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Artist of the Year 2025 for dance: Rio Gomez

May 14, 2026

Her teacher set the stage for dancer Rio Gomez, a senior at Fullerton Union High and previous Artist of the Year finalist.

“Rio Gomez is a unique dancer and choreographer who consistently challenges herself to try new ideas, concepts and visuals,” Andrea Oberlander wrote in nominating Gomez again this year.

Oberlander, director of the school’s dance program, added: “I can truly say that Rio is only advancing in her career and focus in the arts.”

That is exactly how this year’s judges viewed the performance that earned Gomez the honor of top dancer.

Rio Gomez of Fullerton, a senior at Fullerton Union High School, is the 2026 Artist of the Year for the Judy Morr Award for Dance, at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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First, Gomez presented a self-choreographed flamenco-flavored tap dance with music from Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker,” a classical ballet she recalled being mesmerized by at the age of 3.

Judy Scialpi, dance instructor at Northwood High, silently mouthed the word “Wow” at the finish and later said, “She’s incredible.”

Gomez, 18, followed up with a contemporary piece set to Duke Ellington and John Coltrane’s rendition of Ellington’s jazz composition “In a Sentimental Mood.”

The diversity of her dance styles and the music Gomez chooses reflects both the variety and depth of her training and her ethnic background. She is rooted in tradition while aiming to express her unique voice.

In her Artist of the Year nominee statement, Gomez shared that she was often the only Black girl in her ballet class. One of the judges asked how that shaped her.

Gomez talked about how hard it was at first, an isolating experience that included being singled out for corrections.

But ultimately the painful moments helped shape her dance artistry.

“It went from a point of pain to a point of strength for me,” she said.

She cites both Misty Copeland, the first African American woman to become principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre, and tap dance legend Gregory Hines as major influences.

Copeland, Gomez said, has shown “the power of representation” and Hines is an inspiration for his advocacy on behalf of the Black community and the way he spread a message of love and acceptance around the world.

Gomez plans to pursue a career in choreography, combining study of business entrepreneurship and dance in college. She hopes to choreograph for the stage, music videos, advertisements and film.

And run her own dance company.

“My work will spark both joy and conversation,” she said. “I plan on continuing to incorporate social commentary into my pieces while staying true to being an entertainer.”

Dance finalists

In addition to Artist of the Year, the judges selected three finalists from the 16 semifinalists whose dance genres included ballet, contemporary, hip-hop, jazz, musical theater, and tap.

Ali Arambarri of Mission Viejo, a senior at San Juan Hills High School, is a 2026 Artist of the Year finalist for the Judy Morr Award for Dance, at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa on Wednesday, April 15, 2026. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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Ali Arambarri: She studied tap for a bit as a child but then there was a long break in any dance training until Arambarri started high school. A senior now, she has been involved in musical theater and dance at San Juan Hills High.

Classic tap is her favorite style; she showed the judges a slow tap piece that she choreographed to Billy Joel’s “Vienna.” Arambarri, 17, chose the more fast-paced number “Where I Wanna Be” from “Boop! The Musical” for her second piece. She wanted to show her versatility. Noting the challenge in doing a slow tap dance, Cathy Lozano, a choreographer for Disney, told Arambarri, “Your musicianship is really lovely.”

Arambarri, an aspiring choreographer, plans on future studies in the field of musical theater. She’d love to perform and instruct: “If I got the opportunity to work as a performer or creator, I would have the chance to create or step into different types of characters and connect with audiences directly. If I got the opportunity to work as a program director or educator, I would get to expose others to musical theater and help them grow artistically.”

Aleah Crew of Fullerton, a senior at Fullerton Union High School, is a 2026 Artist of the Year finalist for the Judy Morr Award for Dance, at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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Aleah Crew: Like her schoolmate Gomez, Crew is another returning Artist of the Year nominee from Fullerton Union High School. She’s 18 and a senior — and already dancing professionally. Crew has traveled around the country and in the United Kingdom with the KIDZ BOP Live tours since 2024, as well as doing music videos and an appearance in the KIDZ BOP Live concert movie.

She’s had more than a decade of training covering various dance genres: ballroom, contemporary, hip-hop, improv, jazz/jazz funk, lyrical, modern and tap. Her experience has matured her, Crew told the judges. “It separates me from a lot of people. I feel like I’m growing up faster.”

She’ll be on tour when the fall college semester starts but plans to study business marketing at a community college while furthering her career in the dance industry. Ariyan Johnson, a professor of dance at UC Irvine, cheered her on: “That’s right! With an education, girl, there’s no stopping you. It’s a show, but people forget it’s also a business.” Crew said she hears similar encouragement at home, “My mom always tells me, you need to build your own brand.”

Arron Myers of Los Alamitos, a senior at Los Alamitos High School, is a dance finalist for Artist of the Year in 2026. (Photo courtesy of Arron Myers)

Arron Myers: Hip-hop dance is his strength — he’s been at it 15 years. But Myers, a senior at Los Alamitos High, has an appreciation for other dance genres that he has trained in for briefer periods. “You can’t have the hip-hop without the ballet and the jazz, which is where everything originated,” he said.

More recently, Myers, 18, has studied singing, piano and guitar: “Dance has made me appreciate the gift of song and inspired me to use my creativity in creating music as well.” Yet another past Artist of the Year nominee, Myers displayed an ease with the judges while lacing up his shoes in between his two hip-hop performances. “You guys having a great day so far?” he asked unexpectedly, getting laughter and thanks in reply.

He’s been accepted into his dream school, UCLA, however college is on hold for now. He recently booked a national tour with a major artist. According to his teacher Moana Dherlin, “While he is unable to share specific details of the tour due to contractual obligations, this is a significant milestone and the beginning of his professional dance career.”

Myers has also worked with Kpop groups through The Lab Creative Arts Studio. His future success seems certain.

To support Artist of the Year with a donation, go to: bit.ly/4ekUNMv. Donations are made to Arts Orange County on behalf of Artist of the Year.

The Judy Morr Award for Dance

This dance award is sponsored by the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in honor of Judy Morr.

The Artist of the Year receives $500 and two framed awards – one to take home, and one to hang at school. Finalists receive $100.

In addition, Segerstrom Center is providing:

Tickets for all four finalists to attend an upcoming performance of “Riverdance.”
Firsthand exposure to professional arts careers via masterclasses and workshops, hosted earlier this year.
Recognition during the Artist of the Year Awards Celebration at the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall.

The judges

Special thanks to the judges who helped evaluate students this year.

The judges who evaluated the 107 dance nominees and chose the 16 semifinalists were:

Paige Amicon, Orange County School of the Arts
Tara Bearden, Fountain Valley High School
Kristine Calder, San Juan Hills High School
Danielle Darwazeh, Santa Margarita Catholic High School
Carmel Gabriel, La Quinta High School
Kirsten Harvey, St. Margaret’s Episcopal School
Heide Janssen, Executive Producer, Artist of the Year
Cynthia Kaska, Costa Mesa High School
Chrissie Leong, Garden Grove High School
Charna Lopez, Orange County School of the Arts
Julie Rudge, Orange County School of the Arts
Bianca Salter, Capistrano Valley High School
Judy Scialpi, Northwood High School
Sydney Smith Hutcherson, Sage Hill School
Jacqueline Ward, JSerra Catholic High School

The judges who interviewed the semifinalists and chose the three finalists and the Artist of the Year were:

Heide Janssen, Executive Producer, Artist of the Year
Ariyan Johnson, Asst. Professor of Dance, UC Irvine
Sarah Jones, Associate Director, ABT Will J. Gillespie School at Segerstrom Center for the Arts
Robin Kish, Chair, Dept. of Dance, Chapman University
Cathy Lozano, Show Director/Choreographer, Disney Entertainment Productions
Jacqui Pash, Public Relations Assoc., Segerstrom Center for the Arts
Judy Scialpi, Dance Teacher, Northwood High School
Limor Tomer, VP of Programming and Production, Segerstrom Center for the Arts

Artist of the Year 2025 for dance: Rio Gomez Orange County Register

News Details

Artist of the Year 2025 for dance: Rio Gomez

Dance finalists

The Judy Morr Award for Dance

The judges

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