranges from The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to commissions for the Martha Graham Dance Company and American Ballet Theatre. A 2018 Doris Duke Artist, 2017 Ford Foundation Art of Change Fellow, and 2015 MacArthur Fellow, Dorrance is humbled to have been acknowledged and supported by United States Artists, the Joyce Theater, New York City Center, the Alpert Awards, Jacob’s Pillow, Princess Grace Foundation, The Field, American Tap Dance Foundation, and the Bessie Awards. Dorrance holds a B.A. from New York University and is a Capezio Athlete.

She was the Festival’s Artist-In-Residence in 2017.

Philip Duclos

Philip Duclos is a member of the Corps de Ballet with The Royal Danish Ballet. He has danced roles in Nikolaj Hübbe’s Giselle and Swan Lake. He has performed in John Neumeier’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, Jerome Robbins’ Glass Pieces and The Four Seasons, and Gregory Dean’s Blixen. He has also attended the Vail Dance Festival in 2021 and 2022. 

Robbie Fairchild

Robbie Fairchild was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, and began his dance training at Dance Concepts. His formal ballet training began at the age of ten at the Ballet West Conservatory. Mr. Fairchild attended the 2002 and 2003 summer courses at the School of American Ballet (SAB), the official school of New York City Ballet, and enrolled as a full time student in the fall of 2003. In June 2005, Mr. Fairchild became an apprentice with NYCB, and the following June, he joined the Company as a member of the corps de ballet. He was promoted to soloist in May 2007, and in October 2009 was promoted to principal dancer.

Jovani Furlan

Born in Joinville, Brazil, Mr. Furlan started dancing at the age of 11 at The Bolshoi Theater School in Brazil.

In 2010 he participated in the International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi, and was offered a full scholarship to attend the Miami City Ballet School by Edward Villella.

Mr. Furlan began his training at the MCB School in 2011 and joined Miami City Ballet in 2012. He was promoted to soloist in 2015 and was named an MCB principal dancer in 2017.

At MCB, his repertory of featured roles included George Balanchine’s Allegro Brillante, Ballet Imperial, Episodes, Jewels, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker^®, Serenade, Slaughter on Tenth Avenue, Square Dance, Swan Lake, Symphony in Three Movements, Theme and Variations, and La Valse; Jerome Robbins’ Dances at a Gathering, West Side Story Suite, and The Concert; as well as works by Richard Alston, John Cranko, Peter Martins, Justin Peck, Alexei Ratmansky, Liam Scarlett, Paul Taylor, Twyla Tharp, and Christopher Wheeldon.

Mr. Furlan was joined NYCB as a soloist in August 2019 and in Feburary 2022 he was promoted to principal dancer.

Christopher Grant

Christopher Grant was born in Jamaica, Queens. He began his dance training at the School of American Ballet (SAB), the official school of New York City Ballet, in 2002. Additional training includes summer courses at Pacific Northwest Ballet (PNB) and the New York State Summer School of the Arts.

In August 2015, Mr. Grant became an apprentice with NYCB. As an apprentice with the Company, Mr. Grant originated a featured role in Nicolas Blanc’s Mothership. He joined the Company as a member of the corps de ballet in August 2016.

HONORS

Mr. Grant was a recipient of the Mae L. Wien Award for Outstanding Promise in 2014.

Kennard Henson

Kennard Henson was born in Baltimore, Maryland and began his ballet training at the T.W.I.G.S. after-school program at the Baltimore School of the Arts at age 11 with Samantha Ordaz, Paula LeVere, and Norma Pera.

He attended the summer course at the School of American Ballet, NYCB’s official school, in 2013 and enrolled full-time for the 2013 winter term.

In August 2016, he became an apprentice with NYCB. As an apprentice, Mr. Henson originated a corps role in Lauren Lovette’s For Clara. He joined the Company as a member of the corps de ballet in August 2017.

_{Photo © Erin Baiano}

Lauren Lovette

Lauren Lovette personifies the intertwining of dance and choreography, moving seamlessly from one to the other. Her work has been commissioned and performed by leading dance companies and festivals, including the New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, the Vail International Dance Festival, American Ballet Theatre Studio Company, the Paul Taylor Dance Company, Nevada Ballet Theatre, as well as a self-produced evening entirely of her own work in which she also danced, Why It Matters.

Born in Thousand Oaks, California, Lovette began studying ballet at the age of 11 at the Cary Ballet Conservatory in Cary, North Carolina. She enrolled at SAB as a full time student in 2006. In October 2009, Ms. Lovette became an apprentice with NYCB and joined the Company as a member of the corps de ballet in September 2010. Promoted to soloist in February 2013 and to principal dancer in June 2015, she stepped down from her position at the company in 2021 in order to embark on a career devoted to dance and choreography in more equal measure. She is now the choreographer in residence at the Paul Taylor Dance Company and performs as a guest principal dancer around the world.

Ms. Lovette received the Clive Barnes Award for dance in December 2012 and was the 2012-2013 recipient of the Janice Levin Award.

Sara Mearns

SARA MEARNS, Columbia, SC, principal dancer New York City Ballet since 2008. Originated roles with choreographers Justin Peck, Kyle Abraham, Alexei Ratmansky, Pam Tanowitz, Bobbi Jene Smith, Christopher Wheeldon, Guillaume Cote, Beth Gill, among others. Guest Performer: Paul Taylor Dance Company, The Cunningham Centennial Celebration, Jodi Melnick Dance, Bill T Jones/Lee Ming Wei, and Wang Ramirez. At NYCC, she starred in Matthew Bourne’s The Red Shoes, Encores! I Married An Angel, and Twyla Now as well as multiple Fall for Dances, and performed Dances of Isadora Duncan at Lincoln Center. At The Joyce in 2022, Sara performed a full evening with five world premier pieces, titled “A piece of Work”, awarded the Bessie Award for outstanding performer in 2018, awarded the Dance Magazine Award in 2019, and an Honorary Doctorate University of South Carolina in 2019. 

Roman Mejia // Artist-In-Residence

Roman Mejia was born in Fort Worth, Texas and began studying ballet at age 3 with his mother and father. At age 13, he entered the Mejia Ballet Academy. Mr. Mejia attended summer courses at the School of American Ballet, New York City Ballet’s official school, in 2014 and 2015 before entering SAB full-time for the 2015 winter term. In August 2017, Mr. Mejia became an apprentice with NYCB, and he joined the Company as a member of the corps de ballet in November 2017. Mr. Mejia was promoted to the rank of soloist in October 2021.  In 2019, Dance Magazine featured Mr. Mejia as one of their “25 To Watch” picks and he became a recipient of the prestigious Princess Grace Foundation – USA Dance Fellowship. In 2020, Mr. Mejia was named a Clives Barnes finalist. His repertory includes leading roles in works by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, William Forsythe, Justin Peck, Alexei Ratmansky, Christopher Wheeldon among many others. Most recently, he starred in Twyla Tharp’s TWYLA NOWand Tiler Peck’s Artists at the Center at New York City Center. Mr. Mejia will be Vail Dance Festival’s 2022 Artists in Residence. 

Miriam Miller

Miriam Miller was born in Iowa City, Iowa, and began her dance training in 2001 at the University of Iowa Youth Ballet and School of Dance. In 2006, she began studying at City Ballet of Iowa. She attended summer courses at SAB in 2011 and 2012, enrolling as a full-time student during the 2012 winter term. Miller became an apprentice with NYCB in January 2015 and joined the Company as a member of the corps de ballet in January 2016. In January 2022, Miller was promoted to Soloist with NYCB. Since joining the Company, Miller has performed featured roles in works by George Balanchine, Peter Martins, Justin Peck and Jerome Robbins, and she has also originated roles in works by Peck, Christopher Wheeldon, Lauren Lovette, and Pam Tanowitz. Miller is a recipient of the 2017 Princess Grace Award.  

Dario Natarelli

Dario Natarelli is a performer, choreographer, and dance educator specializing in tap dance based in NYC. He is honored to be a part of the Vail Dance family since 2016. Some of his credits include: The Tap Dance Kid (New York City Center Encores!), Tappin’ Thru Life (Off-Broadway), assistant choreographer to Michelle Dorrance (Vail Dance Festival), Dance Captain for Justin Peck (Broadway labs), a 2023 Netflix film with Bradley Cooper and Justin Peck, Newsies (Gateway Original Broadway Choreography), The Kennedy Center (soloist/choreographer), Radio City Christmas Spectacular (National Tour), national commercials, and more. He recently directed and choreographed his first tap dance short film: Lonely World. He is grateful to all friends, family, and mentors for their unconditional support. Respect the dance; go in rhythm. IG @dario_natarelli.

Justin Peck

Justin Peck is a Tony Award-winning choreographer, director, and dancer based in New York City. He is currently the acting Resident Choreographer of New York City Ballet.  Peck began choreographing in 2009 at the New York Choreographic Institute.  In 2014, after the creation of his acclaimed ballet Everywhere We Go, he was appointed as Resident Choreographer of New York City Ballet.  He is the second person in the institution’s history to hold this title.

Peck joined New York City Ballet as a dancer in 2006.  As a performer, Peck has danced a vast repertoire of works by George Balanchine , Jerome Robbins, Alexei Ratmansky, Benjamin Millepied, Christopher Wheeldon, and many others.  In 2013, Peck was promoted to the rank of Soloist, performing through 2019 with the company. Peck has created over 40 ballets– 20 of those for New York City Ballet.  His works have been performed by Paris Opera Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Miami City Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, LA Dance Project, Dutch National Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, Houston Ballet, and Pennsylvania Ballet, to name a few.  His collaborators include composers Sufjan Stevens, Bryce Dessner (The National), Dan Deacon, Caroline Shaw, M83; visual artists Shepard Fairey, Marcel Dzama, John Baldessari, George Condo, Steve Powers, and Jules de Balincourt; and fashion designers Mary Katrantzou, Humberto Leon (Kenzo, Opening Ceremony), Tumori Chisato, and Dries Van Noten.

In 2014, Peck was the subject of the documentary Ballet 422, which followed him as he created NYCBallet’s 422nd original dance, Paz de la Jolla. In 2015, his ballet Rodeo: Four Dance Episodes won the Bessie Award for Outstanding Production. Peck directorial and choreographic work on film includes 20th Century Fox feature film RED SPARROW (starring Jennifer Lawrence and Joel Edgerton), the New York Times GREAT PERFORMERS Series (starring Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke Emma Stone, Glenn Close, and others), and the remake Steven Spielberg’s upcoming film WEST SIDE STORY.

Peck choreographed the 2018 Broadway revival of Carousel.  The production was directed by Jack O’Brien and stars Jesse Meuller, Joshua Henry, & Renée Fleming.  Peck has been awarded the National Arts Award (2018), the Golden Plate Honor from the Academy of Achievement (2019), and the Tony Award for his choreography on Broadway’s Carousel (2018).

Tiler Peck

Tiler Peck has been a Principal Dancer with New York City Ballet since 2009. She made her Broadway debut at age 11 as Gracie Shinn in The Music Man and was seen on Broadway as Ivy Smith in the Tony Nominated On The Town. She originated the title role in Susan Stroman’s newest musical Little Dancer at the Kennedy Center and is attached to star in the Broadway production. Tiler made her choreographic debut at the Vail Dance Festival in 2018 and has gone on to choreograph and appear in episodes of Tiny Pretty Things and Ray Donovan, for the Boston Ballet and the box office smash hit film John Wick 3. She has also appeared on Dancing with the Stars, the Kennedy Center Honors and Live From Lincoln Center’s The Nutcracker and Carousel, Disney+’s The Hip Hop Nutcracker, and Josh Groban’s Great Big Radio City Show PBS special. As a guest star, she was the first ballerina ever to appear on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. In film she has starred in “Ballet Now”, a Hulu documentary that followed her as she became the first woman to curate and star in The Los Angeles Music Center’s presentation ofBalletNOW, “Ballet 422”, “A Time for Dancing”, and “Donnie Darko”. She is a recipient of the Princess Grace Statue Award, The Dance Magazine Award and was named one of Forbes 30 under 30.  Most recently, she curated and directed the highly anticipated inaugural Artists at the Center for New York City Center that will make its European debut this summer as Turn It Out With Tiler Peck & Friends. This program marked her NYC choreographic debut and featured premieres from William Forsythe, Alonzo King, Jillian Meyers and Michelle Dorrance.

To keep the dance world connected during the pandemic, Tiler developed a free ballet class #TurnItOutWithTiler that airs on her Instagram. She is the designer of the Love,Tiler collection for Só Dança and the capsule collection Tiler Peck X STATESIDE in collaboration with the popular Los Angeles-based clothing company. She has released two children’s books with Simon & Schuster: Katarina Ballerina and Katarina Ballerina & The Victory Dance.

More on Tiler at www.tilerpeck.com. Tiler can be found on Instagram & TikTok via @TilerPeck.

Caili Quan

Calvin Royal III

Calvin Royal III is an acclaimed internationally recognized Principal classical ballet dancer. He began his ballet training at fourteen and a half, and received a scholarship from ABT’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School of ballet in 2007. Despite his unprecedented late start, he was promoted to the American Ballet Theatre’s Main Company in 2010, achieved Soloist in 2017, and Principal Dancer in 2020. This makes him the third African-American to achieve this honor in the 82-year history of the iconic Company, following Desmond Richardson appointed 25 years ago and Misty Copeland in 2015.

Calvin has performed star turns throughout ABT’s global tours, and at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City – as the title role in George Balanchine’s Apollo, Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake, Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, The Prince in Alexei Ratmansky’s The Nutcracker, and has worked with notable choreographers such as Twyla Tharp, Justin Peck, Benjamin Millepied, Alonzo King, Mark Morris, Wayne McGreggor, Kyle Abraham, Michelle Dorrance, Jamar Roberts, and many more.

Calvin was a finalist at the Clive Barnes Awards, the winner of the Leonore Annenberg Fellowship, a cover star of Dance Magazine in July 2020, and was the 2020/21 Artist in Residence at the Vail Dance Festival in Vail, Colorado. He is represented by IMG Models and has been featured in global campaigns for GAP, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Target, Ralph Lauren, Mavi Jeans, Canali, and has partnered with Deckers Brands, HOKA and The Luxury Collection hotels. Follow Calvin on Instagram & TikTok @calvinroyaliii

Cory Stearns

Born on Long Island, New York, Cory Stearns began his classical training at the age of five with Mme. Valia Seiskaya at the Seiskaya Ballet. At age fifteen, he participated in the Youth America Grand Prix and was offered a full scholarship to The Royal Ballet School in London. Stearns performed in Madrid, Moscow, Milan, Düsseldorf and London while at The Royal, and appeared with Kylie Minogue in her music video Chocolate in 2004.  Upon graduating from The Royal Ballet School with honors, he received, for the second year, the Dame Ruth Railton Award for excellence in dance.

Stearns joined the American Ballet Theatre Studio Company in September 2004, the main Company as an apprentice in January 2005 and became a member of the corps de ballet in January 2006. He was appointed a Soloist in January 2009 and a Principal Dancer in January 2011.

Stearns repertory with the Company includes The Man in AfterEffect, Solor in La Bayadère, The Ballet Dancer in The Bright Stream, a featured role in Brief Fling, Her Prince Charming in Cinderella, Conrad in Le Corsaire, Daphnis in Daphnis and Chloe, Basilio and Espada in Don Quixote, Oberon in The Dream, a leading role in Études, Second Sailor in Fancy Free, Colas in Las Fille mal gardée, Kaschei in Firebird. Baron in Gaîté Parisienne, Albrecht in Giselle, Astrologer in The Golden Cockerel, Grand Pas Classique, Her Lover in Jardin aux Lilas, Armand Duval in Lady of the Camellias, The Leaves Are Fading pas de deux, Des Grieux in Manon, Beliaev in A Month in the Country, His Friend in The Moor’s Pavane, the Nutcracker-Prince in Alexei Ratmansky’s The Nutcracker, Onegin in Onegin, Iago and a Carnival Dancer in Othello, Other Dances, Man From the House Opposite in Pillar of Fire, Romeo and Paris in Romeo and Juliet, the Terrestrial in Shadowplay, Prince Désiré in Ratmansky’s The Sleeping Beauty, Prince Désiré, the Celtic Prince and a Fairy Knight in The Sleeping Beauty, Prince Siegfried and von Rothbart in Swan Lake, Act III, Juliet, James in La Sylphide, the Poet in Les Sylphides, Orion and Apollo in Sylvia, Prospero in The Tempest, Prince Coffee in Whipped Cream, The Awakening Pas de Deux, leading roles in Allegro Brillante, Duo Concertant, Études, Mozartiana Monotones II, Raymonda Divertissements and With a Chance of Ran and roles in The Brahms-Haydn Variations, Citizen, Drink to Me Only With Thine Eyes, Duets, Everything Doesn’t Happen at Once, In the Upper Room, The Leaves Are Fading, Overgrown Path, Mozartiana, Rabbit and Rogue, Raymonda Divertissements, Symphony in C and Thirteen Diversions.

Stearns created roles in AFTERITE, From Here On Out, Her Notes, One of Three, Piano Concerto #1, Private Light and I Feel The Earth Move.

Stearns won the 2009 Erik Bruhn Prize for best male dancer.

Devon Teuscher

Devon Teuscher began her ballet training at the age of nine under Deanna Doty of the Champaign Urbana Ballet Academy in Champaign, IL. When her family moved to Vermont, she continued her training at the Vermont Ballet Theatre School in Essex, Vermont under the direction of Alex and Kirsten Nagiba. At the age of eleven, Teuscher attended The Kirov Ballet Academy summer intensive. She also attended the Pacific Northwest Ballet summer intensive on full scholarship for two years.

From 2002 to 2006 Teuscher attended American Ballet Theatre’s Summer Intensive, and was a National Training Scholar from 2003 to 2006. In January 2005 at the age of 15, Teuscher relocated to New York City to dance at American Ballet Theatre’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School on full scholarship.

Teuscher joined ABT Studio Company in 2006.  She joined American Ballet Theatre as an apprentice in December 2007 and the corps de ballet in June 2008. She became a Soloist in August 2014 and Principal Dancer in September 2017.

Teuscher was nominated for the Clive Barnes Award in 2014 and received the Leonore Annenberg Arts Fellowship in 2016.

Byron Tittle

At a young age, Byron Tittle began tap dancing with David Rider and the American Tap Dance Foundation in his hometown of New York. Determined to be a multi-faceted artist, he trained weekly at Broadway Dance Center and Steps on Broadway in other disciplines: ballet, jazz, hip-hop foundations, modern, and dancehall. Byron is a co-captain of Dorrance Dance, touring with the tap dance company for the last decade. He is humbled to have been a featured dancer with Hugh Jackman’s 2019 “The Man, The Music, The Show,” touring The United States, Australia, and New Zealand, and in Jon M. Chu’s soon-to premiere feature film “In the Heights.” He is also a recipient of a 2019 Princess Grace Foundation Dance Fellowship Award.

Melissa Toogood

Melissa Toogood is a Sydney and New York based Dancer, Teacher, Stager, Coach and sometimes Choreographer. She is a New York Dance and Performance Award (Bessie) winning Performer. She is Rehearsal Director, Dancer and Artistic Associate of Pam Tanowitz Dance. She was a member of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, is a 2013 & 2015 Merce Cunningham Fellow, has taught Cunningham Technique internationally since 2007 and is a licensed Stager of Merce Cunningham’s work. She has performed with Kyle Abraham/Abraham.In.Motion, Kimberly Bartosik/Daela, Rashaun Mitchell + Silas Reiner, the Stephen Petronio Company, Sally Silvers & Dancers, The Bang Group:Tap Lab, Christopher Williams and many others. Her own work has been commissioned by the Boston Ballet and New York Theater Ballet. Dance Initiative brought her to the Launchpad in Carbondale, CO in 2022 to further her choreographic exploration and she received a residency in Sydney, Australia this year as part of Constant Relay. This is Melissa’s 9th season at the Vail Dance Festival.

Matthew “Megawatt” West

Matthew West (Dancer) started dancing at the age of sixteen in Queens. Megawatt is an active part of NYC’s underground dance community and teaches youth classes throughout the five boroughs. Megawatt is a regular guest artist with Dorrance Dance and can be seen in Baz Lurhman’s Netflix series The Get Down and battling with his crew, the Mellow Animals.