White Space (Avant Premiere)

KYLE ABRAHAM (Founder and Artistic Director, A.I.M by Kyle Abraham; He/Him) is a dancer and choreographer, widely celebrated as a visionary voice in American modern dance. As the Founder and Artistic Director of A.I.M by Kyle Abraham, a company recognized as “one of the most consistently excellent troupes working today” by The New York Times, his work embraces the full richness of human experience while honoring the communities that shape it.

A Pittsburgh native, Abraham trained at Civic Light Opera Academy and the Creative and Performing Arts High School before earning a BFA from SUNY Purchase and an MFA from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. He later received an honorary Doctorate in Fine Arts from Washington Jefferson College and in 2026, he received an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from his alma mater SUNY Purchase.

Abraham has premiered work to acclaim for decades. He is the recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship (2026), the MacArthur Foundation Fellowship (2013), the Doris Duke Foundation Artist Award (2016), the Princess Grace Foundation-USA Statue Award (2018), and the Dance Magazine Award (2022). His choreography for “Are You in Your Feelings” earned a National Dance Award for Best Modern Choreography (2024), while “An Untitled Love” received nominations for the Olivier Award for Best New Dance Production (2025), the Rose Prize for International Dance (2025), and the National Dance Award for Best Modern Choreography (2026). He has been profiled in Vanity Fair, Harper’s Bazaar, Kinfolk, Vogue, and British Vogue, among many other publications.

In addition to performing and developing new works for his company, Abraham has been commissioned by some of the world’s most prestigious companies, including American Ballet Theatre, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the National Ballet of Cuba, New York City Ballet, Paul Taylor Dance Company, and the Royal Ballet. He also choreographed Misty Copeland in Cynthia Erivo’s short-form film “No Good Deed” in promotion of Wicked: For Good.

A dedicated educator and cultural leader, Abraham has served as the Claude and Alfred Mann Endowed Professor in Dance at USC’s Glorya Kaufman School of Dance and as a visiting professor at UCLA. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and has contributed to advisory and leadership initiatives with Lincoln Center, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, the Prada Group, and Rebuild Foundation. In 2020, Abraham served as the first-ever guest editor for Dance Magazine.

Named a Kennedy Center Next 50 Leader, Abraham continues to expand the possibilities of contemporary dance through work that blends formal experimentation with cultural resonance. As Vogue noted, he brings “an avant-garde aesthetic, an original and politically minded downtown sensibility that doesn’t distinguish between genres but freely draws on a vocabulary that is as much Merce [Cunningham] and Martha [Graham] as it is Eadweard Muybridge and Michael Jackson.”

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MYKIAH GOREE (he/him), a native of Houston, Texas, received his early dance training from Houston Ballet Academy and Kinder HSPVA under the direction of Melissa Bowman and Janie Carothers, respectively. He attended summer programs with Ballet Austin, BodyTraffic, and Peridance. While at Juilliard, he performed works by Tiler Peck, Rena Butler, Jamar Roberts, Ohad Nahrin, Trisha Brown, Camille A. Brown, and Omar Román De Jesús. Mykiah’s choreographic work was selected for Juilliard’s Choreographers and Composers 2022, MOVE|NYC’s summer intensive, Juilliard’s Senior Production 2024 and Juilliard’s Choreographic Honors. He is a certified Pilates instructor and has served on the Juilliard Black Student Union board. Mykiah is very grateful to all who have built him into the human being and artist that he is today. Mykiah joined A.I.M in January 2024.

ALYSIA JOHNSON (she/her), a native of Dallas, Texas, Alysia began her training at Dallas Black Dance Theatre and Booker T. Washington HSPVA under Lily Weiss. She expanded her skills through summer programs at renowned institutions like Joff rey Ballet, Alvin Ailey, LINES Ballet, and Jacob’s Pillow. Alysia launched her professional career with Bruce Wood Dance Company before attending The Juilliard School, earning her BFA. She has since taught and choreographed for institutions including Princeton University, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and Jacob’s Pillow. In 2021, Alysia received the Princess Grace Honoraria Award for Dance through Hubbard Street, where she was a company member. Known for her versatility, Alysia has been featured in campaigns with Tory Burch and Adidas. She recently joined Boom Crack Dance Company and continues producing genre-bending, community-centered events. Alysia credits her success to the support of her community and her mother, Galen Johnson. Alysia joined A.I.M in 2024.

SUZY MONDESIR (she/her) is a Haitian-American dancer from Queens, New York, and a senior at SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Dance. She received her formal training from various institutions, including Ballet Hispanico, Harlem School of the Arts, Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School, and the MOVE|NYC Young Professionals Program. She has continued to refi ne her craft through acclaimed intensives and residencies, including Movement Invention Project, GALLIM, Earl Mosley’s Diversity of Dance, BODYTRAFFIC, A.I.M. by Kyle Abraham, and Springboard Danse. Additionally, she has had the privilege of performing works by an influential range of choreographers, including Kyle Abraham, Dual Rivet, Trisha Brown, Rena Butler, Ethan Colangelo, Tsai Hsi Hung, Loni Landon, Doug Varone, and Yin Yue. Suzy is a guest performer with A.I.M for White Space.

FAITH JOY MONDESIRE (she/her) Brooklyn-born dancer Faith Joy Mondesire joined A.I.M by Kyle Abraham in 2023. Her roots in dance started as a liturgical dancer at her local church. Later she worked with choreographers such as Joseph Hernandez, Sidra Bell, Kristen Foote, Melanie Gambino, Doug Varone, and Abdel R. Salaam and Dyane Harvey (Forces of Nature Dance Theater), among others. She has performed at Dance Africa BAM, NJPAC, The Apollo, and elsewhere. Dance Magazine published her feature, “I’ll Never Forget My First Pair of Flesh Tone Tights” in 2020. Training: Edge School of The Arts, Brooklyn Dance Project, Restoration Youth Arts Academy, LaGuardia High School, SUNY Purchase, Alonzo King Lines Ballet Summer Intensive. Mondesire joined A.I.M in 2023.

DESTIN MORISSET (he/him) Born and raised in Queens, New York. Destin is a graduate of LaGuardia Arts High School and SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Dance. He has trained at MOVE|NYC and French Academie of Ballet. Destin is a recipient of the 2021 Gregg Burge Award and 2025 Outstanding Senior in Dance at SUNY Purchase. He has performed works by choreographers such as Alvin Ailey, Norbert De La Cruz III, Chanel DaSilva, Greg Lau, Roderick George, Jie-hung Connie Shiau, LajaMartin, Doug Varone, Kevin Wynn, and Yue Yin. Destin was formerly a company artist with The Dash Ensemble led by Gregory Dolbashian. Morisset joined A.I.M in 2025.
 

WILLIAM OKAJIMA (he/him) Originally from Irvine, California, William Okajima’s love for music and dance originated from a young age, growing up in a household full of artists. Will’s extensive training began at Orange County School of the Arts, and supplemented his dance training at both Westside Dance Project and Dmitri Kulev Classical Ballet Academy. At just age 13, Will obtained his first professional dance role in Sia’s The Greatest music video, and fell in love with the commercial world. Since, he continues to be a part of Los Angeles' vibrant commercial dance scene, featuring in nationwide advertisements (Honda, Apple, Pull & Bear), as well as international campaigns. Most recently, Will traveled to Dubai to feature in the country’s latest tourism film. A recent graduate from the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance, Will received a BFA in Dance under the guidance of individuals including Kyle Abraham, Bret Easterling, Jermaine Spivey, Jodie Gates and William Forsythe. At Kaufman, Will has performed featured roles in works by Jiří Kylían, Micaela Taylor, Tyce Diorio, Desmond Richardson, Dwight Rhoden and Hope Boykin. Will also received a minor in entrepreneurship through the USC Marshall School of Business. In doing so, Will hopes that his studies of the intersections between dance performance and personal branding will allow him to tackle the demands of the commercial and concert dance world with a uniquely informed academic perspective. Will is a 2025 Princess Grace Award Winner. Will joined A.I.M in 2024.

DONOVAN REED (they/them), a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, began their dance training at the age of 16. Soon after, Reed attended college at The University of the Arts where they received their BFA in May of 2016. During their time in college, they participated as an artist in residence at Die Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Frankfurt, Germany. In addition, Reed participated in an independent artist program where their training was extended with the Pennsylvania Ballet. Other studies include PHILADANCO!, Eleone Dance Theatre, and The Rock School for Dance Education. They have performed works by choreographers such as Sidra Bell, Regina Van Berkel, Sharon Eyal, Tommie Waheed-Evans, Beth Gill, Andrea Miller, Tania Isaac, Meredith Rainey, and Helen Simoneau. In 2024, Reed was selected as one of Dance Magazine's “Top 25 to Watch”. Reed joined A.I.M by Kyle Abraham in 2018.

LUC SIMPSON (he/him) is a French American dancer from San Diego, California. He is a recent graduate of The Juilliard School, with prior training at both Golden State Ballet Academy and the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts. In 2021, Luc was recognized as a National YoungArts Finalist in Modern/Contemporary Dance. He has since had the privilege of performing works by Kyle Abraham, Sharon Eyal & Gai Behar, Sol León and Paul Lightfoot, Aszure Barton, Jermaine Spivey, Johannes Weiland, Yue Yin, and others. Luc is a guest performer with A.I.M for White Space.

NIYA SMITH (she/her), is an Atlanta, Georgia native. She began her training at Dancemakers of Atlanta under direction of Denise Heard Latimer and Lynise Heard. She has attended summer programs with BODYTRAFFIC, Alonzo King Lines Ballet, Complexions Contemporary Ballet and A.I.M by Kyle Abraham. She received her BFA in Dance from The Conservatory of Dance at Purchase College. During her time at Purchase, she performed works by George Balanchine, Yue Yin, Alvin Ailey, and Kevin Wynn. Niya gives thanks and gratitude to those who have helped shape her into the person and artist she is today. Smith joined A.I.M in 2025.

GIANNA THEODORE (she/her) Raised in West Palm Beach, Florida, Gianna began her dance training at Ballet East Studio under the direction of Susan Lyle and Chelsea Nasby. Gianna is a graduate of A.W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts, and a three-time YoungArts Merit Scholar/Honorable Mention. She graduated with a BFA in dance from the Ailey/Fordham BFA program Class of 2020. Throughout the course of her training, she has performed works by Robert Battle, Chuck Wilt, and Bradley Shelver. She attended Springboard Danse Montreal, where she performed work created by RUBBERBANDANCE, and Parts & Labour Danse. Gianna has ventured through many cultures and styles of dance, such as house and African, which has helped land her lead roles in music videos. She has also performed professionally with artists such as Ebony Williams, Mark Caserta, Maleek Washington, and Jennifer Archibald. She recently performed during a residency with Helen Simoneau Danse. Gianna joined A.I.M in 2019.

OLIVIA WANG (she/her), originally from Queens, New York, is a first generation Chinese American artist. She has recently graduated with a BFA in Dance from the Conservatory of Dance at SUNY Purchase College. She has trained at The Ailey School, French Academie of Ballet, and was a part of the inaugural class of MOVE|NYC. Olivia has had the opportunity to perform works by Keerati Jinakunwiphat, Norbert De La Cruz III, Martha Graham, Michiyaya, Nigel Campbell, Kyle Abraham, and Roderick George. Wang has attended summer programs at A.I.M, Martha Graham, MOVE|NYC, and Hubbard Street. She is an Actors Equity and SAG-AFTRA member. Wang joined A.I.M in 2024.

REID BARTELME and HARRIET JUNG (Costume Design) Harriet Jung and Reid Bartelme met in 2009 while pursuing fashion design degrees at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. They started designing collaboratively in 2011 and have focused their practice primarily on costuming dance. They frequently design costumes for works by Pam Tanowitz, Kyle Abraham, and Justin Peck. They have devised costume centric performances for commissions from the Museum of Art and Design and the Guggenheim Museum in New York City. In 2023 they made their Broadway design debut with Bob Fosse’s Dancin’. Reid and Harriet have completed research fellowships at NYU Center for Ballet and the Arts and the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. They continue designing costumes and sets for dance productions around the world while expanding the scope of their practice outside the theater.

As a creator and director, CHARLOTTE BRATHWAITE (Artistic Advisor)’s genre-defying works illuminate the realities and the dreams of the marginalized and center unheard, unseen, and overlooked stories. Dealing with subject matter from the historical past to the distant future, her work brings to light issues of social justice, race, sex, power, and the complexities of the human condition. Awards include Art Matters, Princess Grace, Creative Capital, United States Artist and Map Fund. She is an Associate Professor Theater Arts Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). www.charlottebrathwaite.com

SAM CRAWFORD (Additional Sound Editor) Sam Crawford’s compositions and sound designs have included works for the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company (Venice Biennale, 2010), A.I.M by Kyle Abraham (Untitled Love, 2022), Camille A. Brown and Dancers (BLACK GIRL: Linguistic Play, 2016), and David Dorfman Dance (A(Way) Out of My Body, 2022).

Recent film works include 32 Sounds, directed by Sam Green, for which Crawford acted as the headphone experience designer; the film was Oscar shortlisted for Best Documentary Feature in 2024. La Medea, a live film collaboration with director Yara Travieso for which Crawford composed the music and wrote the libretto, premiered at P.S.122’s Coil Festival in 2017.

Since 2020, Crawford has taught sound design at the University of Maryland's School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies. He became Co-Director of UMD’s Maya Brin Institute for New Performance in 2023.

GLENN LIGON (Set Design) is an artist living and working in New York. Throughout his career, Ligon has pursued an incisive exploration of American history, literature, and society across bodies of work that build critically on the legacies of modern painting and conceptual art. He earned his BA from Wesleyan University (1982) and attended the Whitney Museum Independent Study Program (1985). In 2011, the Whitney Museum of American Art held a mid-career retrospective, AMERICA, organized by Scott Rothkopf, that traveled nationally. Important solo exhibitions include Glenn Ligon: All Over the Place, The Fitzwilliam Museum at the University of Cambridge, England (2024); Post-Noir, Carre d’Art, Nîmes (2022); Call and Response, Camden Arts Centre, London (2014); and Some Changes, The Power Plant Center for Contemporary Art, Toronto (traveled internationally) (2005). Select curatorial projects include Grief and Grievance, New Museum, New York (2021); Blue Black, Pulitzer Arts Foundation, St. Louis (2017); and Encounters and Collisions, Nottingham Contemporary and Tate Liverpool, England (2015). Ligon’s work has been shown in major international exhibitions, including the Venice Biennale (2015, 1997), Berlin Biennial (2014), Istanbul Biennial (2019, 2011), and Documenta XI (2002).
 

DAN SCULLY (Lighting Design) is a New York-based lighting and projection designer. He has been the resident lighting designer for A.I.M by Kyle Abraham since its founding, including designs for the full-length evening works Pavement, Live! The Realest M.C., and the Bessie Award winning The Radio Show. Recent dance work includes designs for New York City Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, BODYTRAFFIC, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and Misty Copeland, among others. Theater and concert credits include Rocky (Broadway), Jedermann (Salzburger Festspeile), The Orchestra Rocks! (Carnegie Hall), and Peter and The Wolf (John Lithgow / Carnegie Hall). Regional: Trinity Repertory Company, Geva Theatre Center, Asolo Repertory Theatre, Cleveland Playhouse, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, and the Two River Theater Company. MFA NYU Tisch School of the Arts.

RISA STEINBERG (Artistic Advisor) is active in many facets of the dance community as a performer, teacher, re-constructor of the works of José Limón, rehearsal coach, and choreographer mentor. A native New Yorker, Ms. Steinberg attended the High School of Performing Arts. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from The Juilliard School, where she has served as full-time faculty since 2004 and held the position of Associate Director of Juilliard Dance from 2008-2016. Ms. Steinberg has been a guest teacher worldwide and in many summer intensives.

In 2022, she received the DanceTeacher Magazine Award of Distinction. As a performer, Ms. Steinberg was a principal dancer with the José Limón Dance Company and guested with companies worldwide.

She was a cast member of Punchdrunk’s, Sleep No More from 2015-2020.

As a choreographic advisor, she has mentored many emerging and established choreographers. Ms. Steinberg is the co-director of the Ann and Weston Hicks Choreography Project at Jacob’s Pillow.