Kellyn Jackson
After spending four years at Skidmore College in upstate New York, Kellyn is excited to be back in Chicago contributing to the ever-growing, community-based dance scene. She is committed to sharing her passion for being passionate, and strongly believes movement is the way to do so. Through her studies at the Laban Conservatory in London and psychology research at Skidmore, she has grown confident that dance promotes social relationships, intellectual processing, and emotional well-being. Therefore she is determined to bring RDC into schools. She is the Assistant Director for Rephrase Dance Collective, and teaches creative movement at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and yoga throughout the Chicagoland area.
Michaela Simmons
Michaela Simmons is also a recent graduate from Skidmore College where she earned her B.S. in Dance and a minor in Gender Studies. Her love for movement began in the White Mountains of New Hampshire where she practiced at a small local studio. Four years of collegiate performing and choreographing helped her to realize her potential and physical need for dance in her life. She decided to make the big move to Chicago to continue that passion and begin to share it with others. She is also the Community Outreach Director for Rephrase Dance Collective.
Hattie Young
Hattie Young is a recent graduate of Skidmore College where she received her B.A. in Dance and English. She has trained with Robert Battle (current artistic director of Alvin Ailey), Denise Limoli (former American Ballet Theater dancer), Sydney Skybetter, Kevin Wynn, Leah Cox (former Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane dancer), and Ruben Graciani (former Mark Morris dancer), as well as, numerous other artists. In addition to dancing and choreographing, Hattie is an avid yogi, as well as, a dance instructor. As Founder and Artistic Director of Rephrase Dance Collective, Hattie hopes to bring a fresh energy to the dance scene in Chicago as the city looks to expand its cultural agenda.
Brittany Amoroso
Brittany Amoroso is originally from San Jose, California where she trained with Teen Dance Company of the Bay Area. She recently graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara completing her B.F.A. in dance. Upon graduation, she received the Tonia Shimin award for excellence and promise in the field of dance and an honorable mention for her choreography at UCSB. Now residing in the wonderful city of Chicago, she is very excited to begin her dance career with Rephrase Dance Collective.
Giovanna Ventola
Giovanna began her training in the suburbs outside of Boston, MA. Always interested in movement, she became serious about the art of dance in high school and sought out training programs all over the country. She has attended summer intensives with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Paul Taylor Dance Company, Jose Limon Dance Company, the Boston Conservatory, and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. She graduated from the University of California Santa Barbara with a B.F.A in Dance Performance and Choreography. While there she was an active member of the UCSB Senior Dance Company. Giovanna has performed works by Jose Limon, Nancy Colahan, Austin McCormick of Company XIV, Sumi Clements of Summation Dance Company, and Nicholas Bruder, along with works created by students and faculty members at UCSB. Giovanna moved to Chicago in September 2012 and has been dancing with RDC ever since.
Lauren Zimmerer
Lauren Zimmerer is a recent graduate from California State University Fullerton where she received her B.A. in Dance. Originally from Fresno, Ca, Lauren decided to begin her dance career in Chicago and is a part of RDC. Her training includes Alonzo King's LINES Summer Intensive in San Francisco, Ca and also Hubbard Street Dance Summer Intensive. Recently, she was chosen to perform at The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. for the American College Dance Festival.
Dylan Roth
Dylan Roth is a spring 2012 graduate of Columbia College Chicago with a Bachelor's of Arts degree in Dance Performance and a minor in Business Management. Born and raised in the Kansas City Metropolitan area, Dylan moved to Chicago to continue studying her love of dance. At Columbia she was able to continue living out her passion and commitment to the art, performing in works by Jennifer Archibald, Kim Goldman, Darrell Jones, Pam McNeil, Taisha Pagget, Michel Rodriguez, and the 2011 Merce Cunningham MinEvent. During the summer of 2012, Dylan was awarded a scholarship with Deeply Rooted Dance Theater and will continue her training with them for the 2012-2013 season. She is excited to be a part of RDC's premiering season.
All Photographs Courtesy of Jason Riker
