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.

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.
 

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.

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.

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.

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.

Denis Martin is an Assistant Professor of Music Technology at the University of Toronto. His research focuses on sound perception, critical listening, perceptual audio evaluation, equity, diversity, and inclusion in audio research, and education. His current teaching includes graduate courses in music production, acoustics, technical ear training and undergraduate courses in music recording. He supervises master's students in Music Technology and Digital Media and doctoral students with a music technology focus.

Chandre Iqugan Szafran is Inupiaq from Alaska. Her creative practice combines lyrical prose with visual art and design, using playfulness and color to communicate her point of view. Chandre named her creative practice qaummaq, a word from the Fish River dialect of Inupiatun meaning “daylight” or “brightness from a source.” This suggests that light comes from something, like a lightbulb, a fire, or the sun. Similarly, her creative impulse comes from a place—her roots on the tundra near the Arctic Circle. As Native storytellers, Chandre believes it is our responsibility to deconstruct contemporary “Indigenized” narratives in spaces dominated by the non-Native gaze.

Chandre holds an MFA in nonfiction from the United States’ only accredited university of Indigenous fine arts, the Institute of American Indian Arts. Chandre enjoys biking, berry picking, traveling, and immersing herself in storytelling found in all artforms.

Daisy Lavea-Timo is an Aotearoa- New Zealand born Sāmoan poet (Vailu’utai, Samatau, Lepā, Saipipi) whose work is deeply rooted in her ancestry and her role as a tulafale-orator chief. Daisy explores what it means to sustain and construct her identity as a product of the Sāmoan diaspora, being born and raised in Tamaki-Auckland and living in Kalaisitete-Christchurch, NZ.

Daisy’s poetry is the dynamic and indigenous response of her Sāmoan-ness, and her work strives to communicate ideas about the complex societal issues connected with culture and leadership. She is a proud wife to Seta, mum to Hadassah, Micahlei and Honor, keen educator, and Director of Cross-Polynate- an indigenous social change agency. Daisy navigates corporate worlds as a strategic facilitator and cultural competency coach and in the community, facilitates vā-space for Rangatahi all over Aotearoa to use their “upu” - words to pen their aspirations and truths for their families, communities, and selves.

From her vantage point at the intersections of the many worlds she navigates, Daisy wields words about culture, leadership, and collective impact.