“I am a queer, 90s kid from Philly who just wants to make stuff with good people, learn and feel more connected to this life and whatever is pulling at my heart.” -Mark

2023 PRINCESS GRACE AWARD RECIPIENT in Choreography

2023 ANN & WESTIN HICKS CHOREOGRAPHY FELLOW at Jacob’s Pillow

MARK CASERTA

(he/they)

born and raised in South West Philadelphia, graduated from the University of the Arts School of Dance (BFA, Dance & Ballet Performance 2010). They’ve danced professionally with international touring companies Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Les Ballets Jazz De Montreal and Camille A. Brown & Dancers since then. Mark has been awarded the Philadelphia Rocky Award for Outstanding Dance Performance, the Pennsylvania Ballet Choreography Award, Outstanding Choreography Awards from Youth American Grand Prix and the 2020 EMERGE Choreography Award from Gibney Company & Springboard Danse Montreal, where they were a 2018 Emerging Choreographer. Mark is a 2023 Princess Grace Award Winner in Choreography and a 2023 Ann & Westin Hicks Choreography Fellow at Jacob’s Pillow. Mark premiered their first full evening length work ‘BIG KID’ at Gibney Dance New York in February 2019. Since then Mark has presented and self produced 6 more evening length works between Philadelphia, New York and Texas. Mark has been commissioned by American Ballet Theater (ABT Incubator), Gibney Company, Philadelphia Ballet II, Dark Circles Contemporary Dance, Kit Modus, Whim W’him Contemporary Dance Seattle, Black Light Summit, DanceLab NYC, SALT II and DanceWorks Chicago for new choreographic works. They have also created work on the University of the Arts School of Dance, The Ailey School, Peridance Youth Ensemble and Pace University. Mark was co-director of The Thriving Artist Project from 2017-2020, a program offering a free Pre-Professional experience to young dance artists in Plano, TX. Mark was Artist in Residence and an adjunct professor at University of the Arts School of Dance (2021-2024) and Artist in Residence at Peridance Center (2025). Currently, Mark is Contemporary Faculty at Peridance and Gibney Dance NY, a global ambassador with MindLeaps, guest faculty at Bennington College and a freelance educator, dancer and choreographer. Mark started BIGKID DANCE in 2021, a queer movement community/ collective based in Philadelphia. BIGKID DANCE is dedicated to queer story telling through compelling and theatrical contemporary dance works and community outreach. BIGKID Dance has hosted community workshops since 2021, bringing in some of today’s most influential (queer) dance/interdisciplinary artists.

My mission is to create safe and love filled space for myself and for other artists to come together and share. To grow as a community and reconnect us to ourselves, our world(s), our planet and each other.