Dylan Balka is a dancer and choreographer with New Jersey roots. He is currently a BFA senior with the inaugural class of the Glorya Kaufman School of Dance at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles under the direction of Jodie Gates and William Forsythe. There, he has performed works by William Forsythe, Jiří Kylián, Paul Taylor, Sabela D. Grimes, Bill T. Jones, among others. With a concentration in Choreography for Stage and Screen, he actively creates work with the SC Choreographic Collective and collaborates with other USC artists from the Thornton School of Music and the School of Cinematic Arts. He serves as director of the Dylan Thomas Project under the nonprofit Misfit Angels Network, a program that provides financial support and mentorship to youth artists that wish to pursue their artistic talents and passions but may not have the accessibility and means to do so. Dylan is also currently an intern with Dancers Responding to AIDS, a program of Broadway Cares that produces the annual Fire Island Dance Festival and Hudson Valley Dance Festival. Prior to his university education, Dylan attended Joffrey Ballet School’s Jazz and Contemporary Trainee Program for two years under the direction of Michael Blake. He has attended summer programs with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Gaga USA, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, 10 Hairy Legs, and will be attending Axis Connect this summer. Dylan hopes to blend his passions for performance, collaborative creation, and activism into his career within the dance community.