Jasmine Hearn
Jasmine Hearn is an interdisciplinary artist, dancer, award-winning performer, and choreographer born in Houston, Texas. Hearn trained under family members, various mentors, instructors, and at the Houston Metropolitan Dance Center
Hearn received a Jerome Hill Artist Fellowship in 2019 and has performed at the Kelly Strayhorn Theater, New York Live Arts, Moody Center for the Arts, and Danspace Project.
Accolades
- Camargo Foundation Residency, Cassis, France: Author’s Page
- New York Live Arts Live Feed Creative Residency: Artist Residency Page
- Pittsburgh Foundation Residency (2016, 2020): 2016 Pittsburgh Foundation Announcement, 2020 Pittsburg Foundation Announcement
- Movement Research Residency (2018), New York, NY: Artist Residency Page
- Jerome Hill Artist Fellow (2019): 2019 Jerome Hill Fellows List
- Two-time Bessie Award winner for Outstanding Performer (2017, 2021): 2017 Bessie Announcement, 2021 Bessie Announcement
- Foundation for Contemporary Arts Grant Recipient (2017, 2022): Foundation Announcement
- Creative Capital Grant Recipient (2022): Grant Recipients Announcement
- 2023 Rome Prize in Design for “Repertory Closet,” in collaboration with Athena Kokoronis: American Academy in Rome Fellows Artists Page
- Sweat Variant Threading Residency (2024): Artist Residency Page
Kayla Hamilton
Kayla Hamilton is a dance artist and the founder and artistic director of Circle O. Circle O is a cultural organization that provides dance, English, and disability studies to individuals identified as, “Black, disabled, and other multiply marginalized creatives.”
Born in Texarkana, Texas, and based in the Bronx, Hamilton earned a Bachelor of Arts in dance from Texas Woman’s University in 2006. She also earned a Master of Science in education from Hunter College in 2013. Early in her career, she secured several residencies and worked as a teaching artist and repertory master teacher.
Accolades
- Facilitator, Modern Dance Master Class, Collin County Community College (2016): Author’s Page
- Facilitator, Traditional West African Dance Master Class, Houston Community College (2016): Author’s Page
- Bessie Award Winner for Outstanding Performer (2017): 2017 Bessie Announcement
- Wynn Newhouse Awards Recipient (2020): Wynn Newhouse Awards List, Wynn Newhouse Artist Page
- Pina Bausch Foundation Fellow (2023-24): Foundation’s Artist Fellow Page
- Bronx Cultural Visions Fund Recipient (2023-24): Funds Recipients Page, Artist Fund Page
- United States Artists Disability Futures Fellow – Codeveloped by Ford Foundation and Mellon Foundation (2024): Fellows Announcement Page, Artist Fellow Page
- New England Foundation for the Arts National Dance Project Grant Recipient (2024): Artist Grant Page
- Jerome Hill Artist Fellow (2023-25): Fellows List
Hamilton has created accessible programming for the Mellon Foundation, Movement Research, DanceNYC, and other organizations. In 2025, she plans to continue touring her show How to Bend Down/How to Pick It Up.
