About the Artists
Courtney Washington Balenciaga is an acclaimed dancer, choreographer, and creative director whose work has helped define the landscape of contemporary dance and ballroom culture over the past 15 years. Based in New York City, she is the visionary founder of the Masterz at Work Dance Family and the House of Juicy Couture, both groundbreaking cultural institutions that have shaped generations of artists and leaders.
A five-time Ballroom Mother of the Year and current Mother of the House of Balenciaga, Courtney is celebrated not only for her precision choreography and bold artistic direction, but also for her deep commitment to community, mentorship, and advocacy for LGBTQ+ and BIPOC voices. Her choreographic work spans stage, screen, and institutional platforms, with notable credits including Legendary (HBO), Survival of the Thickest (Netflix), and the historic Fem Queen Honors at the Apollo Theater.
Her performances and curated works have been featured at Lincoln Center Out of Doors, Jacob’s Pillow, the Hudson Valley Dance Festival, and Times Square’s Trans Day of Visibility, as well as through Works & Process at the Guggenheim, among many others. She has been featured in A Sense of Shifting: Queer Artists Reshaping Dance and honored with awards including the Avis Pendavis Award, Teresa Mizrahi Award, and the NYC Senate Proclamation for her impact on the arts and LGBTQ+ communities.
Courtney continues to lead with vision, storytelling, and purpose—mentoring the next generation of dancers and cultural changemakers while pushing the boundaries of movement and identity in performance.
B. Starke, age 29, Bronx born and Queens raised, has been dancing since the age of 6. Training under the likes of creatives such as Courtney Washington, Torey Nelson, Mike Da Genius, and many more, he’s taken his talents to his own career and has gone on to dance with Lil Kim, Nivea, Flo Rida, Chinese Kitty and Camille J. to name a few. As a principle member of The Masterz At Work Dance Family, he’s danced and choreographed for stages such as The Guggenheim Museum in both NYC and Bilbao, Spain, Lincoln Center, The Oculus Center, the New York Public Library, Jacob’s Pillow, and Summerstage. Taking what he’s learned throughout his career, B. Starke is set out to stamp himself as a household name in the industry and continue to create safe spaces for dancers of all shapes, sizes and experiences.