Naia Neal (Aptos, CA) began her dance training at the age of seven at Dancenter, a local dance school in her hometown. She is currently a senior in the Ailey/Fordham BFA Program, where she received the 2023 Denise Jefferson Memorial Scholarship. Ms. Neal has performed works by choreographers Christopher L. Huggins, Hope Boykin, Johnathan Lee, Adam Barruch, Alison Cook Beatty, Darshan Singh Bhuller, and Ephrat Asherie. She also danced in Alvin Ailey’s Memoria during AILEY’s 2023 New York City Center season and at BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music) in 2024. This is Ms. Neal’s first season as an apprentice with Ailey II.