Gerald Arpino (1923-2008) was the Artistic Director and Resident Choreographer of The Joffrey Ballet, the company he co-founded with Robert Joffrey in 1956. Born on Staten Island, New York, he trained with Mary Ann Wells and May O’Donnell and became a principal dancer with the original Joffrey company. As resident choreographer, Arpino created over one third of the commissioned repertory for the Joffrey Ballet, and choreographed for Broadway, television, and opera. Arpino directed the Joffrey Ballet from 1988 until 2008, continuing Joffrey's vision of excellence in historical reconstructions and groundbreaking commissions such as Billboards (1993) the hit rock ballet to music by Prince. In 1995, he moved the Joffrey Ballet from New York to Chicago, where he established the Joffrey as a world-class company in the heart of the American Midwest. His 1974 Dance Magazine Award citation read, "more than any other choreographer, he has recognized the spirit of the times. His work speaks clearly of the anguish and the joy of being young in America today." Arpino's timeless ballets continue to move audiences around the world to this day.

Cameron Basden is a répétiteur for The Gerald Arpino Foundation and stages Arpino works throughout the U.S. At home, Basden is co-founder and Artistic/Executive Director of Miami Dance Hub, an organization created to unify the south Florida dance commonwealth, grow audiences, promote dance and to provide resources for dance related endeavors. After a performing career with the Joffrey Ballet, Basden served as rehearsal director and co-associate director of that company and then director of dance at Interlochen Center for the Arts. Basden was a muse for Gerald Arpino in the creation of his ballets and danced in a variety of styles by many noted choreographers. She participated in historical reconstructions as well as in new choreographic creations. While continuing her role as instructor, director and répétiteur, Basden serves on the board of The Arpino Foundation and the advisory board for DanceNow! Miami. She is the dance writer for miamiartzine and Artburst Miami.

Jourdan Epstein is a professional performer, choreographer and educator based in NYC. After graduating from NYU with a degree in Dance Medicine and Science, Jourdan joined Complexions Contemporary Ballet under Direction of Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson where she danced for four seasons. Jourdan has since explored the worlds of concert dance, dance on camera, and musical theater both in front of and behind the scenes. Ms Epstein was in the original cast of The Prince of Egypt, where she served as Dance Captain, she assisted Andy Blankenbuehler on choreography in Only Gold Off Broadway, and works closely with Marguerite Derricks. Her television credits include: The Marvelous Mrs Maisel, Dispatches from Elsewhere, Jimmy Kimmel Live, the Tonight Show, Evil, The Flight Attendant, NBC Upfronts and The In The Heights movie. Other company credits include: The Metropolitan Opera, Bad Boys of Dance, Company XIV and The Radio City Rockettes.

Dr. Charlie Han is a composer, producer, and instructor, and has been active in the commercial music field internationally since 2010. His music seeks inspiration from different cultures and music genres, creating beautiful music driven by attention to melodic, rhythmic, timbre, and playful investigation of sounds. As a music instructor, he is always inspiring and supports students' broad aspirations while using his skills as well as knowledge from the real music industry world to help students achieve success. A native of China, Dr. Han holds a B.A in Music Composition & Theory from the Shanghai Theatre Academy in China, an M.F.A in Music Production & Sound Design for Visual Media from Academy of Art University, and a D.M.A in Music Composition at Michigan State University.

Jamie A. Johnson, MFA, Associate Professor of Dance at Utah Valley University and Co-Artistic Director of Repertory Ballet Ensemble, explores theory and practice. Her pedagogical approaches and research interests are informed by her years performing as a principal dancer with Boulder Ballet and touring internationally with MOMIX. Johnson’s publications appear in the Journal of Dance Education and the Journal of Utah Arts, Sciences, and Letters (in press 2024), where she investigates inclusive dance pedagogy and the intersections of dance and gender. She holds an MFA in Dance from the University of Washington with additional certifications in Yoga and Functional Awareness®.

Dr. Shane Jones has studied and performed around the globe, including in Brazil, China, Mexico, Trinidad/Tobago, Puerto Rico, Ghana, and across the United States. He was percussionist on Broadway for 1776 at 54 Below and was percussionist for the off-broadway premier of the Pulitzer prize winning show Next to Normal. Currently, Shane serves as Director of Percussion at Utah Valley University and is the Associate Editor of World Percussion for the Percussive Arts Society. He is percussionist and Director of Production and Finance for internationally performing group Khemia Ensemble and a founding member and co-director of steelworks steelband. Shane is a proud Yamaha Performing Artist and endorser of Innovative Percussion sticks and mallets, REMO drumheads, and Zildjian cymbals.


Alex Malone joined UVU in September, 2019 as the inaugural Executive Director of the Noorda Center for the Performing Arts. Before coming to Utah, he was the Director of Theater and Cultural Arts for the University of Houston-Clear Lake campus heading a performing arts center, gallery, and cultural arts efforts across the campus. Previously, Alex spent a decade in the Symphony world as the Associate Producer of Symphony Pops for the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, and then the Producer of Popular Programming for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. He has a BFA in Musical Theater from the University of North Texas and a Masters of Performance of Musical Theater from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow.

Dwight Rhoden (Founding Artistic Director/Resident Choreographer of Complexions dance company) has established a remarkably wide-ranging career, earning distinction from The New York Times as “one of the most sought out choreographers of the day.” In 1994, Rhoden and legendary dancer Desmond Richardson founded Complexions Contemporary Ballet. Together they have brought their unique brand of contemporary dance to the world for nearly 2 decades.  CCB is widely considered as “America’s Original Multicultural Dance Company”, and is celebrated for its pioneering spirit, and the building of a universal brand that continues to challenge traditional ideas, and redefine possibilities in the dance arena. Rhodens’ work has filled some of the most prestigious theaters across the globe including, The Joyce Theater (NYC), The Bolshoi Theater (Moscow), The Marinsky Theater (St Petersburg), Maison De La Danse, (Lyon) and The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion (Los Angeles) to name a few. CCB and Rhodens’ work has been presented on 5 continents and in over 20 countries.

Christa St. John, MFA, is an Assistant Professor of Ballet and Co-Artistic Director of Repertory Ballet Ensemble at Utah Valley University (UVU). Her appointment at UVU follows a professional ballet performance career that spanned over a decade and four years as a division director of an integrated academic and ballet conservatory for pre-professional dancers. Her choreographic and scholarly research focuses on interdisciplinary collaboration and the intersection of gender and ballet. She has presented scholarly and creative works nationally and internationally and co-authored the forthcoming article Sylphs Supporting Sylphs: Confronting Gender Binaries in the Classical Ballet Canon. She holds an MFA in Dance from the University of Oklahoma.

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