Fall 2026 Performance
Oli Amrein
A North Carolina native, Oli Amrein is a freelance movement artist and choreographer based in New York. They received their BFA in Dance from NYU Tisch School of the Arts and a minor in Nutrition and Dietetics this past May. While at NYU, they performed works choreographed by Yasmeen Godder, Baye and Asa, and Merce Cunningham, and many diverse student-choreographed pieces. They studied abroad through NYU at b12, and have furthered their studies at programs like Springboard Pittsburgh, BJM_360, and Ballet BC 44. Throughout their time at NYU, Oli furthered their creative practice and deepened their interests in movement research and choreography. Oli’s practice is an embodiment of identity and gender exploration, and is driven by a questioning of our capacity to understand one another.
Durante Verzola
DURANTE VERZOLA is a Filipino-American dance maker. He has choreographed works for Miami City Ballet, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, Kansas City Ballet, Philadelphia Ballet II, Ballet Arizona's Studio Company, Nashville Ballet II, Collage Dance Collective, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, Ballet Chicago, Columbia Ballet Collaborative, Ballet Memphis, Ballet22, and more. He was named in Dance Magazine’s 25 to Watch list for 2026. He is a winner of Joffrey Ballet’s Winning Works and has been selected for the New York Choreographic Institute, where he choreographed on dancers of the New York City Ballet. Verzola has also had his work featured at Guggenheim's Works & Process, Jacob’s Pillow, the Institute of Contemporary Art in Miami in collaboration with artist, Angela Lyn, as well as the Center for Ballet and the Arts at NYU, and has led Miami City Ballet School’s Choreographic Intensive since its inception.
His work has been described as "sharp and witty...so vibrant it is almost like a celebration of classicism and vitality with non-derivative balletic language…he continues to present classical ballet vocabulary in unfussy, thrilling ways," by Philadelphia Dance. The New York Times praised him saying, “Verzola, through structure, produced a ballet of clarity, verve and effervescence.” Explore Dance said, "For a 20-something choreographer, Verzola startled with his inventiveness via straightforward balletics. This piece challenged with silky troupe configurations, unfussy classical artistry, and the fluency of phrase variations."
Verzola is from Lansing, Kansas, and most recently a dancer with The Suzanne Farrell Ballet. He began his training with Marisa Paull and received his formal ballet training from the Kansas City Ballet School and Kansas School of Classical Ballet. At the age of 16, Verzola left home to train with the Miami City Ballet School on full scholarship. He has attended summer courses at the School of American Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet School, and Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. In 2014, he was invited to join Pennsylvania Ballet II. Verzola joined The Suzanne Farrell Ballet in 2016. His repertoire includes works by Balanchine, Robbins, Wheeldon, Keigwin, and Petipa.
Currently, Verzola is a full time faculty member and resident choreographer for Miami City Ballet School. verzolaballet.com
Kevin Jenkins
Praised by Dance Magazine as “riveting,” Kevin Jenkins is recognized for choreography that blends musicality, intricacy, and striking visual design. He has worked with over 100 organizations including State Street Ballet, St. Louis Ballet, San Diego Dance Theater, SUNY Purchase, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, Newport Contemporary Ballet, Dimensions Dance Theatre of Miami, and St. Louis Dance Theatre. His choreography has appeared in Jacob’s Pillow’s acclaimed Inside/Out Series, and he was awarded a residency at the National Choreographers Initiative. Kevin has served on faculty with institutions including Boston Ballet School, Joffrey Ballet School, Walnut Hill School for the Arts, Master Ballet Academy, and the School of Ballet Arizona.
A San Diego native, Kevin trained under Dave Mullen, Kathy Meyer, Teresa Wells, Kevin Patterson, and Ahita Ardalan. His early performance career spanned concert, musical theater, and commercial work, dancing with Mirable Ballet, Butterworth Dance Company, and San Diego Dance Theater, as well as in productions of Guys and Dolls and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. He also appeared in national commercials for Allstate, Latinva Fitness, and Verizon Wireless, performed in Las Vegas with the band NRG, and danced in ballroom showcases for Mary Murphy.
In 2006, Kevin co-founded Garage Contemporary Ballet with Ryan Orion Beck, serving as Co-Artistic Director through 2012. The company was featured in regional festivals including 4x4, Breaking Ground, Ignite, Celebrate Dance Festival, and the San Diego Young Choreographer’s Prize. His exploration of dance film earned three Editors’ Choice Awards from Dance and Pointe Magazine, with screenings at the San Francisco Dance Film Festival, Greensboro Dance Film Festival, San Diego Asian Film Festival, and the American Dance Festival.
Following his tenure with Garage Contemporary Ballet, Kevin pursued freelance choreography, creating work for Western Ballet, Emote Dance Theatre, Bay Pointe Ballet, Convergence Ballet, and Terpsicore Dance Company, as well as for filmmaker Darian Lane’s At The Ballet. After two years teaching at Boston Ballet School, he resumed full-time creation, choreographing Gayle Skidmore’s Hourglass music video and opera singer Natalie Bancroft’s European tour. In LA he choreographed the revival of Minnie’s Boys with Musical Theatre Guild under Jeremy Lapp and presented his choreography at the Capezio ACE Awards. Additional commissions include Eglevsky Ballet, Ballet Dallas, Bellingham Repertory Dance, Columbia Repertory Ballet, LITVAK Dance, Wanderlust Dance Project, Briarwood Ballet, Pegasus Contemporary Ballet, Ballet 5:8, and The Rosin Box Project.
From 2021 to 2025, Kevin directed Ballet Counterpointe, the San Diego company he founded to merge performance, mentorship, and community engagement. Under his leadership, the company premiered a full-length narrative ballet, multiple repertory evenings, and a national tour. Ballet Counterpointe initiatives included choreographic fellowships, community workshops, and “The Gathering,” a quarterly event showcasing independent choreographers. In 2025, Kevin became Artistic Director of Lexington Ballet.
Keerati Jinakunwiphat
Keerati Jinakunwiphat is a NYC-based choreographer, performing artist, and movement director originally from Chicago. She received her BFA from SUNY Purchase and has worked with and performed works of artists such as Kyle Abraham, Trisha Brown, Kevin Wynn, Doug Varone and more. Keerati began working with A.I.M. by Kyle Abraham in 2016, and choreographed her first work for the company in 2019. In 2023, she had the honor of becoming the first Asian American woman to be commissioned to choreograph for the New York City Ballet, resulting in Fortuitous Ash, with music by Pulitzer-prize winning composer Du Yun. In addition, Keerati has been commissioned to set and create works on Malpaso Dance Company, New York Choreographic Institute, Bang On A Can, Princeton University, Fire Island Dance Festival and many more; her choreography has been performed at venues including the Joyce Theater, New Victory Theater, American Dance Festival, Kampnagel, MASS MoCA, Lincoln Center, Works & Process at the Guggenheim, New York Live Arts, Chelsea Factory and more. Keerati has graced the cover of Dance Magazine as one of their 25 to Watch in 2021. She was awarded a 2023 Jadin Wong Fellowship Artist of Exceptional Merit by the Asian American Arts Alliance, a 2023 Princess Grace Award in choreography, and is a 2025 NYSCA/ NYFA Artist Fellow in Choreography. Keerati was a 2024 Artist in Residency at the Baryshnikov Arts, where she recently premiered her debut evening-length work, Of Dishes and Dreams, and is a 2025-26 Artist in Residence at the 92NY's Harkness Dance Center.