The Juilliard School

Saturday, 11/7
4:00-6:00pm
Jamal Callender, Ballet

The Juilliard School
New York, New York

Under the leadership of Melissa Toogood, Juilliard Dance develops artists of the 21st century—trained in ballet, modern, and contemporary dance forms. With the establishment of the Dance Division in 1951—by then-president William Schuman with the guidance of founding division director Martha Hill—Juilliard became the first major teaching institution to combine equal instruction in both modern and ballet techniques.

In the four-year dance program—leading to a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree—students learn the great traditions of both past and present. Juilliard dancers enjoy unparalleled opportunities to work with today’s leading choreographers and perform both new and existing repertory. In addition to receiving high-caliber technical training and performances, dancers learn about the craft of choreography and immerse themselves in other facets of the field. Located at Lincoln Center in New York City, Juilliard prepares dancers for all the possibilities that lie ahead.

Juilliard dance alumni include the choreographers and directors Robert Battle, Pina Bausch, Jessica Lang, Lar Lubovitch, Andrea Miller, Ohad Naharin, Bobbi Jene Smith, Paul Taylor, and Sylvia Waters. Juilliard dancers are dancing in companies including A.I.M by Kyle Abraham, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ballet BC, Ballet Hispánico, Ballett des Saarländisches Staatstheater, Ballets Jazz Montréal, Batsheva Dance Company, Boston Ballet, Gibney Company, GöteborgsOperans Danskompani, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Kidd Pivot, L.A. Dance Project, Limón Dance Company, Martha Graham Dance Company, Nederlands Dans Theater, Pam Tanowitz Dance, and Rambert as well as in several Broadway productions.

The Juilliard Dance Division, proud recipient of the 2015 Capezio Award, was the first educational institution to receive the honor.

Jamal Callender

Jamal Callender is a Bajan-American dancer, choreographer, educator, and director, and a Princess Grace Awardee (2012). He graduated from The Juilliard School with a BFA in 2009 and later earned a Master’s degree in Communication and Education from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. He is also a BASI-trained Pilates instructor.

He trained at Ballet Tech and the Brooklyn College Preparatory Center for the Performing Arts, and graduated from the Professional Performing Arts School/The Ailey School, also studying at Restoration Dance Theater and the Harlem School of the Arts.

Jamal’s performance career spans leading companies across the United States and Europe, including Atlanta Ballet and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. He performed as a principal dancer with Ballet Hispánico and as a soloist with Kevin O’Day Ballett, NTM Tanz at the National Theater Mannheim, Ballet Bern, and Riva & Repele Company.

In 2014, he founded the Barbados Dance Project, a tuition-free initiative focused on mentorship, access, and cultural exchange in dance education. In 2017, he was named one of the “51 Inspiring Young Bajans” by Barbados Today. His teaching includes Cincinnati Ballet, Ballet Jazz de Montréal, The Joff rey Ballet School, Ailey II, IT Dansa, New Orleans Ballet Association, MOVE|NYC|, Juilliard/Nord Anglia, and the Institute of the Arts Barcelona, and he has served as interim rehearsal director for Ballet Hispánico, including its 2025 European tour.
As a choreographer, he was the winner of the 92Y Future Dance Festival in 2021 and was invited to present his work during Martha Graham’s Joyce Theater season in New York City. His work has been presented internationally across the United States, Barbados, Germany, and Spain.

His creative directing includes collaborations with the NFL, Google, Cartier, MSC Cruises, and Hermès. He has appeared in campaigns for BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Amazon, Pandora, Dior, and Nerds, including opening the Dior Spring/Summer 2023 fashion show in Paris and performing at Milan Design Week for Porsche, both choreographed by Imre and Marne van Opstal. He is also featured in Jeremy Pope’s God Is Good, directed by C Prinz, with choreography by Parris Goebel.

His master’s thesis, BULL-A: Examining Homophobia in Dancehall Music and Its Resurgence on TikTok, refl ects his commitment to LGBTQ+ advocacy and media literacy. A lifelong advocate for equity in the arts, Callender has served on the Dance/NYC Junior Committee and is an artistic advisor for MOVE|NYC|.