Originally from Birmingham, Alabama, Eli Alford began dancing when he was twelve years old at Encore Performance Company, where he participated in numerous dance competitions and conventions. While training with Encore, Eli received a full-tuition scholarship to the Alabama Ballet School where he studied under the direction of Roger VanFleteren and Tracey Alvey. As a student, Eli performed alongside the company in their productions of La Sylphide, Don Quixote, and George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker while earning the highest marks on his annual R.A.D. examinations.
In 2022, Eli received a BFA in dance from the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance under the direction of Jodie Gates and William Forsythe where he learned and performed the works of Ohad Naharin, Jiri Kylian, Justin Peck, Merce Cunningham, and Dwight Rohden to name a few. During his time at USC, Eli also received a minor in the Biology of Human Movement from the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences while working as a lead operational and administrative assistant for USC Kaufman. Upon graduation, Eli joined BalletX as a Dance Fellow and was promoted into the company just three months later. Eli is thrilled to be a part of BalletX where he continues to nurture his passion for movement.
