William Forsythe, Rauf “Rubberlegz” Yasit, Matt Luck, Riley Watts, Brigel Gjoka, Aidan Carberry & Jordan Johnson (JA Collective)

Rauf “Rubberlegz” Yasit is a choreographer, director, dancer, and visual artist based in Los Angeles, originally from Germany. Renowned internationally for his distinctive style, he was named “Best Dancer 2019” by Danza&Danza Magazine for his innovative approach that bridges diverse dance genres. Rauf has worked across both the commercial and artistic worlds, collaborating with renowned brands, artists, and leading institutions. His partnerships include William Forsythe, the National Opera of Paris, USC, CalArts, LACMA, Malou Airaudo, MuDA, Flying Steps, Body Traffic, Jacob Jonas The Company, LA Dance Project, OURO Collective, Modus Operandi and Whim W’Him. In 2019, he co-created NEIGHBOURS with Brigel Gjoka, a critically acclaimed production that toured globally. He also serves as an Associate Producer for Films.Dance, a global platform dedicated to showcasing dance. In Los Angeles, Rauf focuses on a wide range of creative projects, combining his expertise in photography, design, and dance.

Matt Luck is a contemporary dancer and choreographer based in Los Angeles, CA. He has performed in works by Micaela Taylor's The TL Collective, including premieres at Jacob’s Pillow and Springboard Danse Montréal. His credits also include performances for the Academy Awards, Taylor Swift (American Music Awards), Glee, and VILAR PAC, as well as collaborations with Adam Linder and the band Figs Vision. Matt continues his training with somatic practitioner Narelle Benjamin and teaches intensives at institutions such as CLI Conservatory, Loyola Marymount University, and SoulEscape.

Julia Weiss studied ballet at the Ecole de l’Opéra National de Paris, and after graduating, she joined the Ballet de l’Opéra National de Paris in 2003 – 2004. She pursued her career at the Ballet de L’Opéra National du Rhin where she danced from 2004 - 2009. She continued her career as a soloist in Germany where she danced from 2009 - 2011 in the Staatstheater Mainz, from 2011 - 2016 at the Semperoper Dresden, from 2016 - 2017 at the Deutsche Oper Berlin and from 2017 to 2019 at the Ballet de L’Opera de Lyon. Since 2019, she is part of the Ballet De L’Opera National Du Rhin. She has danced a wide range of classical, neoclassical and contemporary repertoire from G.Balanchine, T.Brown, M.Cunningham, M.Béjart, A.Preljocaj, and has worked directly with W.Forsythe, J. Kylian, M.Ek, O.Naharin, D. Dawson, J. Godani, N.Duato, Peeping Tom, C.Carlson, D.Ekman, J.Inger. In 2021, she choreographed Zwischen//Herztönen for the Ballet du Rhin.

Brigel Gjoka, an Albanian-born choreographer and dancer with a career spanning over twenty-one years, was trained at the Tirana School of Ballet and at the Rosella Hightower in France. He danced between 2006-2010 with Ballet de l'Opéra National du Rhin, Staatstheater Mainz and the Nederlands Dans Theater. In 2011, he joined The Forsythe Company, taking part in William Forsythe’s new creations and performing a wide range of his works. In 2015, he performed worldwide in Life In Progress, Sylvie Guillem’s farewell tour to the stage, and in 2018, A Quite Evening of Dance by William Forsythe. Brigel´s choreographic work has been produced by Xie Xin Dance Theatre Shenzhen, Sadler´s Wells in collaboration with Van Cleef & Arpels, PACT Zollverein, Theater Vorpommern, Napa Karachi & Goethe Institut, Kwang Tung Dance Company, Maggio Fiorentino. For seven years, he was the artistic director of Art Factory International Contemporary Dance Platform, Bologna.

After graduating from USC’s Glorya Kaufman School of Dance in 2019, Los Angeles native Jordan Johnson launched his professional career as a dancer and creator. As one half of the creative duo JA Collective, his work spans music videos, film, commercials, and live stage performances. Key choreographic commercial projects include collaborations with Frank Ocean, Future, Taika Waititi, Margaret Qualley, and Paul McCartney. Additionally, in 2024, JA Collective won first prize at Masdanza, the critics’ prize at Hannover, and multiple awards at RIDCC. The duo is currently touring internationally with Friends of Forsythe curated by William Forsythe, continuing to push the boundaries of movement and storytelling.