A native of Baltimore, MD, graduated with honors from the Ailey/Fordham Bachelor of Fine Arts Program, with majors in Dance and American Studies, and later completed the Independent Study Program at The Ailey School. Maia began her dance training at Baltimore DanceTech under the direction of Stephanie Powell and Yvonne Walker she continued training at the Baltimore School for the Arts, where she studied both dance and acting. Ms. Bedford has danced with Sydnie L. Mosley Dances and as a guest artist with the Blue Morph Collective, Janis Brenner & Dancers, and REDi Dance. She has assisted Luis Salgado and Marcus Jarrell Willis and performed notable works by Jae Man Joo, Matthew Rushing, Jacinta Vlach, Luis Salgado, Laurie Taylor, Igal Perry and Alvin Ailey. She has trained at the Alonzo King LINES Ballet, Broadway Artists’ Alliance, Atlanta Ballet, and Bates Dance Festival, where she was a Merit Scholar, and participated in The Ailey School’s New Directions Choreography Lab and R. Evolución Latina’s Beyond Workshop Series. She is a 2017 New York Innovative Theatre Award winner for Raisin at the Astoria Performing Arts Center. This marks her second season with DBDT: Encore!

Apprentice

A native of Plaquemine, Louisiana, Ketreon Butler began his dance training under the direction of Sharon Mathews at Baton Rouge Magnet High School. He was then awarded a full scholarship to train at the Dancer’s Workshop and Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre under the artistic direction of Sharon Mathews and Molly Buchmann. He has trained on full scholarships at The Oklahoma City Ballet, The Debbie Allen Dance Academy, The National Choreography Intensive, and The American Ballet Theatre. In 2015, he was awarded the Regional Dance America: Choreography Award for his piece Yearn. This marks his first season as an apprentice with DBDT: Encore! 

Marques Gregory Furr of Nashville, TN & DC/MD/VA area graduated with a B.F.A. in Dance with a minor in Musical Theatre from the University of the Arts. He began his formal training at the Nashville School of the Arts. He danced with Eleone Dance Theatre for three seasons. Mr. Furr traveled on Broadway with the production of Ragtime and is the recipient of the Tennessee Dance Festival’s Kitty Sharp Ballet Award. He has studied on Scholarship at The Dance Theater of Harlem, Ballet X and received the Oprah Winfrey Foundation Scholarship at The Ailey School for summer studies in 2018. He has performed the works of Juel D. Lane, Robert Battle, Gary D. Jeter, Tommie-Waheed Evans, Beth Gill, Kyle Clark, Dara J. Meredith, Amy Hall Garner, Lamar Baylor, Nora Gibson, Wayne St. David, Shawn-Lamere Williams, Thaddeus and Tonya Wideman-Davis, Molly Misgala, and E. Leon Evans. This is his first season with DBDT: Encore! 

A native of Garden City, MI Jessica started her pre-professional training at Angie Hahn’s Academy of Dance. She is a 2019 graduate from the University of Oklahoma where she earned her Bachelors of Fine Arts in Ballet Pedagogy. There, Jessica had the opportunity to perform works by Trey McIntyre, David Hochoy, and Alejandro Cerrudo. She has also trained at BalletMet, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and Dallas Black Dance Theatre summer intensives. This is Jessica’s first season with DBDT: Encore! 

A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Bianca received her dance training at the Gwinnett Ballet Theater under the artistic direction of Lisa Sheppard Robson and Wade Walthall. Bianca furthered her training at Point Park University, with professors Jason McDole, Judith Leifer-Bentz, and many others. In 2018, Bianca graduated from Point Park receiving her Bachelor in Fine Arts with Magna Cum Laude. Having been part of a conservatory directed under Ruben Graciani and Garfield Lemonius, Bianca has had opportunities to work with choreographers such as Troy Powell, Sidra Bell, Helen Simoneau, Kiesha Lalama and many others along with performing works by Mark Morris and José Limón. In addition, Bianca has spent many of her summers training at intensives like Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Mark Morris Dance Group, Ballet West, Atlanta Ballet, and Dallas Black Dance Theatre. Along with her training, Bianca enjoys teaching students of all ages in ballet, jazz, modern, and Haitian folklore dance. Bianca is excited to participate in her second season with DBDT: Encore!

Apprentice

Alexandra Newkirk is a native to Atlanta, Georgia. Newkirk began her pre-professional training with Atlanta Ballet. Through her years of dancing Newkirk has trained at Atlanta Ballet, Ballethnic Dance Company, Dance Theatre of Harlem, and San Fransisco Conservatory of Dance. After graduating high school Newkirk began college at Point Park University studying to get her BFA in Dance with a concentration of ballet. Newkirk has trained with and performed works by Matthew Powell, Keith Saunders, Robert Garland, Kiesha Lalama, and many more. After Point Park University Newkirk has performed many guests artist roles such as, Dew Drop from the Nutcracker, and the Gypsy from Dracula. This is Ms. Newkirk’s first season as an apprentice with DBDT: Encore!

A native of Baltimore, MD, is a recent graduate from Point Park University Conservatory of Performing Arts under the direction of Garfield Lemonius. He began his dance training with the Ava Fields Dance Company under the direction of Ava Fields. He later received a full scholarship to study at Johns Hopkins Peabody Conservatory. He has attended summer intensives at Complexions Contemporary Ballet and Dallas Black Dance Theatre. During his time at Point Park, he trained and performed works by master choreographers and teachers, José Limón, Lucinda Childs, Jennifer Archibald, Ori Flomin, Judith Leifer-Bentz, Garfield Lemonius, Jason McDole, and Kiesha Lalama. This will be Terrell’s second season with DBDT: Encore!