Zachary Medina (he/him) was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, and his passion for dance began with Ballet Folklorico and imitating Michael Jackson videos. He refined his interest at The Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA), where he trained in ballet, modern, hip hop, contemporary, and composition. During his time at LACHSA, Zachary had the opportunity to perform in works by José Limón, Jirí Kylián, Christopher Huggins, Yuka Fukuda, and Fiona Lummis.

At sixteen, Zachary earned a full scholarship to attend the Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School in Colorado, where he deepened his studies in Modern, Ballet, and Composition. He went on to pursue two Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degrees in Dance Performance and Choreography at the Claire Trevor School of the Arts at the University of California, Irvine. While at UC Irvine, Zachary continued to hone technical and choreographic skills, performing in and creating numerous works. He has recently performed in works by Lar Lubovitch, Jenny Backhaus, Amanda K. White, and others.

In the 2023-2024 season, Zachary joined Backhausdance as a Teaching Artist & Education Performer, excited to share his passion with the next generation of dancers. He is honored to embark on this journey as an apprentice this year with Backhausdance!