Julian McKenzie (Grand Blanc, MI) began his dance training at L&L Dance Studio under the direction of Kara Hajek-Meier. He graduated from Grand Valley State University in 2024 with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance and recieved the Upper Division Dance Scholarship. During his time at Grand Valley Julian performed in works by guest artists such as Renaldo Maurice, DJ Smart, and Bonnie O’Rourke, among others. He has performed at the American College Dance Association (ACDA) East-Central Conference, Grand Rapids Ballet Summer Festival, Frederik Meijer Gardens, and Oakland Dance Festival. Julian’s senior group work, CLUTTEREDmind, was selected for presentation and adjudication at the 2024 ACDA East-Central Conference. Additionally, his 2022 work, serene, was a finalist in the Michigan Dance Council’s 2022 Maggie Allesee Choreography Competition. Post graduation, he performed in David Dorfman’s piece for American Dance Festival’s Footprints, as well as an excerpt of yourFACE by Peter Chu, restaged by Jenni Gordon, at SALT’s LINK Audition Festival. Julian is so excited to begin his first season with Nova Linea Contemporary Dance!