Naia Neal

Naia Neal (Aptos, CA) is a multidisciplinary artist, excited to be stepping into her first season with EMERGE125. A graduate of the Ailey/Fordham BFA Program, and recipient of the 2023 Denise Jefferson Memorial Scholarship, Naia has worked with companies such as Ailey II and Pangea Dance Collective. She has performed works by Alvin Ailey, Hope Boykin, Christopher L. Huggins, Jonathan Lee, PeiJu Chien-Pott, Francesca Harper, Clifford Williams, Darshan Singh Bhuller, Ephrat Asherie, and Micha Scott. Her performance appearances include Alvin Ailey’s Memorial during the company’s 2023 New York City Center season and at Brooklyn Academy of Music in 2024, Hope Boykin’s Chasing the Spirit at the 2023 Ailey Spirit Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center, and an appearance with Ailey II during their 2024–2025 season.

As a choreographic artist, she centers Black voices and storytelling throughout her work. Her debut work, Echoes of Her Essence (2024) showcased the beauty, pain, and strength of Black women. She was also awarded the Harlem Stage 2025-2026 Waterworks Choreography Fellowship, premiering her newest work Dear Us, a love letter to Black women and to collective becoming.

In addition to performing and choreographing, Ms. Neal is an educator with extensive experience teaching dancers in studios, intensives, camps, and school-based programs, centering inclusive, thoughtful teaching that values curiosity, discipline, and joy in movement.