Her career soaring at Miami City Ballet, Taylor Naturkas has ridden on the wings of fabled creatures for her latest successes. After Naturkas performed the titular role in the Balanchine/Robbins Firebird last February, artistic director Lourdes Lopez promoted her to principal soloist. Two months later, Naturkas debuted as Odette/Odile in Alexei Ratmansky’s Swan Lake. This fall she’s ready for a deeper dive into Balanchine’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, after her spring guest appearance in this work with New York City Ballet.

Quintessential to Chicago tap lore is Jumaane Taylor’s Supreme Love, a tour de force that pushes the best of the best to the limit. When Andrew Carr was in the original 2015 cast, he was only 11. Always ahead of the curve, Carr has been choreographing since he was 15 and went viral earlier this year with his video Universe 4 Two, featuring M.A.D.D. Rhythms company members. Carr’s insatiable attention to detail and instinctive musicality have pushed his seasoned, unparalleled excellence over the line.

Whether she’s in the studio—fearlessly flexible in a grand jété with her arms playfully thrown back—or onstage—fast and precise in her first lead role as The Nutcracker’s Lead Marzipan—Pacific Northwest Ballet corps dancer Destiny Wimpye glows. In Kiyon Ross’ new …throes of increasing wonder last season, she skittered across the floor, devouring the space. But more than dazzling leaps and quadruple pirouettes, it’s in her smaller movements, beautifully turned out, arms poised yet wondrously alive, that Wimpye shines onstage, exuding strength but also vulnerability.

Watching Eric Best navigate the sensuous curves of Stanton Welch’s Tapestry, during Houston Ballet’s Jubilee of Dance this December, the dancer’s flow and exactitude merged into a seamless whole. His generous port de bras caressed the space, drawing out Welch’s nuanced choreographic lines. With his crisp technique, subtle swagger, and beguiling fluidity, Best catapulted from the corps de ballet to soloist at the opening of the season, and audiences cannot get enough of him.

From Broadway stages to international arenas, Mattie Love’s dancing is electrifying. She has an uncanny ability to move through choreography fluidly but with punchy accents and a raw, earthy quality. Although having such a distinctive style of moving might have intimidated her at first, it’s become her superpower, leading her into some of the most coveted gigs, including performing as Madonna’s doppelgänger in her Celebration Tour.

There is an explosive energy to Michael de la Nuez’s dancing that will not be denied. In Christopher Wheeldon’s Like Water for Chocolate during American Ballet Theatre’s summer season, he sliced through the air like an arrow and spun like a top, equal parts bravura showstopper and clean classical dancer.

Borrow­ing from hip hop, popping, house, contemporary, and other genres, he dissects established moves to uncover their intricacies and repackages them in unexpected patterns that require astonishing coordination. Though highly technical, his choreography never lacks feeling, resonating with global audiences through cinematic digital shorts, as well as with live audiences at his full-length shows.

At 19 years old, Complexions Contemporary Ballet’s Christian Burse commands the stage with expansive and exacting movement beyond her years. In Dwight Rhoden’s recent Endgame, she uses her classical sensibility to morph into contemporary shapes, her gaze projecting into the audience with cool intensity. Her stability in moments of stillness is as much of a standout as her quick feet and soaring leaps.