Born and raised in Media Pennsylvania, Xavier Townsend started his dance training at the age of eight starting with jazz and tap. Quickly falling in love with dance he added hip-hop, and ballet to his schedule. Shortly after, he started additional training at the Philadelphia Ballet School and Rebecca Davis Dance School to add extra ballet and modern to his repertoire. He competed for Broadway Bound Dance Academy for six years, winning Mr. Starquest, the Chloe Arnold Tap scholarship, and the Future Star Award for Dance Spirit Magazine. He then furthered his career as a B.F.A scholarship recipient at Point Park University as a Modern major. After two years, he finished his studies at the Peri Dance Capezio Certificate Program graduating in 2015 with concentrations in Ballet and Contemporary. Still currently living in NYC, Xavier now freelances doing commercial, concert, and theatre work, performing both nationally and internationally. In 2018, he was featured in a Target commercial, seen on a billboard in Times Square, and a dancer in the Season 14 Academy Intro of hit show, So You Think You Can Dance on Fox. Later that year, he was cast as “Sniper” in Newsies at the Media Theatre, where he made his theatre debut. In 2019, Xavier worked with Akram Khan in Dragon Spring Phoenix Rise which premiered at the Shed in Hudson Yards, NY. Recently, he finished the YouTube dance short film Brothers & Sons, presented by Project 44 about the current social climate in 2020. Xavier is currently working with The Pocket Fuel Groovers, which is located in the city. Additionally, Xavier has worked with Peggy Choy, Kristen Sudekis, Janice Rosario Dance Company, Juan Michael Porter II and De Funes Dance. Xavier is also a dance educator, and has taught in Philadelphia, Maryland, NYC, the University of Wisconsin and assisted at both The Ailey school and LaGuardia High School. Xavier’s philosophy as a teacher is to build confident, musical, technical dancers who are not afraid to express themselves and their movement. He strives to create a collaborative safe space for growth and individuality.