HOMER HANS BRYANT is a former principal dancer with the world renowned Dance Theatre of Harlem.  His professional performing credits span command performance for Prima Ballerina Maria Tallchief and the former Chicago City Ballet to Timbuktuwith Eartha Kitt and the motion picture The Wiz with Diana Ross and Michael Jackson.  Histeaching and training experiences include working with Canada's mesmerizing Cirque du Soleil productions of Mystere, Alegria and Quidam.  In the summer of 1998 he was the Lead Artist for the first downtown dance site of the City of Chicago's Gallery 37 program.

Although he has received various offers to teach from all over the world, he prefers to remain here and share his talents with the youth of Chicago.  In 1990 the Bryant Ballet opened on the city's North side.  In October of 1997 Mayor Daley issued a proclamations that officially changed the name of the organization to the Chicago Multi-Cultural Dance Center.  The purpose of the change was to reflect the diversity of the school's student body and the diversity of the City of Chicago. Located in the South Loop in historic Dearborn Station, the school offers classes in Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Latin and West African dance forms.  Approximately 350 students, ages 3 through adult, beginners and professionals attend classes 6 days a week.  It is Chicago's only African American owned classical ballet training school.  His ABC RAP BALLET was featured in encyclopedia Britannica's Health and Medical Annual.  It is a motivational piece that uses rap music and rhythms to teach ballet in a format that young people can understand.  The emphasis is not placed purely on ballet but on the premise that anyone can be whatever they wish to be if they remain focused, disciplined and, most of all, study.

Known as a strict disciplinarian, his slogan "The Fun Is In The Discipline; The Discipline Is In The Fun" has become a mantra for his current and former students and their parents and has established Mr. Bryant as one of the most respected teachers in the country.

RANDY DUNCAN has the unique privilege to be a three-time recipient of Chicago's prestigious Ruth Page Award for Outstanding Choreographer of the Year. Other awards include the 1999 Artistic Achievement Award from the Chicago National Association of Dance Masters and the 1999/2000 Black Theatre Alliance Award for Best Choreography.

His career began at age fifteen with the Joseph Holmes Dance Theatre, rising from dancer to resident choreographer and upon the death of Mr. Holmes, Artistic Director. Using elements of ballet, jazz , African and modern dance, he has created works for the Joffrey Ballet, River North Chicago Dance Company, Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, Spectrum Dance Company (Seattle, Washington), Bat Dor Dance Company of Israel and the Tennessee Children's Dance Ensemble.

His musical theater credits include choreographing and appearing in Street Dreams, West Side Story, Carousel, Hello Dolly, Don't Bother Me I Can't Cope and Guys and Dolls. His affiliation with Chicago's Goodman Theatre has helped create acclaimed works such as Zoot Suit, Drowning Crow, The Rose Tattoo and Heartbreak House. His choreography for Apple Tree Theatre's production of Once On This Island earned him a Jeff nomination, while more recently, his work for Apple Tree's Hello Again earned him the 2005 Gay Chicago Magazine After Dark Award for Choreography. Having worked in prominent regional theatres as South Coast Repertory (Costa Mesa, CA), Actor's Theatre (Louisville, KY) and Shakespeare Theatre (Washington, DC), he continues his work with director Kate Whoriskey on such plays as Antigone, Clean House, Amadeus, The Tempest and Caucasian Chalk Circle.

Mr. Duncan's first major motion picture (by Paramount Pictures), Save the Last Dance, starring Julia Stiles, earned him a nomination for the American Choreography Award for dance on film. His made for television ballet, Urban Transfer, was produced and distributed nationwide by Public Television Station WTTW. With the production efforts of HMS Media, he has since been seen on several PBS series on dance in Chicago.

An avid supporter of HIV/AIDS causes, for the past 11 years, he has donated his time and choreography to Dance for Life, creating world premieres for Chicago's largest dance benefit for HIV/AIDS.

Mr. Duncan, an African-American is a native of Chicago and began his dance studies with Geraldine Johnson, followed by classes at the Sammy Dyer School of Theater, Alvin Ailey American Dance Center and Illinois State University (vocal music major), but credits Harriet Ross and Joseph Holmes with much of his inspiration.

His guest classes in jazz dance with an African influence have brought him to England, France, Amsterdam, Israel and on an annual basis to Mexico. He teaches at colleges, universities and high schools nationwide. For the past 12 years, he has been on the faculty of the Chicago Academy of the Arts High School. You may also see him sitting on the panels of the NEA, IAC and Arts Midwest.

PAULA FRASZ (click here for a clip) “is a choreographer to watch” announced Sid Smith in the Chicago Tribune. Tribune critic Lucia Mauro calls her , “…a standout”. Her many achievements include:  Mordine & Company featured dancer and featured dancer at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.  She danced with the Chicago Repertory Dance Ensemble, was named Outstanding Choreographer at the Midwest American College Dance Festival and has had works in the ACDF Gala performances in Rochester, Michigan and in Raleigh, North Carolina.  Her choreography has been commissioned by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Elgin Symphony Orchestra and the Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra.  She is one of the founding choreographer’s of Chicago’s Next Dance Festival, who’s work has been called “powerfully modern” by Lynne Voedisch of the Chicago Sun Times. She received the 1999 Ruth Page Award for Artistic Achievement in Choreography from the Chicago Dance Coalition, and the 2002 Artists Fellowship Award in Choreography from the Illinois Arts Council. Frasz is the Artistic Director of DANCELOOP CHICAGO, a professional dance company which the Chicago Tribune calls “…a driving force on the Chicago dance scene.”

Ms. Frasz was a faculty member at the Dance Center of Columbia College for eight years.  She is currently Professor of Dance at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, where she teaches Advanced Modern Technique, Choreography, Improvisation, Professional Seminar in Dance and Tap.  She also teaches Musical Theatre and choreographs the musicals for the School of Theatre and Dance.  This master teacher has also been in residence at many colleges and universities, including St. Mary’s College in Notre Dame, IN., the University of Wisconsin at LaCrosse, Southern Illinois University, Winona State University and St. Mary’s College in Minnesota, Harper College and College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. In 2002, in association with her partner, Russian-born Dmitri Peskov, she started DanceLoop Chicago (nfp), a theatrical modern dance company performing in Chicago and the surrounding Metropolitan area.  They performed at nearly 50 venues in their first year.. DanceLoop has gone on to present choreography in and around Chicago, most recently in Barefoot Flamenco, a cross-cultural collaboration with Flamenco artist Luis Montero, at the Ruth Page Center in Chicago.  The offshoot of DanceLoop Chicago is Zyngara: The Mysterious Carnival, a poor man’s cirque that has performed in the Chicago area, Ohio and at the Georgia State Fairgrounds.

A native of Geneva, Illinois, Ms. Frasz began her career at age 12 while participating on the St. Charles Park District diving team, where her diving coach suggested she study ballet to improve her form.  After graduating from Butler University in Indianapolis, Ms. Frasz headed to the east coast, where she spent six years performing in summer stock and musical theatre. Ms. Frasz then accepted a teaching position at East Carolina University, where she worked directly with renowned choreographer Mavis Ray.  Receiving an assistantship from the University of Illinois, Ms. Frasz obtained her MFA  in 1985.  After completing the three-year M.F.A. program in two years, Ms. Frasz auditioned for Shirley Mordine of Mordine & Company Dance Theatre and performed nationally and internationally with the company for eight years.

Ms. Frasz holds a B.A. and an M.A. from Butler University.  She graduated  Magna Cum Laude from the University of Illinois with an M.F.A.  She is also a member of Actor’s Equity Association and has served several terms on the Illinois Arts Council Dance Panel.  Her choreography has been presented in concert at the Dance Center of Columbia College, at Northwestern University, Krannert Center of the University of Illinois and is in the repertoire of numerous professional dance companies. Frasz has also received the Illinois Arts Council Choreographic Fellowship Award for outstanding achievement in choreography.

Ms. Frasz is an active and vital member of Chicago’s dance community and serves on the Chicago Dance Coalition Ruth Page Committee.  With a grant from Northern Illinois University, she has performed, choreographed and taught at several locations in Austria and Germany. Her production of Carmina Burana prompted critic E. Nelson James to write, “…this review is filled with superlatives, but this production really deserves them.  Thank you, Paula Frasz!”

“A tongue-in-cheek choreographer with a spunky stage presence” as Lucia Mauro of the Sun Times insists, Paula Frasz continues to produce her work around the United States and abroad.

KEVIN IEGA JEFF has captivated audiences with his direction and choreography for over 15 years. A New York native, Iega attributes his artistic excellence to training at some of the nation's top artistic institutions including: Bernice Johnson’s Cultural Arts Center, New York City’s High School for the Performing Arts, Darvash Ballet School, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center, and The Juilliard School.

In 2005, he was named one of The Juilliard School’s 100 Outstanding Alumni in celebration of the school’s 100th anniversary. It’s an honor he shares with actor Robin Williams and musician Wynton Marsalis, to name only a few.

At the age of 21, Iega founded JUBILATION! Dance Company in New York City. The company was created out of a need to provide a forum for African-American artists to be nurtured emotionally, spiritually and physically through the arts. For 10 years JUBILATION! toured internationally, inspiring diverse audiences and communities all over the world. In October 1994 he was appointed Artistic Director of Joseph Holmes Chicago Dance Theater. In 1995 he co-founded Deeply Rooted Productions in Chicago where he continues to serve today as Artistic Director.
 
Iega has served as artist-in-residence at Howard University, the University of Las Vegas, Goucher College, SUNY Purchase and at Purdue University’s Black Cultural Center. His work has been featured in several on- and off-screen productions including Spike Lee’s She’s Gotta Have It and the Broadway shows Comin’ Uptown and The Wiz. He performed the role of the Beast in Beauty and the Beast, dancing with prima ballerina Cynthia Gregory, in the 1994 Academy Awards. His credits for direction and choreography include an international tour of Porgy and Bess, choreography for Alvin Ailey American Dance Ensemble, River North Dance Company, Dallas Black Dance Theater, Cleveland Contemporary Dance Theater, and the Wylliams/Henry Danse Theater.

In 2003, Iega and Associate Artistic Director Gary Abbott co-choreographed Jagged Ledges, featuring Tony Award-winning spoken word artist Staceyann Chin. In 2006, he and Abbott were commissioned to choreograph Three Brazilian Dances for the Chicago Sinfonietta, which premiered at Chicago’s renowned Symphony Hall in Chicago. In 2007, he was part of the creative team that produced Nefertiti: A Concert of Music and Dance.

Iega has received several awards and acknowledgements, including a New York "Bessie" Award nomination, the BTA Best Choreography award for Church of Nations, National Endowment for the Arts fellowships and National Council for Culture and Arts recognitions. He received a Merit Award from the International Association of Blacks in Dance, and was invited to join the Association’s board in January 2006.
           

KIRBY REED is the founder and Artistic director of Ascension/The Kirby Reed Project and also House of Ascension. Mr. Reed is a former concert dancer of the Joel Hall Dancers.  He is  an active  teacher or guest master instructor, at Hubbard Street/ Lou Conte’s Dance Studio, Columbia College, Gus Giordano’s Dance Center, and the Joel Hall Dance Center in Chicago, also having taught  through  Dance Educators of America, Giordano’s World  Jazz Congress and a variety of festivals  in cities through out the United States ,Mexico, Central  and South America  As an artist he has appeared in music videos and in concert with L.L. Cool J , Rupaul, Chaka Khan, and  Jennifer Holiday, to name but  a few. 

Mr. Reed has been a featured dancer on the Jay Leno Show, the television series "The Untouchables", and in the major movie film "Hoodlums" as a principal dancer. Mr. Reed has had the opportunity to choreograph works for The Joel Hall Dancers, Gus Giordano’s Jazz Dance and Dallas Black Dance Theatre to name but a few.  Mr. Reed completed closing numbers for televised projects for the  Emmy nominated 16th  and 18th annual Stellar Awards, with renowned artist  Donald Lawrence, choreographing and assistant directing the  former  touring musical” Bible Stories, along with  the musicals Anything Goes, Honk, The Wizard of Oz, West Side Story, and Fame.

Through his company Ascension, he was worked in celebratory festivals for Bishop T. D. Jakes for his Women of Praise Graduating national event, and The Silver Anniversary Celebration Held in the cities of Nashville  Tenn. and Dallas  Texas .In 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2007 Mr. Reed has had the honor of teaching for the Giordano’s Jazz dance World Congress. Mr. Reed has also been nominated for 7 consecutive years (2000 thru 2006) for the BTAA awards for Best Choreography in a Music Dance/ Program.