James Mertz, originally from Long Island, began dancing under the direction of Edie Chiano at Miss Edie's Dancin' Feet for 11 years in the styles contemporary, hip-hop, tap, and jazz. Alongside studio training, he attended the Long Island High School for the Arts under the direction of Ava Favara. There he began studying ballet and modern dance, concentrating on Balanchine and Horton technique. In 2013, he began studying under the direction of Donna Faye Burchfield at the University of the Arts where he performed in works by Sharon Eyal, Helen Simoneau, Andrea Miller, Netta Yerushalmy, Doug Varone, Kyle and Dinita Clark, and more. James studied in the Camping program in Paris, France in July 2016 learning from Volmir Corderio and Colin Dunne at the Centre National de la Danse. James plans to graduate from the University of the Arts in May 2017.