James began his dance journey as an 8-year-old in Southern California, where he trained in a variety of styles including jazz, hip-hop, ballet, and contemporary. He earned a minor degree in Modern Dance and Choreography from Princeton University in 2019, where he also danced and choreographed for diSiac Dance Company. It was during this time that James also began his heels training. Since college, James has continued his dance education in Boston and San Francisco, and more recently has taught heels classes at various studios in the Bay, including City Dance, ODC, and Rae. James has been honored to perform choreography by Chris Martin, Ohad Naharin, Crystal Pite, Robert Battle, and others.

In his heels choreography, James blends the movement vocabularies of all styles he’s trained in, with a primary focus on contemporary and jazz. Like most other heels classes, his choreography is rooted in the sensuality of the feminine form. However, James also explores how this feminine aesthetic can be in dialogue with a masculine presentation and how a more masculine aesthetic can also fuel a feminine performance. In other words, he asks the question, “How can traditionally female movement qualities demonstrate maleness, and how can traditionally male qualities emphasize womanhood?” Of course, his choreography is still full of the sexy, fun, and flirty style that you can expect from any heels class.