Graduation Spotlight Series: Justin Cerda ’25 Leaps to the Professional Stage

With his B.F.A. in choreography and performance, Cerda is joining Gin Dance Company 

By Christine Byrd

Dancing runs in the family for Justin Cerda. He started taking classes at the same time as his sister, and by age 8 he was dancing competitively — and hooked for life. This June, after he crosses the commencement stage to receive his B.F.A. in choreography and performance, he’ll join Gin Dance Company in the Washington, D.C. area and once again dance alongside his sister.

UC Irvine was Cerda’s top college choice. Friends from his Temecula, California, dance studio had raved about their experiences at the Claire Trevor School of the Arts. When he arrived, Cerda had already been introduced to dance history and choreographic voice through high school courses. But the Department of Dance curriculum pushed him in new ways.

“I came in strong with jazz technique, but had to dive into ballet and learn different styles and methods — that was a big challenge,” he says. “All the faculty were great. Every one of them had a huge impact on me.”

Image: Justin Cerda performs in "contention" choreographed by José Argueta for New Slate 2023. Photo by Skye Schmidt Varga.

As Cerda begins his professional career, he’ll carry with him lessons on ballet partnering from Vitor Luiz, assistant professor of dance, and collaborative choreography processes from Charlotte Griffin, associate professor of dance.

His favorite UC Irvine memories come from performing in annual showcases, including Dance Visions, where this year he performed in Lar Lubovitch’s iconic Marimba. Dancing for the acclaimed choreographer was unforgettable.

“The teamwork and trust-building in Marimba is unmatched,” said Cerda. “I learned so much from every rehearsal about applying corrections and adapting to different movement styles.”

In the same show, Cerda also performed High Windows, choreographed by Griffin, a mentor and major influence on his growth as a choreographer.

“She creates a warm and welcoming environment in rehearsals,” said Cerda. “The way she holds collaboration in her rehearsals and creates choreography on the fly, asking the dancer what movements feel right, is something I really aspire to have in my own choreographic journey.”

This year, Cerda used some of those tools for his original piece ellipsed, named for the path the Earth takes around the sun each year, which he premiered in the graduate showcase, Dance Escape. He worked with the dancers to create choreography inspired by the seasons changing, using words about springtime to evoke movements they felt matched each word.

Image: Justin Cerda in Claire Trevor School of the Arts dance studio. Photo by Diana Kalaji. 

Recently, Cerda traveled to Virginia to learn a new modern piece with Gin Dance Company, where he has signed a contract. While dancing there — and with his sister, who just graduated from college on the East Coast and is also joining Gin — he hopes to continue developing his choreographic voice.

To learn more about the Department of Dance, visit dance.arts.uci.edu.