ANDREW BRYANT began his formal dance training at the Young Contemporary Dance Theatre in his hometown, under the direction of Traci Young Byron. He received his BFA from Towson University where he studied under renowned artists Linda-Denise Fisher-Harrell, Vincent Thomas, and Runqiao Du. After graduating, Mr. Bryant trained at The Ailey School as a scholarship student where he performed works by Alvin Ailey, Bradley Shelver, and Rebecca Margolick. This is his first season with Ailey ll. 

JARYD FARCON received his degree from the Ailey/Fordham BFA Program and is a graduate of Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. Mr. Farcon is a National YoungArts Foundation winner in dance and worked with Mikhail Baryshnikov and Julie Taymor. He appeared on Dancing With The Stars, So You Think You Can Dance, and in recording music group BTS’s “Permission to Dance” United Nations General Assembly music video. He trained in summer programs at Jacob’s Pillow, Orsolina 28, Alonzo King Lines Ballet, and Ballet Hispánico. This is his first season with Ailey II.

MAYA FINMAN-PALMER  graduated from The Ailey School where she trained in the Certificate Program. She attended summer intensives at Ballet Hispánico, Jennifer Archibald’s ArchCore40, Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance, Kanopy Dance Academy, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and The Ailey School. Ms. Finman-Palmer performed as a soloist in Prelude & Fugue, choreographed by Lisa Thurrell, and in Next@Graham. She also danced in Memoria during Ailey’s 2021 New York City Center season. Ms. Finman-Palmer has performed works by choreographers Patrick Coker, Amy Hall Garner, Martha Graham, Bradley Shelver, and Alvin Ailey. This is her first season with Ailey II.

PATRICK GAMBLE  began his dance training at the age of five in The Ailey School’s Junior Division. He recently graduated from the Ailey/Fordham BFA program with a double major in Art History, through the generosity of the Glorya Kaufman Scholarship. Mr. Gamble also trained at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Jacob’s Pillow, Move NYC’s Sweat, Orsolina 28, and Springboard Danse Montreal. He performed works by Robert Battle, Ohad Naharin, William Forsythe, Rena Butler, and Francesca Harper, and has appeared on the television shows Saturday Night Live, Gossip Girl, and HBO’s Random Acts of Flyness. This is Mr. Gambles first season with Ailey II.

MEAGAN KING  graduated magna cum laude from the Ailey/Fordham BFA Program, receiving the Glorya Kaufman Scholarship. She has been featured in Dance Spirit magazine, the TODAY Show and at the Holland Dance Festival. Ms. King was a student at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. She was the 2019 and 2020 BLOCH Ailey Young Artist. She is also an alumna of the 2018 Contemporary Program at Jacob’s Pillow. Ms. King has choreographed for the Color Me Beautiful production in Virginia and LaGuardia High School’s 2021 Senior Graduation Dance Concert. This is her second season with Ailey II.

KALI MARIE OLIVER  graduated Magna Cum Laude from the Ailey/Fordham BFA Program. She began her formal dance training with her mother and attended summer intensives at Chautauqua Institution, Alonzo King LINES Ballet, and The Ailey School. Ms. Oliver has performed works by Alvin Ailey, Karole Armitage, William Forsythe, Andrea Miller, William Isaac, and Maurya Kerr. She also performed in Mr. Ailey’s Memoria during the 2018, 2019, and 2021 Ailey New York City Center seasons and represented The Ailey School in the 2019 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. This is Ms. Oliver’s first season with Ailey II.

AMAR SMALLS  began his dance training at The Abrons Arts Center Henry Street Settlement. In 2017, he graduated from Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. Mr. Smalls trained at The Ailey School, Harlem School of the Arts, and Steps on Broadway. He has worked with choreographers including William Forsythe, Andrea Miller, Francesca Harper, and Darrell Grand Moultrie. Mr. Smalls is also a choreographer whose works have been broadcast on NBC’s The Today Show and set on soloists at the New York City Dance Alliance. At age 16, Mr. Smalls started Brokeland, an art collective where artists create music, film, and paintings. This is his third season with Ailey II.

TAMIA STRICKLAND began her dance training at the age of six. She is currently a student in the Ailey/Fordham BFA Program, where she received the 2021 Denise Jefferson Memorial Scholarship. Ms. Strickland performed in the 2020 Ailey Virtual Season, and in Ailey’s 2021 Opening Night Gala at New York City Center. She has worked with choreographers, including Hope Boykin, Clifton Brown, Freddie Moore, Matthew Rushing, Janice Rosario, Chuck Wilt, and Sarah O’Gleby. This is her first season with Ailey II.

MAGGY VAN DEN HEUVEL graduated in 2018 from Lucia Marthas Institute for Performing Arts in Amsterdam. She trained as a scholarship student at The Ailey School where she received the Joan Weill Spirit Award. Ms. van den Heuvel has performed works by Anthony Burrell, Yusha-Marie Sorzano, Ray Mercer, Norbert De La Cruz, and Kirven J. Boyd. She has appeared on The Today Show, Good Morning America, Extra TV, and was a lead dancer in Teyana Taylor’s music video Lose Each Other featuring Elton John. She is also a recipient of a Young Talent Award by Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds.  This is Ms. van den Heuvel’s first season with Ailey II.

TRAVON M. WILLIAMS  began his formal dance training in the Joffrey Community Engagement program under Pierre Lockett. He graduated from Chicago High School for the Arts and received scholarships to attend the Chicago MultiCultural Dance Center, Debbie Allen School of Dance, Ballet Chicago, Ballet Austin, and Deeply Rooted. Mr. Williams is also a graduate of The Ailey School Certificate Program. He has performed works by Darrell Grand Moultrie, Amy Hall, Pierre Lockett, Kevin Iega, Yusha-Marie Sorzano, and Omar Roman de Jesus. Most recently, Mr. Williams appeared on the HBO Max series, Legendary. This is his second season with Ailey II.

RACHEL YOO is a graduate of the Ailey/Fordham BFA Program. She began her classical dance training at the New Jersey School of Ballet. Ms. Yoo attended Somerset County Vocational & Technical High School where she studied dance under the direction of Sheila Sullivan. She trained at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Parsons Dance, and Peridance Blueprint. Ms. Yoo has performed works by Alvin Ailey, Robert Battle, William Forsythe, Andrea Miller, Norbert De La Cruz III, Gabrielle Lamb, and Chuck Wilt, and has danced with Barkin/Selissen Project and McKoy Dance Project. This is her second season with Ailey II.

ALFRED L. JORDAN II began his dance training at the age of 12 at a local studio in his hometown. He later studied at The Ailey School where he trained as a scholarship student. In 2021, Mr. Jordan performed in Alvin Ailey’s Bird Live during Ailey’s New York City Center gala, and in 2022, he danced in Robert Battle’s Awakening at Ailey’s Spirit Gala at Lincoln Center. He has worked with choreographers including Amy Hall Garner, Bradley Shelver, Stephanie Batten Bland, and Judine Somerville. This is Mr. Jordan’s first season as an apprentice with Ailey II.

KIRI MOORE  began her dance training in Virginia at the Orange School of Performing Arts, and continued to study in Philadelphia, PA at The Rock School for Dance Education. She is a graduate of The Ailey School Certificate Program where she performed in Alvin Ailey’s Memoria during Ailey’s 2021 New York City Center season. Ms. Moore has also worked with choreographers Amy Hall Garner, Bradley Shelver, Patrick Coker, Hollie Wright, and Judine Somerville. This is her first season as an apprentice with Ailey II.

KAYLA MEI-WAN THOMAS graduated summa cum laude from the Ailey/Fordham BFA Program in 2022 with a double major in Digital Technologies and Emerging Media. In 2020, she was the recipient of the Denise Jefferson Memorial Scholarship. Ms. Thomas has performed works by Robert Battle, Hope Boykin, and Helen Simoneau, and has danced with the Nai Ni Chen Dance Company. This is her first season as an apprentice with Ailey II.