Nayon Iovino
Ballet & Contemporary
Nayon Iovino began dancing at age 10 under the instruction of Gisela Vaz at Studio Dancarte Brazil. At age 17, he was awarded a full scholarship to begin training with The Washington School of Ballet with Kee Juan Han and Carlos Valcárcel. In 2009 he joined Houston Ballet II and was featured in Stanton Welch’s Fingerprints, Blue, Long and Winding Road, Red Earth and Tales of Texas. In 2010 he joined The Washington Ballet where he performed soloist roles in Septime Webre’s The Nutcracker, The Great Gatsby, and in Twyla Tharp’s Sinatra Songs, Push Comes to Shove, and Surfer at the River Rocks. His accomplishments include placing as a finalist at the 2008 Youth America Grand Prix, the bronze medal at the 2009 Youth America Grand Prix and in 2012 he was awarded the gold medal at the World Ballet Competition in Orlando. As a guest artist, he has performed with Terra Brazil touring throughout Germany and France. Mr. Iovino joined Ballet Arizona in 2012 where he received critical acclaim by the New York Times for his performance in the North American premiere of Napoli in 2015. Additionally, he has performed works by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Christopher Bruce, Edwaard Liang, Ib Andersen, Alejandro Cerrudo, Alexei Ratmansky, as well as an extensive repertoire of George Balanchine. Mr. Iovino retired from Ballet Arizona in 2024.
Mr. Iovino is a Brazilian-American choreographer known for his emotionally resonant, musically inventive, and architecturally striking works. Resident Choreographer with Ballet Arizona and Artistic Director of Sedona Choreography Retreat, he has created acclaimed pieces for national companies such as Ballet Arizona, as well as international performances of his work. Since the start of his choreographic carrer at Ballet Arizona in 2013, Nayon has created 25 original works (including 11 for Ballet Arizona) and continues to push the boundaries of contemporary ballet, blending diverse dance styles and musical influences, creating dynamic and multifaceted performances. His latest work is inspired by Christel Veraart’s Santa Fe and Esmeralda and was developed in residence during the Sedona Choreography Retreat, exemplifying his commitment to cross-disciplinary collaboration and artistic innovation. Mr. Iovino’s career highlights include being selected as choreographer for the 2019 New York Choreographic Institute, and creating works for the Artist Relief Fund and Southwest Youth Ballet Theatre. In 2017, he co-choreographed Cinderella for The School of Ballet Arizona and was recognized by AZCentral as an Up and Coming Artist Under 40. That same year, he was named Best Choreographer by the Phoenix New Times.