2026 MASTER INTENSIVE FACULTY
nick palmquist
Nicholas palmquist is a dancer, choreographer, and educator whose work lives at the intersection of movement and human psychology. Based in Brooklyn, he teaches at steps on Broadway, the joffrey ballet school, alvin ailey extension, and peridance center, and has been a guest artist at juilliard, Yale, NYU, Columbia, and institutions across europe, Latin America, and asia.
His teaching is built around a simple but radical idea: that the most important thing a dancer can develop is faith in themselves, and an instinct for when to seek guidance. Teaching across four continents over the course of his career, he formalized that approach into a framework he calls emotional ergonomics — now the foundation of his work in the studio and his online courses through dance MasterClass. The goal is always the same: to include the nervous system of both the student and the teacher in the ecosystem of learning, dancing, and performing.
When he’s not in the studio, Nicholas is creating. His choreographic work has been presented internationally, including a world premiere with the semperoper ballet, ballet schwerin, and an installation with the biennale tanzausbildung at humboldt forum Berlin. He has taught at festivals including elisa carrillo’s danzatlán and Diana vishneva’s context festival, and holds an annual open-level residency at orsolina28 in Italy — a model he is proud of for its commitment to working with a full spectrum of dancers in real time. His work spans fashion and media as well — with features in vogue, vogue Mexico, and numéro China, and choreography for the cfda gala and New York fashion week. As a performer, his credits include the radio city rockettes, American dance machine at the Joyce theater, the Guggenheim works & process series, Netflix, Saturday night live, the tonight show, the Tony awards, and feature films.
JESS HENDRICKS
graduated from the University of Colorado with a BFA in Dance. Her training includes Perry Mansfield School of the Performing Arts, American Dance Festival, Harvard Dance Festival, EDGE Scholarship, Gus Giordano and Hubbard Dance Street. Her credits include commercials and industrials for Godiva, L'Oreal, Reebok, Toys R Us, Universal Studios, Volkswagen and Warner Brothers. Jess worked on the tour of HAIR as Dance Captain for years, performed for the opening premiers of Moulin Rouge and The Great Gatsby and can be seen in such movies as Living Out Loud and Between The Sheets. She has danced in or been the assistant choreographer to the Elan Awards, Bob Fosse Awards, Ms. America Pageant, Carnival, Dance Break and Broadway Bares.
Jess has choreographed the New York musicals "The Shaggs", "The Book Of The Dun Cow" and "Dead City" as well as the movie musical "Free Fall". She has choreographed the music video "Just A Dress" for the Berlin Film Festival, "Mia Agapi Fotia" for European artist Sofia Strati's Eurovision and has been a finalist for the ACE Awards.
Jess has taught at Universities and Festivals throughout Canada, Costa Rica, Cyprus, France, Italy, Japan, Korea, Norway and the United States. Jess has danced with "The Wes Veldink Movement" and co-created her own company "Two Peas & A Pod". She has created live work for "A Great Big World" at Brooklyn Academy of Music, set work for Carnegie Hall and assisted with choreography for the Alicia Keys tour. Jess recently debuted work on Houston METdance, Marymount Manhattan College, Point Park University and Wanderlust. She is currently an adjunct professor at Pace University in New York City, on faculty with 24 Seven Dance Convention and a Co-Founder of Dancers Give Back Dallas.
MATTHEW RICH
Matthew Rich brings over a decade of experience in the world of movement and dance. Beginning his career under the tutelage of Rambert’s artistic director Benoit Swan Pouffer, Matthew honed his craft as a dancer at New York City-based Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet for ten years. Afterwards, Matthew was a guest artist with Ballet of Difference in Munich, the Korean National Contemporary Dance Company in Seoul, and acted as a cultural ambassador for the arts with DanceMotion USA in Israel and Jordan. Matthew’s collaboration with Pouffer resumed in 2018 where he served as Rambert’s Senior Rehearsal Director until 2023. He’s supported productions by renowned choreographers such as Sharon Eyal, Imre and Marne van Opstal, Marion Motin, Ohad Naharin, Hofesh Shechter, Jill Johnson, Alonzo King, and Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui.
christian burse
Christian Burse was born in Austin, Texas where she began her dance journey at the age of two years old. She completed her early dance training at Joyce Willet and RISE Dance Company where she received a diverse dance education. She continued her dance training at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas, Texas and Dance Industry Performing Arts Center. She was named a U.S. Presidential Scholar Finalist, National YoungArts Foundation winner and a Texas Young Master. Christian was offered an apprentice position with her dream professional dance company, Complexions Contemporary Ballet. She relocated to New York to train and travel the world with the company all while completing her senior year of high-school at 17 years old. To date she has performed across the U.S. and internationally in Israel, Germany and Europe as a Full Company Member of Complexions Contemporary Ballet. Since then, Christian Burse has worked on acclaimed projects that showcase her versatility and artistry including the TV series "Etoile" on Amazon Prime, Clispe's "So Be It" Music VIdeo, The American Diabetes Association Commercial and campaigns for Victoria Secret, Maybelline and Paramount Plus. She has also performed with Nick Jonas on the Jimmy Fallon Tonight Show and Future at the Gala Des Pieces Juanes Festival as well as Teyana Taylor. She has been apart of the Pre-Broadway Production of Purple Rain.
peter chursin
Peter Chursin, originally from San Francisco, CA, was most recently seen in the Broadway revival of Bob Fosse’s Dancin’. His additional Broadway credits include King Kong, Wicked, On the Town, and the 2009 revival of West Side Story. Some favorite theater credits are Rob Ashford’s Carmen at the Houston Grand Opera, Jerome Robbins’ Broadway at the MUNY, Brigadoon at NY City Center, The Music Man at Theatre Under the Stars and Nikolai and The Others at Lincoln Center. His television appearances include Netflix’s Halston, Dancing with the Stars, Fosse/Verdon as Christopher Chadman, Flesh and Bone, SNL, America’s Got Talent, True Blood, Tracey Ullman’s State of the Union, and Joan of Arcadia. Peter has had the privilege of performing internationally with Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Twyla Tharp Dance, Barak Ballet, and Lydia Johnson Dance.
Brooke wendle
Brooke Wendle is a former Radio City Rockette who has over 20 years of experience choreographing and creative producing television, Broadway, and live events for the most exciting and recognized global brands such as Dancing with the Stars, America’s Got Talent, American Idol, Cirque Du Soleil, Franco Dragone, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Adam Lambert, Atlantis The Royal Dubai, Disney, Condé Nast, MTV Video Music Awards, American Music Awards, E*Trade, Super Bowl Halftime Show XXXIV, Paramount+, HBO, Netflix, Wicked the Musical and the NBA.
todd baker
Todd Baker is a Dallas native who trained at Booker T. Washington HSPVA and Dance Industry PAC. In 2017, he was named a U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts and began his studies at The Juilliard School. Since 2021, he has performed professionally throughout Europe, specializing in contemporary ballet and improvisational performance. He was a member of the Dresden Frankfurt Dance Company, where he collaborated with choreographers such as William Forsythe, Jacopo Godani, Ioannis Mandafounis, and Thomas Hauert.
Todd is currently dancing with the Opéra National de Lyon, performing a diverse range of repertoire.
carsyn gekas
Carsyn Gekas is a freelance dancer and choreographer based in New York. She graduated summa cum laude with a BFA in Dance, with a concentration in Composition, from the Conservatory of Dance at SUNY Purchase under the direction of Nelly van Bommel. Originally from Dallas, Texas, she received her early training at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and Dance Industry Performing Arts Center.