James is a dancer, choreographer, and dance instructor in San Francisco. His work explores themes of self-expression, gender, beauty in aesthetic form as well as kinesthetic empathy. James received a Certificate in Modern Dance and Choreography from Princeton University, and is now a dance faculty member at both ODC and Rae Studios as a heels instructor. He has choreographed and performed for many local organizations including ODC and Rae, as well as Electroluxx, Comfort & Joy, West Edge Opera, Oaklash, 200 Channels, and more.

In his heels choreography, James blends the movement vocabularies of all styles he’s trained in, with a primary focus on contemporary and jazz. Like most other heels classes, his choreography is rooted in the sensuality of the feminine form. However, James also explores how this feminine aesthetic can be in dialogue with a masculine presentation and how a more masculine aesthetic can also fuel a feminine performance. In other words, he asks the question, “How can traditionally female movement qualities demonstrate maleness, and how can traditionally male qualities emphasize womanhood?” Of course, his choreography is still full of the sexy, fun, and flirty style that you can expect from any heels class.