The Ailey School

Juliana “Jewel” Burke was born and raised in Palm Springs, California where she began dancing at the age of 3. She began training seriously at the age of 13 at Xavier Dance Academy at Xavier Preparatory High School. She spent her summers at various intensives including Backhausdance, Hubbard Street, and The Ailey School. In her senior year at Xavier Prep she received the Apprenticeship Award from West Coast Elite Dance and the Francis Xavier Academic Athlete Award for her notable GPA. Jewel was recognized for her choreography, Lions Inside, for the McCallum Theater’s Open Call Talent Project in Palm Desert, California. Jewel will graduate from the Ailey/Fordham BFA Program in Dance in May 2024 with a BFA in Dance and a BA in Communications with a concentration in Media Studies. During her time at The Ailey School Jewel has had the opportunity to perform works by Clifton Brown, Maleek Washington, Ephrat Asherie, Rebecca Margolick, and Roderick George. Jewel had the opportunity to perform in Festa Barocca at the New York City Center Opening Night Performance of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 2022. Jewel looks forward to furthering her art as she steps into the professional world