WINTER INTENSIVE
NYC FACULTY
JILLIAN DAVIS
Jillian Davis is from Kutztown, PA and began her ballet training at the age of 3. She studied with Risa Kaplowitz and Susan Jaffe at Princeton Dance and Theater Studio in Princeton, NJ. Jillian attended San Francisco Ballet, School of American Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet and LINES Ballet programs. Jillian has been a Company Artist with Complexions since 2014. She has been part of Dwight Rhoden a number of World Premieres including Woke, Love Rocks, Snatched Back From the Edges, Endgame, For Crying Out Loud, and a world-premiere solo, Elegy. She has also performed installation works by Desmond Richardson and performed works by William Forsythe, Jae Man Joo, Jenn Freeman, and Ricardo Amarante. Along with being a dancer with Complexions, Jillian is part of the Master Faculty for Complexions Academy.
IG @Jillange93
MIGUEL SOLANO
Miguel is from Medellin, Colombia. He started dancing at age 17 at the District University of Bogotá and continued his training at BalletStudio Bogotá under the direction of Patricia Niño. In 2013, he moved to NYC to complete his studies at the Gelsey Kirkland Academy of Classical Ballet on full scholarship, performing with Kirkland’s studio company. He has participated in summer programs including Hubbard Street Dance, Oklahoma City Ballet, and Batsheva Dance Company in Israel. Miguel has worked with Awaken Dance Theater, Thomas/Ortiz Dance, RudduR Dance and Connecticut Ballet. He has worked with choreographers Earl Mosley, Christopher Rudd, Darrell Moultrie, Larry Keigwin, Nadege Hottier, Larissa Calero, Eve Chan, and Ted Thomas.
He currently dances with Complexions Contemporary Ballet.
IG @miguellsolano
TERK LEWIS
Terk Lewis from Mansfield, OH, earned his BFA in Dance from Western Michigan University. He joined Eisenhower Dance Detroit, and after joined Complexions Contemporary Ballet where he danced for seven years., and later became an artist in residence. Lewis went on to dance in “Jesus Christ Superstar Live” on NBC and perform in “Peter Pan” and “Rock of Ages” at Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera. He also appeared in the dance short film “Sc7nario”, danced in the Lin Manuel Miranda Feature Film “In The Heights”, at the Met Gala in the Musical Series “Up Here” on Hulu; and recently performed in NBC UpFronts at Radio City Music Hall.
Lewis assisted Jae Man Joo while creating “circular” for Ailey 2 and assisted Jill Johnson on choreographing the opera “Crossing” that premiered at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. He has choreographed his own works for The National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica, The Steps Conservatory, The Joffrey Ballet School, Black Boys Dance Too and Western Michigan University.
He teaches regularly at Complexions Academy programs.
PITTSBURGH FACULTY
JOURDAN EPSTEIN
Jourdan Epstein is a professional performer, choreographer and educator based in NYC. Her most recent work includes being Assistant choreographer to Andy Blankenbuehler on Only Gold and performing with The Radio City Rockettes in the Christmas Spectacular. Company credits: Complexions Contemporary Ballet, The Metropolitan Opera, Company XIV, and Bad Boys of Dance, as well as being Dance Captain of The Prince Of Egypt and a contestant on SYTYCD. Jourdans film and TV credits include Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Marvelous Mrs Maisel, The Flight Attendant, Dispatches from Elsewhere, Evil and the In The Heights Movie. Jourdan is on faculty at The Joffrey Ballet School in NYC, Complexions Contemporary Ballet Academy programs, and enjoys guest teaching the next generation as well as performing whenever she gets the chance.
VINCENZO DI PRIMO
Vicenzo Di Primo grew up in Adrano, Sicily, Italy and graduated from the Vienna State Opera Ballet Academy. Vincenzo performed with some of the world’s most reputable dance companies including The Royal Ballet of London and danced works from choreographers including Kenneth MacMillan, Crystal Pite, Marius Petipa, Peter Wright, Frederick Ashton, Morgann Runacre-Temple, Nacho Duato, Natalia Horecna, Dwight Rhoden, Justin Peck, Jae Man Joo, Ricardo Amarante, and Jenn Freeman. Vincenzo received several awards including Prize winner and Contemporary Prize at The Prix de Lausanne, Gold Medal and Nureyev prize at Grand Prix de Paris, Outstanding Artistry Prize at Youth America Grand Prix New York, and Bronze Medal at the Beijing International Ballet Competition. In 2019, he was a contestant and finalist on the Italian TV show Amici, following this he joined the company. In 2021 Vincenzo was included in Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch". Vincenzo joined COMPLEXIONS in 2019.
JAE MAN JOO
Jae Man Joo is an internationally acclaimed choreographer and the recipient of the prestigious 2009 Princess Grace Choreographer Award. Hailing from Korea, he brought his unique artistic vision to the US in 1996, where he served as the Associate Artistic Director of Complexions Contemporary Ballet. As a former principal dancer at Ballet Hispanico & Complexions, Jae Man Joo has worked and performed with a diverse range of choreographers, including William Forsythe, Dwight Rhoden, Shen Wei, Igal Perry, and Jessica Lang. .
Joo’s achievements include receiving the Best Individual Artist Award from the Bagnolet International Dance Festival in Paris and multiple awards from the Korea Dance Critics, including for his ballet VITA.
He has created more than seven ballets for Complexions. In 2023, he premiered DIVINE with Gwangju City Ballet, which won Best Dance Art Work of the Year, and in 2024, he debuted When Time Stands Still for the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater and Eternal Variations for Dallas Black Theater.
ARTISTIC DIRECTORS
DESMOND RICHARDSON
Co-Founding Artistic Director of Complexions Contemporary Ballet
Desmond Richardson was the first African-American principal dancer of American Ballet Theatre and is hailed by The New York Times as one of the greatest dancers of his time. Nominated for a Tony Award for his role in the original Broadway cast of Fosse and deemed a standout in the Tony-Award winning production After Midnight, Richardson is highly esteemed by the concert dance and American theater community.
Richardson appeared in Twyla Tharp’s Broadway production Movin’ Out, and on celebrated stages across the world, been a member and invited guests of prestigious companies including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Frankfurt Ballet, Royal Swedish Opera Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Washington Ballet, and San Francisco Ballet, to name a few.
Richardson has received numerous awards and an honorary doctorate degree in recognition of his extensive contributions to the field of dance.
Richardson has been a celebrity guest performer and choreographer for productions across media. Internationally and domestically, he is a master teacher for dance programs such as the New York’s All Stars Project, YoungArts Miami, United Way, The Pulse, NYCDA, and ASH.
You can read his full bio on Complexionsdance.org
DESMOND RICHARDSON
Dwight Rhoden 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.” He co-founded COMPLEXIONS Contemporary Ballet, bringing their unique brand of contemporary ballet to the world. He has created over 80 ballets for COMPLEXIONS, as well as for numerous other companies, including the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Dance Theater of Harlem, Colorado Ballet, Miami City Ballet, New York City Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, PHILADANCO!, Mariinsky Ballet, Minneapolis Dance Theater, Phoenix Dance Company, Pittsburgh Ballet Theater, The Washington Ballet, among others.
Rhoden has also directed and choreographed performances for shows across a range of media, including So You Think You Can Dance, E! Entertainment’s Tribute to Style, Amici, and Cirque Du Soleil’s Zumanity, and he appeared in the feature film One Last Dance. He has collaborated with a number of celebrated artists, including Prince, Lenny Kravitz, Kelly Clarkson, Nicholas Payton, The Drifters, Paul Simon, Billy Strayhorn, Nina Simone, Marvin Gaye, U2, The Turtle Creek Chorus, and Patrick Swayze.
Rhoden is a recipient of various honors and awards including The New York Foundation for the Arts Award, The Choo San Goh Award for Choreography, and The Ailey School’s Apex Award. Rhoden received an honorary doctorate degree from the Boston Conservatory in recognition of his extensive contributions to the field of dance.