Contemporary

Alex Wong was born in Canada and began his Tap and Jazz traning at the age of seven. At age ten, he started his ballet studies with the Goh Ballet Academy in Vancouver, Canada. In 2000, Alex won two Junior World Titles in Tap and Showdance. Awarded with the Royal Academy of Dancing Solo Seal, Alex won the Audience Choice Award and was a Bronze Medallist in the 2003 Genee International Ballet Competition.

Chaz Buzan grew up in Scottsdale, Arizona where he trained at Arizona Angels Dance Studio. He began his dance education just 7 years ago, studying primarily in Jazz before finding his true passion for contemporary style and movement. Chaz’s early contemporary training came from his time with Dana Metz and Natasha Louis at Initial Existence.
 

Sonya Tayeh was born in New York and raised in Detroit, Michigan. She received her BFA at Wayne State university and now resides in LA.

Sonya's career soared commercially when she joined the SYTYCD family as a jazz/contemporary choreographer and guest judge. She has directed/ choreographed for many world tours, TV, and awards shows with artists including Florence And The Machine, Kylie Minogue, Miley Cyrus, and many more.

A Visual Musician, Travis Wall has been dancing since he was 3 years old, starting at his mother’s studio training in jazz, lyrical, and contemporary. In his early years, Travis performed on the Showstopper American Dance Championships television show, where he, along with Dance Energy, won the competition. Travis first got his career started at 9 where he was known as the "Dr. Pepper Boy" in their national TV commercial!

Mandy Moore is a four-time Emmy-nominee and world-class Director, Choreographer and Dancer best known for her ground-breaking work on the global television hit So You Think You Can Dance and most recently the smash-hit movie, La La Land.

Marie-Christine Giordano is known for her hypnotic and magnetic performances. Critics have hailed her for her “admirable intensity” (Jack Anderson, New York Times), “unique aura and communicative power,” and “shining artistry” (Philip Gardner, Oberon’s Grove). Gio Kourlas wrote in the New York Times that she “is clearly a choreographer committed to constructing a personal dance vocabulary.”

Michael Susten is a New York City based choreographer and dance educator. He graduated from the University of the Arts in 2010 with a BFA in Jazz Dance Performance and a focus in Choreography. He has had the privilege of being a guest teacher at Point Park University, The University of Pennsylvania, Dean College, and numerous performing arts high schools. 

Natalie Ortiz is a native of San Antonio, Texas where she studied various disciplines from a young age at San Antonio Dance Academy. She is a graduate of Marymount Manhattan College, with a B.S. in Business with a concentration in International Business.

Lauren Cox is a performer, teacher, choreographer, model and adventurer who hails from the San Francisco Bay Area.  Lauren was nurtured as a young poet and a little later a competitive Rhythmic Gymnast.  She competed around the country from age 6-17 eventually achieving 20th in the nation.