Meet the Artists of the GALA

Darrell Grand Moultrie

Darrell Grand Moultrie, Harlem born and raised, has carved out an impressive career that seamlessly weaves his choreographic talents through multiple genres. A graduate of PS 144, Boys & Girls Harbor Conservatory for the Performing Arts, LaGuardia High School of Music and Arts, and The Juilliard School, Mr. Moultrie is a proud recipient of the 2007 Princess Grace Choreography Fellowship Award. He has created works for Ailey II, Juilliard Dance Ensemble, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Atlanta Ballet, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, BalletMet Columbus, BalletX, Cincinnati Ballet, Colorado Ballet, Dallas Black Dance Theatre, Nashville Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Richmond Ballet, Smuin Ballet, and NBA Ballet in Japan. The versatility of Mr. Moultrie’s talent has led him to collaborate with hoofers Savion Glover and Marshall Davis Jr., and composer Louis York. Theatrical credits include: Invisible Thread (Second Stage Theater); Kill Move Paradise (National Black Theatre); Sugar in Our Wounds (Manhattan Theatre Club); Witness Uganda (American Repertory Theater); and Evita and Pride and Prejudice (Kansas City Repertory Theater). International credits include the opera El Público at Teatro Real in Madrid and contributing choreographer to Beyoncé’s Mrs. Carter Show world tour.

Eric Handman

Eric Handman is choreographer and an Associate Professor at the University of Utah's School of Dance. He holds an MFA in Modern Dance from the University of Utah and a BA in English from Skidmore College. He was a member of New York Theatre Ballet and then a professional dancer in various New York City–based contemporary dance companies such as Doug Varone and Dancers, Nicholas Leichter Dance and Joy Kellman and Company. He has worked with choreographers such as: Wendy Perron, David Dorfman, Lisa Race, Stephen Koester, Charlotte Boye-Christensen, Koosilja Hwang and many others. His choreography has been commissioned by various companies and Universities across the United States and is a winner of the Northwest Dance Project’s International Choreographic Competition. He is a Fulbright Specialist and a recipient of the University of Utah College of Fine Arts Faculty Excellence Award for Creative Research.

Handman has served on the board of directors for the Congress on Research in Dance, the American College Dance Association and the Executive Committee of the Entrepreneurial Faculty Scholars at the University of Utah. He is currently on the board of directors for SALT Contemporary Dance.

His research into “choreographic thinking” includes collaborations with dancers, game designers, autism researchers, psychologists and mechanical engineers. His investigations include dances for the live stage, understanding the effects of choreographic experiences in virtual reality, the creative potential of unmanned aerial vehicles and the interplay of live dancers with drones.

Jay Kim

Professor Jay Kim is currently an Assistant Professor in the School of Dance at the University of Utah. He earned his MFA from the University of Utah, his BFA from the Sejong University, and is an ABT® Certified Teacher in Pre-Primary through Level 3 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum. He received his fundamental training on full scholarships from the Kirov Academy of Ballet and in Korea. In his career, he was awarded a total of 9 grand prix and gold medals in international competitions in the Ballet, Contemporary, Modern, and Korean Traditional Dance categories. Professor Kim’s professional career includes dancing as a principal and soloist artist with Universal Ballet Company, Korean National Ballet, Korean Ballet Theatre, and Dayton Ballet Theatre, across 13 countries and 150 cities on the major stages of the world.

He has created, established, and serves as Director of the University of Utah Asian Campus, International Ballet Summer Intensive held in Incheon, Korea. His original choreographic works have been performed internationally and nationally by Seoul Ballet Theatre, Kwangju City Ballet, Korean Ballet Theatre, Ballet Frontier of Texas, Utah Ballet, Utah Lyric Opera Ensemble, Utah Metropolitan Ballet Company, Utah Regional Ballet, have been presented at Youth America Grand Prix competitions, LINK Dance Festival, and awarded as a finalist in the Utah Regional Ballet Choreography Design Competition and the Utah Metropolitan Ballet Director’s Choice Choreography Design competition.

He has served as master teacher with the Korea International Ballet Competition, World Ballet Grand Prix, Seoul Ballet Theatre, Kwangju City Ballet, Korean Ballet Theatre, Kirov Academy of Ballet, Academy of Nevada Ballet Theatre, Mercyhurst University, Oakland University, Sejong University, Brigham Young University, Centro de Danza Company, Folklore Festival day of Europe, Great Lakes Dance Festival, Ballet Center of Fort Worth, LINK Choreography Festival, Salt Contemporary Dance, Salt Lake City Ballet, Jacqueline’s School of Ballet, Metropolitan Ballet Academy and Theatre, and Art Ballet Center of Seoul.

Christine McMillan

Christine McMillan danced professionally for 27 years including 6 years with Richmond Ballet and 19 years with The Metropolitan Opera in New York City. Favorite soloist roles with Richmond Ballet include Jose Limon’s The Moor’s Pavane, John Butler’s Carmina Burana, Agnes de Mille’s Rodeo, and originating roles in works by William Soleau, Val Caniparoli, and Colin Connor. Performing in over 45 productions at the Metropolitan Opera, she has worked with renowned choreographers and directors including Alexei Ratmansky, Christopher Wheeldon, Mark Morris, Benjamin Millipied, Doug Varone, Graciella Daniele, Mark Dendy, and Julie Taymor. With the Met Christine has appeared on PBS and in live international HD broadcasts. In New York, Christine has also performed with Ben Munisteri Dance Projects, Cherylyn Lavagnino Dance, Trebien Pollard, Poppo & the GoGo Boys, Rebecca Kelly Ballet, White Wave Dance, and as a guest artist in many Nutcracker productions.

Recognized for her versatility in both ballet and modern dance, Christine was awarded a Bessie (New York Dance and Performance Award) in 2004. Christine’s choreography has been presented at the University of Utah, CPR in Brooklyn, Dancemakers, American College Dance Association, and the International Conference on Teaching Somatics-Based Dance. She is currently an Assistant Professor, Lecturer at the University of Utah.