JUAN CARLOS FRANQUIZ II (he/him) (Associate Artist) was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, a graduate from Fort Hamilton High School under the direction of Sabrina Jaafar, recipient of the Joffrey Ballet Academy Dance Award along with the Joseph Graffagnino Scholarship. He is an alumni of MOVE |NYC|’s Young Professionals Program under the Direction of Nigel Campbell and Chanel DaSilva. While in the Young Professionals Program he received the 2019 Samuel H. Scripps - BAM scholarship, and the 2019 - 2020 C. Michael Tidwell NEXT Step Scholarship. During which he performed premiere works by choreographers Shamel Pitts, Gregory Dolbashian, Antonio Brown, Roderick George and Kyle Abraham. Carlos was part of the Inaugural Peer Mentor Cohort. Carlos has choreographed and performed at the BAM Kids Film Festival, York College Youth Dance Showcase and Earl Mosley’s Dancing Beyond; A benefit for Dance Against Cancer which he was selected to co-choreograph for Hearts of Men. He was also selected to choreograph on one of MOVE |NYC|’s Pre-Young Professionals Program. He has received his BFA in Dance at the Conservatory of Dance at Purchase College, and is currently a Dance Artist for The Dash Ensemble run by Gregory Dolbashian. Carlos continues to seek out new creative spaces to collaborate in. Franquiz II joined A.I.M by Kyle Abraham in 2024.