Bayardo Martinez Jr. (he/him/él) is a Latino choreographer, performer, and educator based in Maryland. His work sits at the intersection of cultural expression and educational advocacy, a path that began as a self-taught dancer and competitive Latin performer. He eventually bridged those roots with formal training in Ballet, Modern, Jazz, and Contemporary dance—an evolution that defines his versatile approach to the stage. Bayardo holds an M.F.A. in Dance and Dance Management (summa cum laude) from Saint Mary’s College of California, a B.A. in Dance from the University of Maryland, and a B.A. in Music Education from CUNY Queens College.

A leading advocate for cultural equity, Bayardo focuses on the fusion of traditional Latin social dances and concert stage forms. He develops curricula, workshops, and seminars for both students and professionals, sharing his expertise at the county, state, and national levels. His work has been featured by the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO), the Maryland Dance Education Association (MDEA), and throughout the public school districts of Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Montgomery, and Prince George’s County.

In his graduate thesis, Reflexiones Mosaico: Impacting Future Perceptions From Introspective Mirrors, Bayardo examines the impact of colorism and inequity within public schools. This commitment to social consciousness drives his choreography, which has been presented at The Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage, The Music Center at Strathmore, and The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. His work has also been showcased in various dance events and festivals held at the Peggy and Yale Gordon Center for Performing Arts, Goucher College, Montgomery College, Howard Community College, Prince George's Community College, and the Community College of Baltimore County.

Bayardo currently serves as the Dance Director at the Jim Henson Academy of Visual and Performing Arts at Northwestern High School. He is also an active leader within La Unidad Latina, Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity, Inc., where he serves as Vice President of the Gamma Epsilon Professional/Graduate Chapter. Across all his roles, Bayardo remains dedicated to mentoring the next generation of artists through a lens of excellence and cultural integrity.

Julia Smith was born and raised in Beirut, Lebanon, and grew up playing in and around her father’s biochemistry lab at the

American University of Beirut. Her mother taught Theater and Communications at the Beirut College for Women (now the

Lebanese American University) and directed a children’s theater company at the American Repertory Theater of Beirut, where

Julia began performing at the age of 7. Her first ballet class was with Margaret Haddad in Lebanon.

After moving stateside, Julia studied ballet with Irina Prochotsky, and Yuli and Luba Vzorov in Bethesda, MD. She was later

accepted into the Pennsylvania Ballet School where she studied with Lupe Serrano and the ballet masters of the

Pennsylvania Ballet. She received the Creative and Performing Arts Scholarship from the dance department at University of Maryland and earned her BA in Dance. Before receiving her MFA from the University of Maryland, Ms. Smith taught all of the ballet courses for dance majors at the university. Afterwards, she became Assistant Professor of Dance at Anne Arundel Community College. She spent 4 years as the dance educator at Charles H. Flowers High School in Prince George's County, MD and currently holds the position of ballet mistress at the Jim Henson Academy of Visual and Performing Arts at Northwestern High School.

Her professional dance career spans several decades. Julia has danced for Alvin Mayes, Anne Warren, Alcine Wiltz, Word Dance Theater, Tango Mercurio, DanceSmith, Tommy Parlon Dance Projects, Gesel Mason, Boris Willis Moves, Pam England, CityDance Ensemble, DC Dance Theater (Rincones and Company), Bowen McCauley Dance, Daniel Singh, and Tony Powell Music and Movement. Julia’s choreography has been performed at Dance Place, The Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage, and The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. 

Mher Kandoyan is a dancer, choreographer, and educator whose work blends contemporary dance with Latin traditions. A seven-time Latin dance champion in Lebanon, he holds an MFA in Dance from the University of Maryland, where his 2025 thesis, What Remains, explored cycles of joy and grief. He is a two-time recipient of the DEL Arnhold Summer Fellowship at New York’s 92nd Street Y and was awarded the 2023 IPCCR Award, which enabled him to travel to Italy to collaborate with Salsa icon Fernando Sosa.

In his choreographic work, Mher choreographed and performed in the anti-surveillance opera, We Shall Not Inherit the Earth (2024), and created Journey (2023), an ongoing, audience-engaged piece. He is also the founder of The Backstage (2011), a Lebanese dance organization dedicated to creative expression and community. Through his work, he aims to inspire dancers to move, create, and connect.

Kevin White began his dance journey with musical theatre at the SEED school in Washington, D.C. At 14 he took his first formal classes at the Putney Summer Arts Program in Vermont with Nicole Pouliot. White spent the latter of his teen years taking classes at the Dance Institute of Washington and Joy of Motion. In his early adult years, Kevin joined the modern dance program at Kent State University, where he also founded and choreographed the Legacy Dance Team. He has trained in various dance styles including ballet, modern, jazz, hip hop and West African. 

His professional career began with Taurus Broadhurst Dance, and continued with Maverick Lemons , The Black Leaves Project, and Jane Franklin Dance. With Jane Franklin, White performed and choreographed sight specific modern dance pieces. White has taught toddlers to senior citizens for over a decade in the DMV area; styles include modern, broadway jazz, contemporary African, house and more. He is most passionate about his work with many of the DMV’s studios and after school programs offering quality arts experiences to children of all backgrounds. 

White is currently teaching youth hip hop at Dance Place and contemporary with Company E’s movement center. He is most excited for his new journey as the adjunct instructor for Northwestern High School’s VPA Dance program.