2025 Judges

Alan Obuzor was honored in 2013 by Dance Magazine by being named one of the "Top 25 to Watch". In 2023-2024 he was selected as a School of American Ballet (SAB) National Visiting Fellow. Originally from Pittsburgh, Alan began dancing at the age of nine. Two years later he attended Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School(PBTS), where in 1998 he was a recipient of the prestigious Princess Grace Foundation Dance Honorarium.  Alan received a contract to join Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre's(PBT's)professional company at the age of 17.  During his seven years in PBT's Company, he danced a wide array of ballets ranging from classical to neoclassical to contemporary, which included principal and soloist roles in ballets such as The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Symphony in C, Carmina Burana and Divertimento 15.  In that time he also worked with many world renowned figures in dance, and was selected to originate soloist roles in new works by choreographers Dwight Rhoden, Derek Dean, Matjash Mrozewski and Jiabin Pan.  Alan began teaching in 2002; from 2007-2012 Alan was on the faculty of PBTS as one of the primary Pre-Professional Division teachers and choreographers.  In the fall of 2012, Alan joined the teaching faculty of Pittsburgh Youth Ballet.  Alan choreographed his first work in 2002 on himself and a fellow dancer.  Since that time he has choreographed over 135 new works for Texture Contemporary Ballet, Texture Ballet School, PBT, PBTS, Pittsburgh Youth Ballet Company, New Ballet Ensemble, Harvard Ballet Company, Point Park University, Dancers' Trust, Canton Ballet, Pittsburgh High School for the Creative and Performing Arts and various independent projects.  In 2011, Alan won first place in the Pittsburgh Chapter of the National Society of Arts and Letters Dance/Choreography competition. During 2014 Alan was awarded a BRAZZY Award – “Outstanding Male Dancer in Pittsburgh 2014”. In 2017 Mr. Obuzor received an “Outstanding Teacher Award” by Youth America Grand Prix. He is the founder and Artistic Director of Texture Contemporary Ballet 2011, and Texture Ballet School 2019. 

Jesse Factor received a scholarship to the Martha Graham School and danced with the Martha Graham Dance Company and Graham II in repertoire such as Acts of Light, American Document, Appalachian Spring, Celebration, Clytemnestra, Diversion of Angels and Maple Leaf Rag.

Factor has also performed in work by acclaimed choreographers Robert Battle, George Faison, Stuart Hodes, Larry Keigwin, Gillian Lynne, Bulareyaung Pagarlava and Jerome Robbins. Additional performance credits include the North American touring company of Cats and the European company of Cabaret.

As regisseur for Graham resources, Factor’s reconstructions have been presented at The Joyce Theater and Inside/Out at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival. Factor’s award-winning solo work is frequently presented in the context of dance, theatre and nightclub venues.

Factor is a certified teacher of the Martha Graham technique and completed additional studies at the American Dance Festival, The 92nd Street Y's Dance Education Lab (DEL) and Breath-Body-Mind practices through the Kripalu Center.

Susan Stowe is known for her vibrant performance quality, clean balletic lines and arched feet. Stowe's 15-year professional career began under the direction of Ted Kivitt at the Milwaukee Ballet Company. Her performance career also included Burklyn Ballet Theatre, BalletMet, Ballet Austin and Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. Among her most notable performances were leading roles in Choo San Goh's Unknown Territory, The Nutcracker, Paquita, Sir Frederick Ashton's Les Patineurs and Sir Kenneth Macmillan's Elite Syncopations.

Stowe joined the dance faculty at Point Park in 1995 and is currently chair of the dance department and a professor. She also serves as artistic director of the International Summer Dance program at Point Park. She has staged more than 50 classical and neoclassical variations for the Conservatory of Performing Arts.

Julia Erickson, a former principal dancer with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, is a teaching artist, repetiteur, dancer and choreographer.

Prior to joining Point Park University's Department of Dance as a visiting teaching artist, Erickson most recently served as ballet master/rehearsal director for Alonzo King LINES Ballet, where she also performed as a guest artist.

Erickson has danced with Barak Ballet in Los Angeles, as a guest artist for Suzhou Ballet in China, and served as rehearsal director and dancer for Chamber Dance Project in Washington, D.C.

A Seattle native, Erickson received her training on scholarship at Pacific Northwest Ballet School and San Francisco Ballet School. She began her career at Texas Ballet Theater prior to joining Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre in 2001. She was promoted to principal dancer in 2009 and remained at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre until her farewell performance in October 2018.

Some of Erickson’s roles have included Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, Aurora in Sleeping Beauty, Waltz Girl in Balanchine’s Serenade, and the lead in William Forsythe’s In The Middle, Somewhat Elevated.

Erickson is the recipient of the 2014 BRAZZY Award for Outstanding Female Dancer and is an entrepreneur and writer.