Antuan Byers (he/him) is a dancer, model, creative entrepreneur, and arts organizer. Basing his multidisciplinary practice in Lenapehoking, Manhattan, New York, he is using movement as a catalyst for societal change. As a freelance dancer, he regularly works with prestigious institutions as a performer and teacher; however, he shares his time building communities, creating resources, and finding innovative avenues to support his community.

Growing up in the Black church, a love of movement was instilled in Byers in his youth and pushed him to pursue a career in the performative arts. After completing his secondary education at the distinguished Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing Arts, where he studied under the direction of Lily Weiss, he committed himself to expanding his skills and knowledge in the field of dance and the performing arts. He went on to graduate Cum Laude from the Ailey/Fordham BFA Program with honors in Dance and received a Certificate of Fashion from the Parsons School of Design. He furthered his training, attending intensives with AIM by Kyle Abraham, Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, Jacob’s Pillow, Northwest Dance Project, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Perry Mansfield, Point Park University, and Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE Dance Company, honing his skills and coalescing a diverse array of stylistic directions into his practice of movement. 

Performing extensively around the globe he has gone on to perform with organizations such as Ailey II, Mark Morris Dance Group, the Washington National Opera Ballet, MorDance, and konverj dans. He has also been a guest artist with Keigwin + Company for the Park Avenue Armory’s Gala, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater for both their Lincoln Center and City Center Opening Night Gala’s, and performed the solo work “Grey” by Kyle Abraham at New York City Center. Antuan was also an original performer in Nick Cave’s Bessie Award Winning production of “The Let Go” at the Park Avenue Armory, choreographed by Francesca Harper, featuring Nona Hendryx. 

After touring internationally with Ailey II, he returned to Lincoln Center to rejoin the Metropolitan Opera Ballet, where he is under the leadership of Linda Gelinas, and Michael Trusnovec, and is currently performing a repertory of works with a collection of esteemed choreographers including Serge Bennathan, Kim Brandstrup, Carolyn Choa, Chiang Ching, Mark Dendy, Philippe Giraudeau, Lorin Latarro, Sue Lefton, Mark Morris, Alexei Ratmansky, Susan Stroman, and Christopher Wheeldon, among others. His work has been witnessed by thousands worldwide through his numerous productions with The Met: Live in HD.

Antuan has been fortunate enough to dance alongside Grammy Award Winner, Erykah Badu, Tony Award Winners, Jennifer Holliday and Melba Moore, and Tony Award Nominee, Felicia P. Fields. He has been featured in New York Magazine, Dazed Digital, and Tribeca Film as a dancer in Erik Madigan-Heck’s “The Enemy,” choreographed by Elena Vazintaris, as well as OUT Magazine, Dance Magazine, Dance Spirit Magazine, Pointe Magazine, Tribeca Magazine, SoHo NYC Magazine, and Central Park West Magazine. As a model, and digital creative, Antuan has also cultivated artistic partnerships with brands like Apple, ASICS, Barney’s NY, Beats by Dr. Dre, Capezio, Jaguar, Kiehl's, Minted, Nike, Scotch & Soda, Tuft & Needle, Urban Outfitters, and Vistaprint.

A deep respect and appreciation for the value of dance and art inspired Byers to impart his knowledge to future generations of artists and enthusiasts around the country. He has been a guest lecturer and teacher with institutions such as The Ailey School, Dallas Black Dance Theatre, Dallas Ballet Company, The School at Jacob’s Pillow, University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Juilliard, SUNY Purchase, The Washington Ballet, and New York University. He has also returned to his alma mater Booker T. Washington High School not only as a teacher, but most recently to perform alongside Erykah Badu, and other esteemed alumni for the school’s Centennial Celebration. 

Antuan has been an Ambassador for Joyce Theater in Chelsea, New York, has worked as an intern for Sidra Bell Dance New York, and a production intern for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater before being promoted to Company Management Assistant. Today, Byers is currently a Thought Partner for the newly launched Creative Administration and Research Program by the National Center for Choreography at the University of Akron. Here, he works alongside Bebe Miller, Dominic Moore-Dunson, and Edgar L. Page to support experimental artists working in the field of dance to break down the barriers of the discipline so that it may achieve new creative heights. Antuan also serves on the Artistic Advisory Committee for The Metropolitan Opera, the largest non-profit performing arts organization in the United States.

As he continues to sharpen his tools around the knowledge of how dance, art, and culture can benefit the lives of young creatives, he has embarked on numerous ventures that explore the intersections of art and social justice. Among his initiatives, he is the proud Founder and Creative Executive Officer of Black Dance Change Makers, a group of Black dancers redefining performance through choreographed movements of change. He is the Vice President of the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA), and is a founding member of the AGMA Black Caucus. In 2023, Antuan was named an Artist Advocate in Residence with New York for Culture and Arts. He is also the Operations Director of Darkness RISING Project, a Black mental health and performing arts organization. He is a former Dance Artists National Collective steering committee member, is on the Dancers Amplified leadership team, and serves on DanceNYC’s Dance Workforce Resilience Taskforce. Antuan was also the writer and host of The LLAB on the Pod de Deux podcast where he dissected issues of racial justice as they relate to the world of dance.

In 2022, Antuan was named on Urban Arts Magazine’s 2022 40 Under 40 List for his work as a dancer, activist, and leader.

Antuan is paving his own path, on a mission to create an equitable future for all creatives. As a dancer, innovator, and activist he is using his craft to ignite the creative spark in new communities, ensuring that those behind him have the freedom and acceptance to achieve even their wildest dreams.