Chicago as an Extended Classroom
Loyola dance students love taking advantage of Chicago. We regularly welcome guest artists into the classroom, create work with prominent choreographers, and collaborate with artistic organizations in the city.
Our students gain not only technical dance knowledge, but valuable networking opportunities, when artists are brought into our classrooms. These are just some of the artists and professionals that have taught at Loyola:
- Oscar Ramos (Batsheva Dance Company)
- Summer Lee Rhatigan (San Francisco Conservatory of Dance)
- Kathryn Humphreys (Hubbard Street Dance Chicago)
- Drew Lewis (Sidra Bell)
- Robert Knowles (Cirque de Soleil, Ballet Jazz Montréal)
- Michelle Modrzejewski (Hubbard Street Dance Chicago)
- Ben Law (Feldenkrais Practitioner)
- Ginger Farley (Chicago Dancemakers Forum)
- Ben Wardell (The Cambrians)
- Victor Alexander (Hedwig, Ruth Page Center for the Arts)
- Karl Watson (Whim W'him)
- Julie Nakagawa (Dance Works Chicago)
- Van Collins (Joel Hall Dance Company)
- Kris Lenzo (Momenta Dance Company)
- Ginger Lane (Access Living)
- Julie Brannon (Dance Movement Therapist)
- Danny Lucien Reed (Independent Choreographer & Creative Director)
- Nick Jones (Dance & Sound Tehcnology)
- Dr. Brian Fuller (Fuller Health Group)
- Shanna VanDerWerker (Disney, Wicked National Tour)
- Andrew Tamez Hull (Visceral Dance Chicago)
- Bobbi Jene Smith (Batsheva Dance Company)
- Shamel Pitts (Batsheva Dance Company)
- Raul Casasola (Joffrey Ballet)
- Katlin Michael Bourgeois (Ensemble 180)
Loyola Dance is lucky to bring in several guest artists and choreographers every year. Our faculty's personal connections and Loyola's proximity to the city breed long-term relationships and opportunties to collaborate. Check out the dancers, chorographers, and artistic directors our dancers have worked with:
- Alice Klock (Hubbard Street Dance Chicago)
- Rena Butler (Bill T. Jones, Kyle Abraham, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago)
- Kristina Isabelle (Kristina Isabelle Dance Company)
- Melinda Myers (Trisha Brown Dance Company, The Cambrians, High Concept Labs)
- Robyn Mineko Williams (River North Dance Chicago, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago)
- Penny Saunders (Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, The Grand Rapids Ballet)
- Stephanie Martinez (Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, The Joffrey Ballet)
- Anna Long (Independent choreographer/dancer, Gaga technique teacher)
- Derrick Agnoletti (The Joffrey Ballet)
- Chaneice Holmes (Red Clay Dance)
- Hannah Brictson (River North Dance Chicago, Visceral Dance Chicago)
- Ben Wardell (The Cambrians)
- Luc Jacobs (Batsheva)
- Bobbi Jene Smith (Batsheva)
- Michelle Cintra Rodriguez (The Cambrians, Lucky Plush Productions)
- Jamy Meek (Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Nederlands Dans Theatre, The Cambrians, Lucky Plush)
- Ahmad Simmons (Broadway, High Concepts Lab)
- Jennifer Sprowl (Duncan Dance Chicago, The Joffrey Ballet)
- Deborah Carr (Charles Weidman Foundation)
- Matthew Rose (Mark Morris Dance Group)
- Brian McGinnis (Lar Lubovitch)
- Jonathan Alsberry (Lar Lubovitch, Azure Barton, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago)
- Raul Casasola (Joffrey Ballet)
- Alex Ketley (The Foundry, San Francisco Conservatory of Dance)
- Christian Denice (DanceWorks Chicago)
- Noelle Kayser (Visceral Dance Chicago)
- Carrie Hanson (The Seldoms)
- Florian Lochner (FLOCK, Hubbard Street Chicago)
- Ethan Kirschbaum (Chicago Movement Collective, Joffrey Ballet, River North Dance Chicago)
As dancers, it is important to not only collaborate with other artists, but to also make connections with organizations that round out our knowledge and expertise. That is why Loyola has built relationships with an ever-growing list of studios, companies, physical therapists, dance movement therapists, dance historians, dance filmmakers, and so many more.
Dance:
- Chicago Dancemakers Forum
- Hubbard Street Dance Chicago
- Lou Conte Dance Studio
- Ruth Page Center for the Arts
- The Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance
- The Cambrians
- Duncan Dance Chicago
- Charles Weidman Foundation
- Hedwig Dance Chicago
- The Joffrey Ballet
- The Chicago Cultural Center
- Dance Works Chicago
- Momenta
- San Francisco Conservatory of Dance
- Northwest Dance Project
- New Dialect
- Chicago Dance Crash
- The Big Muddy Dance Company
Health:
- Body Gears Physical Therapy
- Fuller Health Group
- Nova Care Physical Therapy
- Athletico Pysical Therapy
Community:
- The Parkinson's Project - Hubbard Street Dance Chicago
- Chicago Dance History Project
- American College Dance Association
- Loyola Institute for Environmental Sustainability
- In/Motion International Dance Film Festival
- 3Arts
- Pivot Arts
- UIC / Bodies of Work
- UIC Department of Disability and Human Development