J STEPHENS, from Buffalo, New York, began their dance journey at an early age with tap, jazz, hip-hop, and musical theatre training. They earned a Bachelor of Arts in Dance summa cum laude from Columbia College Chicago, during which time they adopted a Contemporary, Street Dance fusion movement style. They are inspired by storytelling with the body, creating characters and worlds, in addition to activism through art. J has had the pleasure of performing in works by Bevara Anderson, Aaron Choate, Kiki King, Maleek Washington, and Ching Ching Wong, as well as training at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s Create Intensive.