Step It Up

Mrs. Traci Young-Byron was born and raised in the heart of Liberty City in Miami, Florida. She began dancing at the tender age of three with the Inner City Children’s Touring Dance Company under the direction of Ms. Florene Lithcutt Nichols. Mrs. Young-Byron began receiving her technical training as a student at South Miami Middle School. After two years of intense training, she decided to further her growth at Miami Northwestern Senior High School’s Performing and Visual Arts Center under the direction of Mr. Roderick Davis.


In the fall of 1997, Mrs. Young-Byron entered into The Florida State University to pursue a degree in Dance. As a Dance Major at FSU, she was trained in the areas of Classical Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Hip Hop, Caribbean and choreography. Mrs. Young-Byron co-chartered Mahogany Dance Theatre at Florida A&M University and co-founded Phlava Dance Troop at The Florida State University. In 1998, she was selected to study at the Alvin Ailey Summer Intensive in New York City. In the spring of 2000, Mrs. Young-Byron was inducted into the prestigious Kappa Epsilon Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated in which she spearheaded a number of step shows as Step Master. Traci Young-Byron received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance from The Florida State University in 2001.


Her creativity, contributions and teachings are linked with the African Heritage Cultural Arts Center, Mustangs In Motion Dance Company, Phlava Dance Troop, Mahogany Dance Theatre and The Addiction Dance Company/Experience. In 2002, Mrs. Young-Byron became a member of the “four-time most popular dance team in the NBA” – the Miami Heat Dancers. She danced with the Miami Heat for nine years in which she held the positions of team captain and assistant choreographer. Mrs. Young-Byron, a member and co-choreographer of Fly Khicks, was selected to represent Miami on season three of America’s Best Dance Crew in 2008. She has been featured in a plethora of music videos, awards shows, concerts; and has been blessed to perform in various countries around the world. Mrs. Young-Byron is a veteran Jazz dance instructor with the infamous Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s AileyCamp Miami staff. Currently, Mrs. Young-Byron is the founder and artistic director of the Young Contemporary Dance Theatre, a diverse and community based dance company that caters to over 150 inner city children and adults. Through YCDT and PAVAC, Mrs. Young-Byron provides performance opportunities, academic development and support, health seminars, master classes, out-of-state conferences/trips, professional photo sessions, makeup tutorials and life coaching.



In addition to running her YCDT, Mrs. Young-Byron is a full-time school teacher. She began her employment with Miami Dade County Public Schools in 2001 at Madison Middle School. During that time, Mrs. Young-Byron was named “Rookie Teacher of the Year” at Madison Middle, “Rookie Teacher of the Year” for Region III and runner-up “Rookie Teacher of the Year” for the entire Miami Dade County Public Schools. After three years at Madison Middle School, she began teaching at Miami Northwestern Senior High School in 2006. In 2008, Mrs. Young-Byron became the Artistic Director of the reputable PAVAC Dance program and the elite Golden Girls dance team. Mrs. Young-Byron was also named “Teacher of the Year” at Miami Northwestern Senior High School in 2010. Mrs. Young-Byron has personally provided over $25,000 in awards, scholarships, conventions and master classes to a plethora of deserving students throughout her teaching career.


Other accolades include the MNW Alumni Hall of Fame recipient, Business & Professional Women of South Florida Arts & Entertainment Award recipient, AT&T 2015-2016 Miami-Dade African American Calendar Honoree, among others.

Deshauan loves a good challenge and is known to be very spontaneous and creative. She has only been dancing for about four years. Her favorite type of dance is hip-hop. Deshauan has been dancing with YCDT and Mrs. Young-Byron for the last two years. There is nothing she can’t accomplish when she sets her mind to it. Her goals are to attend college and study to be an entrepreneur in Business and International Marketing, in hopes to one day open her own dance studio. Dancing brings out he best in Deshauan. At school, she is President of her Class, Class of 2017 and a member of the National Honor Society and Debate Team. Deshauan also enjoys drawing, playing volleyball, listening to music, and going out with her friends.

Diaunte is a junior in high school and dual-enrolled at a local college. He holds a weighted GPA of 4.38. Diaunte’s hobbies includes singing, dancing, acting, writing, listening to music, going to church, and hanging out with friends. Diaunte began dancing at the age of five with the liturgical dance group at Antioch Missionary Baptist Church of Liberty City. He comes from a family of dancers: grandmother, aunts, uncle. He joined Diamond Minds at the age of eight under the direction of Ms. Vernaé Randolph. In Middle School, he became a part of Genesis Dance World Company under the direction of Mr. Rod Davis. In the summer of 2013, Diaunte was accepted into Ailey Camp Miami where he met Mrs. Traci Young- Byron. Diaunte began dancing under the wings of Mrs. Young-Byron starting his freshman year in high school. He has been a part of the Young Contemporary Dance Theatre for three seasons. Diaunte aspires to be a professional performer, singing, dancing, and acting. Upon completion of college, Diaunte’s goal is to graduate with a degree in musical theater and business management.

Jakirah has been dancing with YCDT and Mrs. Young-Byron for about four years. Jakirah is not only an amazing dancer; she’s also a great student. In tenth grade, Jakirah was inducted into the National Honor Society. Jakirah is also a member of her high school dance line. Being in the company exposed her to different styles of dance such as Jazz, Modern, Hip-Hop, West African, and Contemporary. Her signature move is the donkey kick. When Jakirah gets older she would like to be a professional dancer and also wants to be a psychologist. She is creative, loving and caring and continues to push herself. Jakirah’s brother, Antonio, is also a YCDT Repertory Dancer.

Janae is 17 years old and from Miami, Florida. She is a junior in high school and a very hard working student. A member of her school’s National Honor Society, she always believes that school should come first. She’s very passionate about dance, and has been dancing since the age of 3. Janae has been a member of YCDT for six years. Janae is very flexible and her specialty is hip-hop and jazz. Her signature moves include leg extensions and switch leaps. Dancing allsows her to be lost in the moment; the feeling of “letting go” is enhanced when the beat of the music hits her. Being a part of YCDT, she’s learned more than just how to dance but about life. Mrs.Young-Byron is like her second mom. After graduating high school, she hopes to attend University and double major in Dance and Psychology. She aspires to be a professional dancer and tour the world with a musical artist. Her goals in life are to make her family proud, never to give up and remember that the sky is the limit. In her spare time, she enjoys hanging out with family and friends, going out to eat, bowling, and the beach.