We’re honored to have you attend the 2025 Gala. To learn more about the extraordinary artists featured in tonight’s program, please explore the full artist bios below.
New York Swings
is a collective of dance artists bringing Lindy Hop and Authentic Jazz to new stages. Rooted in history and peering into the future, New York Swings shares Lindy Hop with playfulness, innovation and vigor. New York Swings presents a combination of traditional, new and improvised material; bearing the wide range of textures that cohabitate within contemporary Lindy Hop.
Camille A. Brown & Dancers (CABD)
is a Bessie award-winning, NYC-based dance company that soars through history like a whirlwind. Recognized for blending modern, hip hop, African, tap, and social dance to forge riveting works that ripple with energy, urgency, and powerful theatricality, CABD reclaims Black narratives with historically informed and thought-provoking repertory on race, culture, and identity.
The Company has toured its repertory with live music to 74 cities in the US and internationally. CABD performs for 20,000+ people, and serves 5,000+ engagement participants annually through free community programs that elevate African diaspora aesthetics. In May 2020, CABD launched its Social Dance for Social Change virtual school, offering free online artist/scholar lectures by notable speakers and social dance classes, led by Company dancers. To date, the virtual school has 98,000 participants and continues to grow.
In 2022, the Company was thrilled to perform at the Apollo and Joyce Theater in New York City, in a historic two-week celebration of Brown’s Trilogy of dances on race, culture and identity.
For more information on Camille A. Brown & Dancers, please visit www.camilleabrown.org
BODYTRAFFIC
Founded in 2007 by Tina Finkelman Berkett, BODYTRAFFIC has become a dynamic force in contemporary dance, recognized for its technical excellence and diverse repertoire spanning ballet, contemporary, modern, Afro-Cuban, and hip-hop influences. The company collaborates with internationally acclaimed choreographers, championing both established and emerging voices to tell vital, thought-provoking stories.
Bringing the spirit of Los Angeles to audiences worldwide, BODYTRAFFIC has performed across 30 U.S. states and 20 countries, representing the U.S. on cultural diplomacy tours in Algeria, Indonesia, Israel, Jordan, and South Korea. Its performances at prestigious festivals such as CONTEXT Diana Vishneva Festival and The Holland Dance Festival have deepened the company’s commitment to cross-cultural exchange and artistic innovation.
Beyond the stage, BODYTRAFFIC is dedicated to education and community engagement, mentoring more than 700 students annually through movement workshops and professional development programs. The company believes in the transformative power of dance to inspire, heal, and build connections across communities.
For more information, visit bodytraffic.com or follow the company on Instagram @bodytraffic.
Taylor Stanley
was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, began their dance training at age three at The Rock School. They attended summer programs at Miami City Ballet (2006–2007) and the School of American Ballet (SAB) in 2008, before enrolling full-time at SAB that fall. In September 2009, Taylor became an Apprentice with New York City Ballet (NYCB), joining the Corps de Ballet in 2010. They were promoted to Soloist in 2013 and Principal Dancer in 2016. Taylor received the Mae L. Wien Award for Outstanding Promise in 2009 and the Janice Levin Award in 2011-2012. Since joining NYCB, Taylor has originated roles in works by Justin Peck, Alexei Ratmansky, Peter Martins, and Christopher Wheeldon, and has danced featured roles in classics by George Balanchine (Apollo, Agon, Serenade, Jewels, Square Dance) and Jerome Robbins (Opus 19/The Dreamer, The Goldberg Variations, Moves, N.Y. Export: Opus Jazz). They’ve pursued international dance training with Nederlands Dans Theater and Batsheva Dance Company, and have frequently collaborated with renowned choreographers including Jodi Melnick, Andrea Miller, Kyle Abraham, Christopher Williams, William Forsythe, and Shamel Pitts, among others. Taylor earned a Bessie Award for “Outstanding Performance” in Kyle Abraham’s The Runaway and has appeared as a guest artist with Andrea Miller’s company, GALLIM. In 2022, Taylor curated and performed in Dichotomous Being: An Evening of Taylor Stanley at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival’s 90th Anniversary season. Other notable partnerships and collaborations include BalletCollective, Guggenheim Works & Process, New York Choreographic Institute, Fire Island Dance Festival, and CARVALHOPARK Performance Series. Taylor currently serves on the SAB Alumni Advisory Committee on Diversity & Inclusion. They hold a Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Arts from St. Mary’s College of California and are a registered yoga teacher (RYT 200) with Yoga Alliance.
Alexa Maxwell
was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In 2009, she began training at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, studying under Marcia Dale Weary and Darla Hoover. During the summer of 2012 she attended the School of American Ballet and became an apprentice with NYCB in December 2012 and joined the Company as a corps de ballet member in November 2013. Since joining, Alexa has danced featured roles in works by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Alexei Ratmansky, Justin Peck, Christopher Wheeldon, Peter Martins, Kyle Abraham, and more. She was promoted to soloist in April 2023.
Alec Knight
was born in Queensland, Australia, and began his formal dance training at The Australian Ballet School. In 2013, he attended the summer program at the School of American Ballet (SAB) in New York City and soon after was invited to enroll as a full-time student.
In 2015, Knight received the prestigious Martin E. Segal Award, recognizing his outstanding promise as a young artist. That same year, he was named an apprentice with New York City Ballet (NYCB), joining the corps de ballet in 2016. He was promoted to soloist in 2024.
Since joining NYCB, Knight has performed featured roles in works by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Justin Peck, and Pam Tanowitz. Beyond the stage, he has explored his own choreographic voice through collaborations with the Guggenheim’s Works & Process series and Carvalho Park gallery.
Annabelle Lopez Ochoa
is a prolific, sought-after, and award-winning choreographer who has created more than 100 ballets for 81 dance companies around the world. A versatile choreographer, Annabelle’s wide-ranging body of work includes short conceptual pieces, full-length narratives, and dance films. In the upcoming 2025-2026 season, she will become Artist-In-Residence at Ballet Dortmund in Germany, a position she will share with choreographer Edward Clug.
Throughout the global pandemic in 2020-2021, Annabelle pioneered remote choreography, premiering a total of 22 dance films. In 2023, Annabelle’s notoriety led to her being invited as a judge on the television show The Greatest Dancer of Vlaanderen, which aired on Belgian National TV for nine episodes in February–March 2023.
Annabelle is one of the world’s busiest choreographers (Dance Magazine 2016), as well as one of the very few female choreographers who excels in narrative ballet. She has successfully created 15 narrative ballets to date including FRIDA, Coco Chanel: The Life of a Fashion Icon, Doña Peron, Callas: La Divina, and A Streetcar Named Desire. In April 2025, Annabelle will premiere a brand new full-length version of Carmen for Miami City Ballet. Annabelle is proud to be returning to The School at Jacob’s Pillow this season, where she has been the Program Director of the Contemporary Ballet Program since 2019. Visit annabellelopezochoa.com for more information.
A New Chapter for the Doris Duke Theatre
After years of anticipation, the Doris Duke Theatre returns on July 9th, 2025—rebuilt from the ground up and renewed in spirit. Join for a historic ribbon cutting of the new theater and a watch party of the opening program performances in the Ted Shawn Theatre or via livestream, followed by a dance party.