Jessie Yero (she/her, Chicago, IL) began her formal dance training at Salt Creek Ballet under the direction of Zhanna Dobrovskaya and Sergey Kozadayev. She then continued her education at Butler University, graduating with a BA in Dance Pedagogy and Departmental Honors in 2017. Jessie’s time with Butler Ballet added to her classical and contemporary repertoire, including corps, soloist and principal roles in Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, Cinderella, and The Nutcracker, as well as original works by Stephan Laurent, Susan McGuire, Cynthia Pratt, and David Ingram. Jessie was invited to perform David Ingram’s “KAPNOS” at the Governor’s Arts Awards in Indianapolis in 2016, and served as a choreographic assistant to Cynthia Pratt for “Streamlines” a multi-disciplinary, site-specific work about Indianapolis’ waterways made possible by a grant from the National Science Foundation. Jessie also took part in intensives with Alonzo King Lines Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and NorthWest Dance Project which deepened her passion for contemporary dance and led her to the Convergence Trainee Program with Big Muddy Dance Company in 2017 before joining the Company in 2018. While with The Big Muddy, Jessie has performed works by choreographers including Shannon Alvis, Kirven Douthit-Boyd, Norbert De La Cruz, Elizabeth Corbett, Thang Dao, Joshua Manculich, Dexandro Montalvo, Joshua L. Peugh, and Marcus Jarrell Willis, among others. She has also participated in collaborations with St. Louis Shakespeare Festival, The Black Rep Theater of St. Louis, and Jazz St. Louis. Jessie was awarded the “Dance Spirit Award” by the Dean of Jordan College of the Arts in 2017. Outside of her role with Big Muddy, Jessie serves as Assistant Director and Ballet Teacher to the Competition Team at RJs Dance Studio in Ellisville, MO. She deeply enjoys passing on her love of dance to the next generation and cultivating young artists.

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