Ian Schwaner is a native of Atlanta. Ian started ballet at age 17 at the Northeast Atlanta Ballet. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Ballet Performance, Pedagogy, and Choreography from The University of North Carolina School of the Arts, where he studied on merit scholarship under Dean Susan Jaffe. There he danced leading roles in works by George Balanchine, Ethan Stiefel, Marius Petipa, as well as world premieres by Emery LeCrone and Susan Jaffe. He spent his summers studying on full merit scholarship at American Ballet Theatre School and The Joffrey Ballet School.

Now based in Los Angeles, his performance career has taken him across the country and abroad for companies including LA Dance Project, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Shanghai Ballet, American Contemporary Ballet, and San Diego Ballet, amongst others. Most recently, Ian directed, produced, and premiered his immersive dance film Ode To Summer in partnership with Just One Eye & Paola Russo, featuring several choreographic world premieres, including Venti Di Agosto and This Life of Pi. Ian has been commissioned by numerous organizations for his choreography, including Soho House, Maverick Agency, and Haley Reinhart. As a rising director and choreographer, Ian is humbled and thrilled to be working with NCI this summer.