I came to New York after I finished high school in Tokyo, in 1979. I didn’t know much about New York or the dance scene there. I got my student visa through the Joffrey Ballet School, and I started to take modern class at The Ailey School. After auditioning, I got a scholarship to Ailey […]
Maleek Washington was my first-ever contemporary dance teacher. Before meeting him, I had spent my early childhood doing kung fu and my early teenage years doing street styles and hip hop. It wasn’t until I was 16 that I went to CityDance Conservatory in North Bethesda, Maryland, and met Maleek. He introduced me to Afro-jazz, […]
I started dancing when I was 10 years old at Oakland Ballet Academy under the direction of Ronn Guidi. For nine years, he was my only teacher, setting the foundation for what would one day become my professional career. Through him, I discovered my love, passion, and natural coordination for ballet. Ronn’s professional career included […]
As a dancer, I am who I am because of an entire village of incredible teachers. But for today, I’d like to highlight one who played a pivotal role in my career trajectory: Francisco Gella. I met Francisco when I was 10 or 11 years old while training at 24 Seven Dance Convention. His class […]
My life in dance can be divided into three distinct phases, and each one is supported by my time working with Alicia Head. The first was my introduction to dance at 11 years old, at Lauridsen Ballet Centre in Torrance, California. I trained with their pre-professional company, South Bay Ballet (now called Ballet California), until […]
I started dancing in Morocco when I was 10 years old. I’d seen my brother dance a bit, and then one day while watching a documentary on TV talking about life in New York City, I saw a bunch of dancers in Times Square doing street shows. There was one particular move that caught my […]
I come from a long line of dancers. My grandfather, Matt Mattox, was a Broadway legend, both my parents were performers, and my mom had her own studio in New Hampshire called Keri Productions for 17 years. I was practically destined to be a dancer and began my training when I was just 2 1/2 years […]
I always say that I was introduced to dance through salsa, bachata and merengue in Miami. My early formal training came in the form of after-school programs and the magnet dance program at South Miami Middle School. It wasn’t until I was in eighth grade (four years after my first dance class) that I started […]
I met Michelle Ottley-Fisher (“Mama O,” as we like to call her) as a soon-to-be middle-schooler auditioning for LaVilla School of the Arts in Jacksonville, Florida. The school was looking for students who were confident enough to get out there and move. I had never danced before, and according to Mama O, I was the […]
I met my most formative dance teacher, Lenora Nemetz, at Pittsburgh Musical Theater when I was 10 years old. From that day forward, she has played an outsized role in not just my education but every facet of my life. She is my teacher and my friend. Lenora’s legacy is iconic. As a dancer, she […]