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Since 2015, Howard has become the leading voice in the work of diversity, equity, anti-racism and organizational culture in ballet and the arts. She works as an international diversity strategist for arts with organizations including: The Royal Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Dutch National Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, and San Francisco Ballet. Her innovative philosophy and approach have made her a sought after speaker, consultant, and coach to artistic, executive, and school directors, and board members of ballet, opera, academic institutions, and service organizations including: The Royal Opera, Seattle Opera, Opera America, National Association of Teachers of Singing, and American Guild of Musical Artists.

Her background as a dancer (Dance Theater of Harlem and Armitage Gone! Dance) and dance educator makes her uniquely qualified to target, address, and facilitate much-needed cultural shifts in ballet leadership. In 2018, she was a member of the Design and Facilitation Team of The Equity Project: Increasing the Presence of Blacks in Ballet, a three-year initiative which assembled a cohort of 21 North American ballet companies. Recently she launched the Cultural Competence and Equity Coalition (C²EC) to expand on the work. C²EC provides organization-wide cohort learning and consultation for ballet companies internationally.

In addition to curating MoBBallet, Howard collaborated with Peggy Olislaeger in the curation of the Dutch National Ballet’s (DNB) bi-annual conference Positioning Ballet (2017/2019), which convened over 40 European and international companies. In 2019, she was invited to curate their Black Achievement Month photo exhibition paying homage to the legacy of Black ballet artists who have danced with the company since 1961. In 2019, she was tapped to curate The Royal Opera House’s inaugural Young Talent Festival Symposium, “Exposure, Access and Opportunity: Exploring the Cultural Barriers to Ballet Training.”

As the curator for MoBBallet, Howard has presented both in-person and virtual symposiums. In 2019, the first MoBBallet Symposium was held in Philadelphia, PA. The multi-generational personal development and educational intensive convened an elite and diverse faculty of Black ballet professionals, pre-professional ballet students, and dance educators. In August 2020 during the BLM uprisings, MoBBallet hosted a series of virtual symposiums which centered blackness and promoted education, communication, and restoration, and in March 2021, the Ballet IS Woman symposium celebrated female artistic and executive directors in ballet. Howard also works as a journalist, having contributed to The Source, Pointe, Expressions (Italy), and Tanz (Germany), and Opera America Magazines. Currently she is a contributing writer for Dance Magazine. Former New York Times Lead Dance Critic Alastair Macaulay cites Howard as “one of the most valuable writers on dance today… Theresa Ruth Howard has written some of the most provocative pieces on ballet today.”

Over the years, Howard has been a mentor for many of the young men and women that she has taught over the years. Her life motto is: “The only way to make the world a better place, is to be better people in it!”

At the age of 18, Portia began her professional career in Lausanne, Switzerland, with Béjart Ballet. She performed numerous ballets in 14 different countries in 1 year. Her most notable role being the Queen of the Night from La Flûte Enchantée, her first principal role in her career at the age of 19.

She later accepted a position with Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo, where she currently resides. She has performed countless ballets with Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo, most notably as Lady Capulet from Jean-Christophe Maillot's Romeo and Juliet at the age of 23. She has worked with and performed works from a number of prominent choreographers such as: Jean-Christophe Maillot, Mats Ek, George Balanchine, David Dawson, Goyo Montero, and Sidi Larbi.

In 2022, Portia Adams appeared as a featured dancer in Reframing the Narrative at the Kennedy Center. In 2023, she choreographed a work for the second company of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet.

She was appointed as the first female resident choreographer in Cincinnati Ballet’s 40-year history. Jennifer has been commissioned by BalletMet, Grand Rapids Ballet, BalletX, The Washington Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, and Memoirs of Blacks in Ballet’s Pathways to Performance program to deliver new works in 2025. Archibald was the acting movement director for Michael Kahn’s The Oresteia at the Shakespeare Theatre Company. Her directorial debut WeAight was named the Official Selection of the 2022 Dance on Camera Festival. She creates a "Documentary Ballet" format, in which she creates works rooted in historical history bringing communities together. Her documentary ballets are theatrical engagements that evolve beyond the stage and rely on historical education as an integral part of the creative process. Her projects in this space include Breakin’Bricks, which honors the community of Black Wall Street produced by Tulsa Ballet; Sounds of the Sun, which honors the life of dancer Florence Waren, exploring her experience during the holocaust produced by the Pittsburgh Ballet; and Seven, a biographical work about Olympian Jackie Joyner-Kersee commissioned by MADCO Dance Company.

Archibald’s works have been performed at venues including Aaron Davis Hall, Central Park’s Summerstage Mainstage, Jacob’s Pillow Inside|Out Stage, Lincoln Center, New York’s City Center, and the Kennedy Center. She was awarded a Choreographic Fellow for Ailey’s New Directions Choreography Lab under the direction of Robert Battle and is a Joffrey Ballet Winning Works Choreographic Competition recipient. Her commissioned work DIRT was presented at TED TALK by St. Louis-based MADCO Dance Company. Arch Dance Company’s Chasing Shadows, was remounted for Dallas Black Dance Theater’s 2018/19 season. Archibald was also the 2018-19 recipient of the City of New York Dance Initiative.

Archibald is currently an acting lecturer at the Yale School of Drama and was appointed as a guest faculty lecturer to develop the Hip Hop dance curriculum at Columbia/Barnard College. Jennifer is also a guest artist at several universities including Boston Conservatory, Columbia College Chicago, Fordham/Ailey, Goucher College, Miami New World School of the Arts, Purchase College, Point Park, Princeton, South Carolina’s Governor’s School of the Arts, University of South Florida, Oklahoma University, and Virginia Commonwealth University. She is a returning guest choreographer for the School at Jacob's Pillow.

Mr. Byrd has frequently been referred to as a “citizen artist,” a descriptive that perfectly aligns with an important component of Spectrum Dance Theater’s mission and Mr. Byrd’s personal beliefs: “dance as an art form and as a social/civic instrument.”

Early projects that were the beginnings of his citizen artist work at Spectrum are Interrupted Narratives/WAR (2007), a critique on the War in Iraq, and The Theater of Needless Talents (2008), a memorial to the artist victims of the Holocaust. Mr. Byrd’s early repertoire also includes three evening-length works that sought, through dance, to stimulate dialogue around a post-9/11, globalized America: A Chekhovian Resolution (2008), a personal, diary-like reflection on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict; Farewell: A Fantastical Contemplation on America’s Relationship with China (2008), inspired by the novel Beijing Coma from Ma Jian and the 1989 pro-democracy demonstrations in Tiananmen Square; and The Mother of Us Al (2010), a dense, collage-like abstract meditation on contemporary Africa.

Spectrum’s recent seasons—conceived, choreographed, and directed by Mr. Byrd—are a testament to his commitment to art as a Credible Partner of Social Justice:

• Season 2015/16 #RACEish – An Exploration of America’s 240 Years of (failed) Race Relations
• Season 2016/17 AMERICAN – IDENTITY, RACE, CULTURE?
• Season 2017/18 Bringing It Home – DANCING TOWARDS A MORE JUST AND EQUITABLE AMERICA
• Season 2018-19 WOKE???
• Season 2019/20 Race and Climate Change

He continues to demonstrate this by creating dance/theater that is meant to question, to create awareness, to activate, and to move audiences & citizens into action around the persistent social issues that plague contemporary American society and the world: racism and white supremacy, climate change and the climate gap, gender equality, gender identity biases, xenophobia, and police brutality.

Throughout the 40+ years of his choreographic career, Mr. Byrd has created over 100 works for his companies as well as works for many leading classical and contemporary companies. This list includes Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, The Joffrey Ballet, The Philadelphia Dance Company (Philadanco), Dance Theater of Harlem, and many others. He has worked extensively in theater and opera, both in America and abroad, including Seattle Opera, San Francisco Opera, The Israeli Opera, New York City Opera, The New York Shakespeare Festival/Public Theater, Intiman Theatre, and Baltimore Center Stage.

Mr. Byrd’s many awards, prizes, and fellowships include the Doris Duke Artist Award; Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts, Cornish College of the Arts; Masters of Choreography Award, The Kennedy Center; Fellow at The American Academy of Jerusalem; James Baldwin Fellow of United States Artists; Resident Fellow of The Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center; Fellow at the Institute on the Arts and Civic Dialogue, Harvard University; and the Mayor’s Arts Award for his sustained contributions to the City of Seattle.

A high point of Mr. Byrd’s career was a solo museum exhibition Donald Byrd: The America That Is To Be, at the Frye Art Museum in Seattle in 2019. It was the culmination of his 2016 James W. Ray Distinguished Artist Award, which was funded by the Raynier Institute & Foundation through the Frye Art Museum | Artist Trust Consortium. The award supports and advances the creative work of outstanding artists living and working in Washington State.

Over the following years, Meredith dedicated himself to dance, supplementing his education with additional classes under Brenda Gooden, a former Pittsburgh Ballet dancer. Upon graduating from high school, he auditioned for and joined the Fort Lauderdale Ballet, where he rapidly adjusted to the demands of the profession, solidifying his position within the company through his innate ability to absorb choreography, technique, and corrections.

Despite the unpaid nature of his position, he seized opportunities for growth, securing a full scholarship for the Milwaukee Ballet summer program after auditioning for various professional companies. This marked a period of significant personal and artistic development, during which he embraced his identity as an artist, performer, and gay man. His talent and dedication were soon recognized, leading to an invitation to join the Milwaukee Ballet as a trainee, subsequently transitioning to an apprentice role and becoming the first African American dancer in the company’s history.

Meredith’s career continued to flourish as he joined the Pennsylvania-Milwaukee Ballet and later the Pennsylvania Ballet now known as the Philadelphia Ballet, where he remained for the majority of his performing years. Notable highlights include performances with Dance Theatre of Harlem and Complexions Contemporary Ballet, as well as a guest appearance with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Throughout his career, he had the privilege of working with esteemed choreographers and originating roles in numerous productions, each experience contributing to his growth as a performer, creator, and educator. Additionally, he played a pivotal role as a founding dancer with Ballet X while simultaneously performing with the Philadelphia Ballet.

Upon retiring from the Philadelphia Ballet, Meredith embarked on a new chapter, delving into choreography, and finding his voice outside the classical ballet world. He participated in workshops and mentoring programs, honing his skills as a choreographer, and eventually establishing himself as a sought-after creator. His commissioned works have been performed internationally, and he has also dedicated himself to teaching at various institutions, sharing his knowledge and passion with the next generation of dancers.

Driven by a desire to create a more inclusive and innovative dance environment, he founded Carbon Dance Theatre, a venture that provided him with valuable lessons in leadership, resilience, and purpose. While ultimately deciding to close the company to focus on artistic projects and teaching, his contributions to the dance community have been recognized through numerous awards and honors, underscoring his enduring impact on the field.

Reflecting on his journey, Meredith acknowledges the profound role that dance has played in shaping his life, from humble beginnings to remarkable achievements. Through perseverance, passion, and a commitment to his craft, he has transcended barriers and realized his dreams, finding fulfillment and purpose in the transformative power of movement.

Katlyn began her professional ballet training at the age of 10 with the National Ballet School of Canada and continued her training with Quinte Ballet School of Canada, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Boston Ballet, and the Houston Ballet Ben Stevenson Academy. She joined Houston Ballet’s corps de ballet in 2007, and in 2008, she was awarded the Sarah Chapin Langham Award at Youth America Grand Prix and was invited to perform at the prestigious YAGP Gala the same year. With Ballet West, Katlyn has danced leading roles in Sklute’s Swan Lake, Balanchine’s Prodigal Son, Stevenson’s Dracula, Fonte’s Carmina Burana, and many others!

Katlyn has also worked to find her choreographic voice. In 2015, Katlyn was chosen to choreograph The Hunt for Ballet West’s Choreographic Festival Program. She was again selected to create new works for the festival in 2018 (Hidden Voices) and in 2021 (Eden). She has created new ballets for the Utah Arts Festival (Unnamed, 2019), the Ballet West Academy, the University of Utah Dance Department (Saint-George, The Composer, Frenchmen, and Creator, 2020), the Kansas City Ballet (Sanctuary, 2022), and Ballet Jorgen (There Were TWO, 2022).

In 2015, Huffington Post named Katlyn as one of the top “26 Black female dancers you should know,” and she has regularly been featured in Pointe and Dance Magazine. She danced and acted in Miu Miu’s Woman’s Tales, a short film that premiered at the 2017 Venice Film Festival and appeared on the Prada Miu Miu website. In 2019, Katlyn performed for attendees of the 68th United Nations Civil Society Conference, dancing the role of Mother Earth in The Way of the Rain – Earth Movements – A Symphony for Ballet with choreography by Emily Adams. Throughout the fall and winter of 2019-2020, Katlyn performed the principal/soloist roles at the Scottish Ballet in Glasgow, Scotland, including Tituba in Helen Pickett’s The Crucible, and Snow Queen, choreographed by Christopher Hampson, Artistic Director of Scottish Ballet. In June of 2022, Katlyn was featured in Reforming the Narrative at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., where she performed a lead role in a new ballet created by renowned choreographer Donald Byrd.

In early 2022, Katlyn was included as an honoree in Microsoft’s virtual interactive museum, The Legacy Project, and she was also featured in the Utah Black Chamber’s book Black Utah: Stories of a Thriving Community.

Katlyn is involved in many passion projects and is dedicated to using her platform to give back to her community and to help raise the voices of other minority artists. Katlyn has volunteered her time for: the Redlining Project, an initiative drawing attention to injustices created by red lining voter districts; Ballet West’s ; , which supports young girls of color; Morning Star Middle School and Ridgewood Elementary School, both in Ontario, Canada; and she also serves on the board of directors for the .

In 2022, Mr. Bodden was invited to the Kennedy Center to be a part of the Reframing the Narrative project, highlighting the contributions of dancers of color to classical ballet.

Corey received the honor of being named one of Pointe Magazine’s Standouts of 2018 for their portrayal of Bernardo in Jerome Robbins’s West Side Story Suite. They then went on to play the same role in Francesca Zambello’s full length West Side Story at the Glimmerglass Festival in Cooperstown, New York. In 2022, Corey was one of eleven Black ballet dancers from around the world selected by Theresa Ruth Howard to create and perform in the world premiere of Donald Byrd’s From Other Suns, as part of the Kennedy Center’s Reframing the Narrative.

Among their many PBT performances, Corey’s favorites include JiÅ™í Kylián’s Petite Mort and Aszure Barton’s Bright Progressions, as well as featured roles as a Stomper in Twyla Tharp’s In The Upper Room, the Third Sailor in Jerome Robbins’s Fancy Free, the Prince in The Sleeping Beauty, and Drosselmeyer in Terrence S. Orr’s The Nutcracker.

While a student at Pacific Northwest Ballet, Ashton performed in Company productions of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker^® and Kent Stowell’s Cinderella. They performed leading roles in Christopher D’Ariano’s Follower and Joshua Grant’s Bright Young Things for PNB’s NEXT STEP choreographer showcase.

Ashton is a recipient of the 2021 Princess Grace Award. They have performed with Amanda Morgan’s The Seattle Project and appeared on the cover of the July 2021 Dance Spirit Magazine.

After joining Pacific Northwest Ballet in 2021, their career took flight as a dancer, shining in spritely roles such as Candy Cane Lead and Arabian Coffee in George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker^®. Through performing in works such as Justin Peck’s The Times Are Racing, Dwight Rhoden’s World Premiere Catching Feelings, as well as their pointe debut as fairies from George Balanchine’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Zsilas provides a new image of diversity in ballet. Zsilas continues to mesmerize and enchant audiences with their solo work Khepri by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Bacchus by Matthew Neenan, and the visually pleasing work of Jessica Lang’s The Calling.

In 2020, Silveira Templer returned to Spain to dance with Compañía Nacional de Danza, and a season later, she joined the Joffrey Ballet as a company artist and performed leading roles by Arpino and Blanc.

She lives in Denmark as an educator at the Royal Danish Ballet School. Silveira’s current freelance projects include performing leading roles with Svenborg Ballet Theater based in Denmark, dancing with Pathways to Performance in the United States, and starting in 2024, joining the London City Ballet.