USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance

Bonjour de Paris ✨🇫🇷

Our students have officially arrived in Paris for their performance at the 2026 Nuit Blanche Festival. Enjoy these moments of them exploring the city before taking the international stage alongside students from the Paris Conservatory in collaboration with Leïla Ka ().

We can’t wait to see them perform. 💫

Photos by

Still celebrating the Class of 2026 🎓✨

From the stage to the celebrations after, these moments capture the joy, pride, and community that made this year’s USC Kaufman commencement so special. 🧡 Dance On! ✌️

Photos by Michael Baker

Celebrating the Class of 2026 ✨ BFA Spotlight

Avery Zerr, from Kent, Washington, began dancing at age two, training in jazz, theater, and ballet before expanding into commercial styles at Allegro Performing Arts Academy. A 2021 YoungArts winner in choreography and U.S. Presidential Scholar of the Arts runner-up, she developed an early passion for storytelling through movement and comedy.

Now studying at the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance, Avery has performed works by Shahar Binyamini, Hope Boykin, JA Collective, Bret Easterling, Darrell Grand Moultrie, and Ebony Haswell Frazier. In 2025, she was named a Hubbard Street Dance Chicago Fellow, participating in a creation process with Aszure Barton.

Also a member of USC’s improv troupe Spoiler Alert, Avery explores the intersection of dance, narrative, and humor. She aims to build a career rooted in physical storytelling, where movement and comedy intersect.

Photography:

photography

Celebrating the Class of 2026 ✨ BFA Spotlight .na

Irena Yin is a Shanghai-born artist whose training began in ballet under Flora Cheong-Leen and Meili Zhu, later continuing at Elmhurst Ballet School in England and Master Ballet Academy in Arizona.

At the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance, she has expanded her practice across concert and social forms, performing works by Leïla Ka, Jillian Meyers, Darrell Grand Moultrie, Justin Peck, and Christopher Wheeldon. As a choreographic storyteller, Irena draws inspiration from everyday moments, integrating influences from fashion and design through experiences such as Central Saint Martins and the Trinity Laban x USC Kaufman CoLab.

Alongside dance, she is pursuing an MA in Public Relations and Advertising at USC Annenberg and has worked as an art director intern at Deutsch. Irena aims to bridge dance, design, and storytelling in a multidisciplinary creative career.

Photography:

photography

Celebrating the Class of 2026 ✨ BFA Spotlight

Jayde Elise Woodard is a dynamic, versatile performer with a passion for storytelling through movement. Trained in ballet, jazz, contemporary, musical theater, hip-hop, and heels, her work is rooted in authenticity, vulnerability, and the desire to make audiences feel seen.

A natural-born performer, Jayde has long been drawn to the stage and screen, while also cultivating her voice as a creator. She is the co-founder of Shake Dat Inc., a brand centered on celebrating Black female bodies through music, dance, and community.

With a commitment to impact beyond performance, Jayde is developing LA to LA (Los Angeles to Louisiana), an initiative aimed at expanding access and opportunity for underrepresented youth in her hometown of Baton Rouge. She aspires to build a career that blends performance, entrepreneurship, and community-driven work.

Photography:

photography

Celebrating the Class of 2026 ✨ BFA Spotlight

Mia Snape is a San Francisco–based artist pursuing her BFA at the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance, with a minor in Psychology and studies in classical voice. She began her training at San Francisco Ballet School, performing with the company before expanding into jazz, modern, and contemporary forms. At Kaufman, she continues to broaden her range across styles including Gaga, house, waacking, locking, musical theater, and more.

Mia maintains a strong focus on ballet while exploring interdisciplinary and collaborative performance, with aspirations to work with innovative companies and pursue opportunities on Broadway and the West End.

An avid collaborator and learner, Mia integrates her interests in psychology and dance to explore the connection between movement and the brain, aiming to promote holistic approaches within the arts.

Photography:

photography

Celebrating the Class of 2026 ✨ BFA Spotlight

Lincoln Seymour is a dancer and choreographer from Chicago, Illinois, whose early performance career began as Billy in Billy Elliot the Musical with Porchlight Music Theatre. This experience sparked his interest in storytelling through movement and led him to train at the Chicago Academy for the Arts.

Now pursuing his BFA at the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance as an Artistic Excellence Scholar, Lincoln has furthered his training at Jacob’s Pillow, Nederlands Dans Theater, and Orsolina28. He recently made his professional debut as a guest artist with BODYTRAFFIC, performing Trey McIntyre’s MAYDAY.

With a strong interest in the relationship between dance and music, Lincoln aims to explore interdisciplinary creation while pursuing a career in concert dance and choreography.

Photography:

photography