John’s passion for dance began at the age of 11, after the encouragement of his sister to take his first ballet class at BalletMet in Columbus, OH.

His dance training further enabled him to study under many distinguished teachers and schools on full scholarship with the School of American Ballet, National Ballet of Cuba, and Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Vail, Colorado.

Beginning his professional career at 16, he’s had the opportunity to perform on stages across the U.S. and around the world, working with many renowned choreographers—originating many new roles as well as performing principal roles across the classical and contemporary dance repertoire, including Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, Albrecht in Giselle, Everyman in James Kudelka’s Four Seasons, Alexei Ratmansky’s Seven Sonatas, and Ohad Naharin’s Minus 16, to name a few.

While sustaining a busy dance career, John founded and directed Atlanta Ballet’s Wabi Sabi, a public contemporary dance initiative beginning in 2010, which commissioned 36 new works by 23 choreographers and introduced dance to thousands of new audience members over its seven-year history. He earned his B.A. in Dance from Kennesaw State University, graduating Summa Cum Laude, and went on to earn his MBA from KSU’s Coles College of Business, graduating with academic honors and induction into Beta Gamma Sigma.

Currently serving as Executive and Artistic Director of Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre, John desires to cultivate a deeper public appreciation for the arts by empowering those who create and aspire to connect communities through dance. Since its inception in 2017, he has helped guide Terminus from its entrepreneurial beginnings to a critically acclaimed ballet company recognized for boldly expressive, high-quality work and a thriving school known for exceptional ballet training. John has been recognized over the last five years as one of Atlanta’s 500 most powerful leaders by Atlanta Magazine.