Autumn '24 Dance Classes and Workshops

Hip Hop Fundamentals with Brave Monk
Mondays, 5:00-6:30p, BARS
Sign-up Form

Open to all levels and experiences, BRAVEMONK will focus on the foundational movements & vocabulary of breaking while guiding students to develop proficiency in core techniques & concepts that are utilized across Breaking and a variety of Hip-Hop & Street Dance styles. Students will have the opportunity to improve & gain new skills, knowledge & application through weekly practice. A curated playlist of BreakBeats, Hip-Hop, Funk & Soul music will bump!

Daniel "Bravemonk" Haywood (he/him) is a choreographer, performer, and dance educator based in Chicago. He regularly travels throughout the US and internationally as a guest speaker, host, judge, and teacher at many hip hop events, and has worked closely with the University of Hip Hop, Temple of Hip Hop, Urban Arts in Action Movement, Hip Hop Congress, and Universal Zulu Nation. Over the past fifteen years, Daniel has dedicated much of his time to researching the origins and mastering the foundations of hip hop’s cultural dance form known as B-boying or breaking, in addition to drawing from house, freestyle, martial arts, and various other hip hop lineages. Daniel is currently a member of Chicago’s legendary breaking crew, Phaze II—Crosstown Crew. He is also a founding member and active leader of Awesome Style Konnection and a member of F.E.W. Collective.

Release-based Contemporary with Kara Brody and Maggie Vannuci (alternating)

Wednesdays from 5-6:30pm
Bartlett Arts Rehearsal Studio (BARS)
Sign-up form

Rooted in release-based modern dance techniques, this class will begin on the floor to research how the body leverages weight in relationship to gravity, then build into combinations that balance control with freedom. Both Kara and Maggie support students to find efficiency in movement, spatial awareness, and playful choice-making. Classes will be geared towards intermediate-level students but will support a wide range of movers.

Kara Brody (she/her) is a Korean American movement artist based in Chicago focusing her practice towards community driven spaces. She is an ensemble member with Lucky Plush Productions (since 2016), and has been a contributing collaborator and performer for Faye Driscoll, Erin Kilmurray, Melinda Jean Myers, The Fly Honey Show, Helen Lee, Erick Montes, and The Cambrians. Kara has been a Lecturer at University of Chicago and she has taught on the dance faculty at COMMON Conservatory, The Joffrey Academy, Chicago Movement Collective, Visceral Dance Center, and Dovetail Studios. She has also been a guest artist through Pro.Noun Dance Festival, Young Dancer’s Initiative, Brighton Dance Festival, Rutgers University, and Northern Illinois University, and she has led workshops for Lucky Plush Productions at The Kennedy Center, Sonoma State University, Hamilton College, and The Dance Center of Columbia College. Kara was a curatorial resident at Steppenwolf 1700 Theatre in 2023, creating a dance series that celebrated artists in process through a two-week production residency and performance festival.

Ma​​ggie Vannuci (she/her) is a movement-based performance artist and teacher currently based in Chicago. Her individual movement practice involves a rich study of floor work, improvisation, Bartenieff somatic research, and Counter Technique. She works collaboratively with artists of all mediums and thrives in DIY, multi-media performance spaces. Her Chicago performance collaborations include work with Erin Kilmurry, FeverDream Dance Collective, The Seldoms, Amalia Wiatr Lewis, Tina Diaz, Sarah Stern, and Braden Barnes. Maggie teaches weekly open class at The Rooted Space and is an Adjunct instructor at Northwestern University, along with guest teaching at UChicago. She is certified in Introduction to Bartenieff Fundamentals and has facilitated classes and workshops throughout the city, nationally, and internationally. She received her MFA with distinction in Contemporary Dance Performance through the postgraduate program VERVE led by Matthew Robinson in Leeds, UK where she toured Europe performing with the VERVE dance company. Maggie completed her BFA in contemporary dance performance from London Contemporary Dance School. She studied a multitude of techniques and improvisational courses including Gaga, Flying Low, release-based techniques, physical theater, and instant composition all of which now inform and inspire her current teaching and creations. 

Ballet Fundamentals with Meredith Dincolo

Tuesdays, 5:00-6:30p
BARS
Sign-up form

This class will cover the fundamentals of ballet technique and is geared towards a beginning-intermediate level. Progressing from barre combinations to center phrase work, students will be guided through a mindful approach to the structure and flow of classical ballet. Emphasis will be placed on functional technique, musicality, and artistic expression of the individual dancer.

Meredith Dincolo (she/her) has been dancing and teaching professionally for the past 29 years. She danced with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago for nearly 14 years where she performed and created works with choreographers from around the world. Meredith has also danced in Europe with Lyon Opera Ballet and Nationaltheater Mannheim. Most recently, she performed with Robyn Mineko Williams and Artists in the premiere of Echo Mine, a collaboration with the band Califone. Meredith is on faculty at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and COMMON Conservatory, and she taught at the Lou Conte Dance Studio from 2014-2020. She is a founding member of the Chicago Movement Collective, and sets works at the professional level in the US and abroad.

Intermediate-Adv Ballet with Erica L. Edwards 

Thursdays, 3:30-5:00p
Ida Noyes Dance Room
Sign-up Form

This class is geared towards an intermediate-advanced level of ballet practice. Progressing from barre combinations to center phrase work, students will be guided through a mindful approach to the structure and flow of classical ballet. Emphasis will be placed on functional technique, musicality, and artistic expression of the individual dancer.

Erica Lynette Edwards (she/her) has over 20 years of professional experience in the dance industry as a ballerina, teacher, consultant, and administrative leader. As a ballerina with The Joffrey Ballet, she performed lead roles throughout a rewarding 15-year career, dancing in hundreds of performances in the United States and abroad. During that time Ebony Magazine declared her a “Young Leader in the Future of the Arts” and the Chicago Tribune gave her the title "Black History Maker." When Edwards retired from the stage, she became an artistic and administrative senior leader as Joffrey's Director of Community Engagement. Under her visionary leadership, the department grew to support the city of Chicago through a focus on community partnerships rooted in DEI. Edwards independently expanded her DEI services to engage a wide variety of clients with authentic and innovative consultation. Her many honors include multiple features in Dance Magazine, a TEDx talk, speaking on international panels, and being selected as a member of Crain’s Chicago Business “40 Under 40.” She currently serves as the Executive Director of Giordano Dance Chicago.

Pilates with Karen Camelet

Saturday, October 12, 1:00-3:00 pm
Bartlett Arts Rehearsal Studio (BARS)
Sign-up Form

This mat-based Pilates class will support you to develop core strength as you focus on flexibility, posture, balance, and the joy of movement. Class will build on the basic principles and exercises of Pilates, supporting you to lengthen and strengthen your muscles and create overall body awareness. Modifications will be given and all levels are welcome.

Karen Camelet is a former contemporary ballet dancer who began studying Pilates after sustaining an injury. Amazed by the strength gained once she returned to dance, Karen turned her love of movement and her passion for helping others into her next career. Karen is certified through the PhysicalMind Institute in Pilates mat and all equipment. She also uses her years of dance, Pilates, and exercise in her work as a licensed Physical Therapy Assistant.

Dunham Technique with Ysaÿe Alma

Saturday, October 19, 1:00 - 3:00 pm
Bartlett Arts Rehearsal Studio (BARS)
Sign-up Form

Dunham Technique is a vibrant African American dance form that engages the body, mind and spirit. Created by dance pioneer Katherine Dunham, the technique is informed by the traditional dances of the African Diaspora, as well as by modern and ballet. This open-level class will offer a variety of experiences, including breathing, isolations, progressions and phrase work. Participants will learn foundational movement of the Dunham Technique and be introduced to Dunham Technique’s Afro-Cuban and Afro-Brazilian influences.

Ysaÿe Alma (she/her) is a professional dancer, choreographer and teaching artist from Chicago and now based in Los Angeles. She is currently a dancer for Ocandeniye dance company and recently worked as a Rehearsal Director for the 2022 touring production of Netflix, Shondaland and Fever’s production of The Queen’s Ball: A Bridgerton Experience. She has been a dancer in Disneyland’s !Viva Navidad! Parade since 2019 and has danced with companies such as Viver Brasil, Red Clay Dance, Momentum Sensorium, The Humans, and also with comedian Hannibal Burress. Ysaÿe graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a BFA in Dance and Minor in Philosophy and she also studied dance at Taipei National University of the Arts where she performed in work by Ming-Lung Yang. She has been resident choreographer for Teatro Luna (now Studio Luna) since 2014 and has also choreographed plays for Greenway Court Theater, Free Street Theater and Depaul University. Ysaÿe has taught dance programming for well over a dozen public schools and community centers in Chicago and Los Angeles and has had the honor of being a guest dance instructor at colleges such as University of California at Los Angeles and Ball State University. She is a certified teacher of Yoga, Social-Emotional Learning, and is currently a third year Dunham Technique Instructor candidate. 

The Fly Honeys Workshop with Erin Kilmurray 

Saturday, October 26, 1:00 - 3:00 pm
Bartlett Arts Rehearsal Studio (BARS)
Sign-up Form

Recognized as a ‘Chicago institution’ (Chicago Reader), The Fly Honeys are influenced by dance and performance practices that celebrate the individual through personal expressions of gender, sexuality, and identity. This workshop invites you to practice playfulness, eroticism, and body empowerment through choreography influenced by burlesque, variety performance, theatricality, and pop dance styles. Kilmurray and The Fly Honeys encourage an autonomous space in the studio where dancers can take on as much or as little as they’re comfortable with. Participants will be led through warmups, movement exercises, and Fly Honey repertory, followed by designing some of their own material. The goal is to shimmy and shake in a low-stakes space to practice what your body wants to do.

Erin Kilmurray (she/they) is a genre-straddling dance artist drawing on space-making and movement practices found in nightlife culture, theater, and dance practices that relentlessly amplify women, queer folks, the underground and the underdog. She is the creator/director of The Fly Honey Show, a Links Hall Fellow (2022-23), a Chicago Dancemakers Forum Lab Artist (2020), and recognized as 50 People Who Really Perform for Chicago (2022 Newcity). Her work challenges traditional relationships between performer and spectator through electric, often political performance that enlivens body and environment, and consequently has been presented by Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Thalia Hall, The Dance Center of Columbia College, Lollapalooza, Empty Bottle, Pivot Arts, University of Chicago, Visceral Dance Chicago, Metro, Beauty Bar, The Chicago Cultural Center, among others.www.erinkilmurray.com

Pulse of India: Folk Dance with Kinnari Vora

Saturday, November 2, 1:00-3:00 pm
Bartlett Arts Rehearsal Studio (BARS)
Sign-up Form

In this open-level workshop, participants will be introduced to folk dances from northwest India—such as Kalbelia, Ghoomar, Raas, Garba, and Bhil—through the lens of the Roma Journey. The group will be invited to explore the cyclical geometry, geography and props of these dance forms in contemporary context.

Kinnari Vora (she/her) is a Chicago based dancer, choreographer, and educator. She shares stories of universal human conditions and emotions through movement, meditation, and theatrical practices. She was born and raised in India. Her contemporary works are rooted in Bharatanatyam (disciple of Sarmishtha Sarkar, India), various Indian folk dances and kalaripayattu martial arts. Kinnari is co-founder and artistic co-chair of Ishti Collective and a dancer collaborator with Surabhi Ensemble. She received a Chicago Dancemakers Lab Artist Award in 2022 and is a resident artist at High Concept Labs.

Floorwork with Phill “Phree” Wood

Saturday, November 9, 1:00-3:00 pm
Bartlett Arts Rehearsal Studio (BARS)
Sign-up Form

Drawing from the styles of Breaking, Hip Hop, and House dance, this workshop will focus on transitions into and out of the floor, as well as choreography and concepts to train all ground level dancing. Control, strength, mobility, and safety in dance will be some of our primary focuses, as well as the historical and cultural contexts of the movements. The workshop is geared toward an intermediate level, but modifications can be provided for an open-level experience.

Phill Wood (he/him), also known as Phree, is an multidisciplinary visual and movement artist originally from Indianapolis, Indiana. Currently based in Chicago, Illinois, he is entering his third year as a company member with Chicago Dance Crash. Phill has had the opportunity to collaborate with esteemed organizations such as The Lyric Opera, Lollapalooza, and Marriott Theater, as well as numerous local artist groups and professionals. Committed to visibility and community engagement, Phill received the 2024 Individual Lab Artist Grant from Chicago Dancemakers Forum. As a primarily self-trained artist, his expression is predominantly showcased through Breaking, Hip Hop, and House dance styles. Additionally, he has extensive training and performance experience in Modern, Tricking, and Contemporary dance. Phill is dedicated to sharing his passion for creativity and artistic freedom, aiming to inspire social change through his work.

Contemporary Repertory with Rena Butler
Saturday, Nov 16, 1:00-3:00 pm
Sign-up Form

This workshop begins with guided imagery, exploring both fluid and stabilizing exercises to inform various structures in the body. It then flows into dynamic phrasing that encompasses improvisational tasks, floor work, detailed gesturing, musicality, and more. Rena playfully approaches kinetic + intuitive investigation in her work, which has been commissioned by Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and many other companies across the country. Previous dance experience recommended.

Rena Butler (she/her) hails from Chicago, IL and has danced with companies including Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, AIM by Kyle Abraham, Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company, David Dorfman Dance, Manuel Vignoulle/M-Motions, The Kevin Wynn Collection, Pasos Con Sabor Salsa Dance Company, among many others. She most recently danced with Gibney Company and was their inaugural Choreographic Associate. She is a recipient of the prestigious 2019 Princess Grace Foundation Award for Choreography and created works for the National Ballet of Canada, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Parsons Dance, Charlotte Ballet, Boston Dance Theater, Ballet X, Oregon Ballet Theater, Oklahoma City Ballet, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Parsons Dance Company, Pony Box Dance Theater, AIM by Kyle Abraham, Whim W'Him, Norrdans, San Francisco Opera’s Orpheus and Euridice, The New Orleans Museum of Modern Art in collaboration with Academy Award-Winning jazz composer, Terrence Blanchard, CHTV Stories television program in Switzerland, a film portrait for Third Coast Percussion x Devonté Hynes/Blood Orange, The Young Choreographer’s Festival in NYC, The Juilliard School, Jacob's Pillow Contemporary Summer Program, The Ailey/Fordham School, TEDxChicago Virtual Salon 3.0: Design Your Life, and more. She has been spotlighted in Dance Magazine’s On The Rise feature in 2013, and the featured cover story in Dance Magazine’s November 2021 issue. Facilitation and Mentorship play a big role in Rena’s artistic persona. Butler has taught dance and choreographic workshops at L’Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Danse de Marseille in France, The Macau Cultural Center in China, The Juilliard School, The School at Jacob’s Pillow, Ailey Camp Chicago, Steps on Broadway in NYC, and SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Dance. She served on the Consortium for Chicago Dancemakers Forum for 3 years, was on the annual panel for Black Girls Dance in Chicago, and co-created and directed DanceLab—a free, choreographic course for the Chicago youth. She currently serves on Dancewave’s Artistic Advisory Council in NYC. Butler’s upcoming commissions include Pacific Northwest Ballet, San Francisco Opera, SALT Dance, Ballet D’Avignon and Arles Youth Ballet in France, Parsons Dance, Dallas Black Dance Theater, and more. For updated commissions and whereabouts, visit renabutler.com

Countertechnique® with Sophie Minouche Allen

Saturday, December 7 from 1-3pm
Bartlett Arts Rehearsal Studio (BARS)
Sign-up Form

Countertechnique® is a contemporary dance technique created and developed by Dutch choreographer, dancer and teacher Anouk van Dijk. The technique enables dancers to move bigger, more fluidly and more spatially, while becoming stronger and more flexible. Dancers are encouraged to be proactive in discovering connections and solutions, to be less concerned with judging themselves and to work in a healthy way with regard to body and mind.

Sophie Minouche Allen (she/her) is a Chicago based dancer, choreographer, and teacher who imbues playfulness and nuance in all her endeavors. Recent performance collaborations include Nora Sharp, Al Evangelista, Anna Caffarelli/Crimson Moeller, Darling Shear, Sean Roshman/Niko8, and Ayako Kato/Art Union Humanscape. As a choreographer, Sophie’s work has been presented by FACT/SF, Thodos Dance Chicago/DanceWorks Chicago for New Dances 2024, Midwest RAD Fest, COMMON conservatory, Detroit Dance Exchange, Going Dutch Festival/Side Street Studio Arts, and Periodance/Performance Lab Showcase. As a teacher, Sophie offers open classes at The Rooted Space, closed curriculum classes in The Joffrey Academy of Dance’s Trainee Programs, and co-facilitates the Chicago Countertechnique® Community class series throughout the city. Sophie is a certified Countertechnique® Teacher and holds a B.F.A. in Dance and B.A. in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) from the University of Michigan. www.sophieminouche.com

Open DJ’ed Dance Sessions @ the Logan Center Penthouse!

The TAPS Dance Program will host 2 Sunday sessions per quarter with rotating DJ’s and hosts throughout the year, co-curated by BraveSoul Movement. Our goal is to build a space to Soulfully & Sonically Connect, Explore, Dance, Move & Jam! ALL BODIES ARE WELCOME!  No Pretenses, Egos or Judgements… This space is strictly for the LOVE and JOY of Movement, Expression, Authenticity and Connection. Come Vibe, Move, and Build with us!

BREAKS, FUNK, SOUL & LATIN GROOVES

Sun, Oct 20, 6:30-8:30 pm
Logan Penthouse (Rm 901)
Host/Facilitator: BRAVEMONK
DJ: TBD
Sign-up Form 

VOGUE / BALLROOM SESSION

Sun, Nov 17, 6:30-8:30 pm
Logan Penthouse (Rm 901)
Host/Facilitator: TBD
DJ: TBD
Sign-up Form