Faculty

Maan Almodovar
Ballet E + Conditioning/Pointe Prep II + Conditioning/Point Prep I

Maan Nabong received her dance training from Sherry Moray, Homer Bryant, Wes Chapman, and Roger Van Fleteran. In 2000 and 2001, Maan placed 1st in the Junior Classical division at Youth America Grand Prix. From 2002-2004, she danced with the Alabama Ballet where she performed Arabian in George Balanchine’s Nutcracker and various roles in Cinderella, Romeo and Juliet, and Swan Lake. Maan was a scholarship student at Lou Conte Dance Studio in Chicago and at Alonzo Kings Ballet in San Francisco. In 2006-2007, Maan performed with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, working with choreographer, Daniel Pelzig in Die Fledermaus. Maan is a Stott-trained Pilates instructor and is also currently on faculty at the Joffrey Academy of Dance.

Tosha Alston
African Dance + Movement I for Actors
Levizadik Buckins
Contemporary Jazz + Senior Repertoire + Professional Development

Levizadik Buckins began his dance education at the Educational Center for the Arts in New Haven, Connecticut. He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, under the direction of Ethan Stiefel. During his time at UNCSA, he worked with choreographers such as Brenda Daniels, Trish Casey, and Diego Schoch. He has also had the chance to work with well-known choreographers Maurya Kerr, Larry Keigwin, Scott Rink, and Trish Lent. He has performed professionally with the Winston-Salem Festival of Ballet under the direction of Gary Taylor in North Carolina, and River North Dance Chicago under the direction of Frank Chaves. While at River North Dance Chicago he worked with Adam Barruch, Kevin Iega Jeff, Ashley Roland, and Ivan Perez. Levizadik is currently a dance instructor at the Chicago High School of the Arts.

Zineb Chraibi
Ballet B + Graham Technique + Yoga

A former dancer, Zineb Chraibi has performed with the Joseph Holmes Chicago Dance Theatre, Deeply Rooted Productions, Winifred Haun and Dancers as well as with various independent choreographers. She holds a BA in Dance from Point Park College in Pittsburgh, Pa. Ms. Chraibi grew up in Casablanca, Morocco where she first started training. She later returned to her native city of Paris to study ballet, modern, and jazz. She has also trained at Les ballets Jazz De Montreal, Ruth Page Dance Center and Lou Conte Dance Studios. She is currently on the faculty at the Dance Center of Columbia College, the Joffrey Ballet and guest teaches in the U.S. and abroad. She has also served on the faculty of the Conservatory of Dance at Barat College, The Chicago Academy for The Arts, The Joel Hall Dance Center, and taught at the Lou Conte dance Studio. In addition to teaching dance, Zineb is a certified Yoga and Pilates instructor who teaches in the U.S and abroad.

Imani English
Novice Ballet + Horton C + Introduction to Dance

A native of Madison, WI, Imani credits her early training to her mother, Karen Smith-English, Monona Academy of Dance, and the Madison Professional Dance Center’s performing company. She has received scholarships from The Wisconsin Dance Council, The Anthony Quinn Foundation, Dance Chicago, and was also awarded the Rahm Emmanuel Scholarship to attend intensive programs at River North Dance Chicago. Ms. English is a 2014 graduate and Valedictorian of the Chicago High School for the Arts. There, she performed repertoire from Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Muntu Dance Theater, the Joffrey Ballet, and performed with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in Memoria. Upon graduation from ChiArts, Imani joined DanceWorks Chicago in 2014 and in 2016 joined Dallas Black Dance Theatre’s DBDT: Encore! where she spent two seasons. During that time, she also performed with the Dallas Opera in Samson & Dalila and most recently with the Tony Award winning Dallas Theater Center in their production of the Broadway musical Hairspray. Throughout her career, Imani has performed works by renowned choreographers such as Harrison McEldowney, Kristofer Storey, Demis Volpi, Christopher Huggins, Jennifer Archibald, Tahehiro Ueyama, among others. Ms. English and has been on the faculty of the Dallas Black Dance Academy, The Chicago Multi-Cultural Dance Center, Steps Dance Center, and Visceral Dance Center. She has also taught for prestigious summer intensives in the Chicago area including The River North Chicago summer program, The Milwaukee Ballet School Summer Intensive, DanceWorks Chicago’s Dance360 program, and the Deeply Rooted Dance Theater Summer Intensive. Imani joined the dance faculty at the Chicago High School for the Arts in 2019 as a ballet instructor and has since additionally served as a Body Conditioning Instructor, Horton Instructor, and Rehearsal Assistant for multiple productions and guest artist works. In addition, Ms. English also teaches for Extensions Dance Company, Chicago Movement Collective, and other local studios in the Chicagoland area. Most recently, Imani commissioned a piece featured on Visceral Dance Company for the 2022 production of “Solus” as well as a new work created for Dance Wisconsin.

Tracey Franklin
Dance Department Head
Tracey Franklin is a native of Chicago. She began her training at the age of 16 at Joseph Holmes Dance Theater. In 1999, Ms. Franklin graduated from the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Certificate Program. In 2000, Ms. Franklin was a company member of Dallas Black Dance Theater for four years. In 2004, she returned to Chicago as a company member with Deeply Rooted Dance Theater for 12 years. Ms. Franklin has been a teaching artist in the Dance Conservatory for the past nine years, assistant to the department head for five years, and one Assistant Dean of Students.
Robin Gayle
Ballet D

Robin Gayle is a professional dancer, an established ballet teacher, and a certified Pilates instructor. She performed for nine seasons as a Soloist with the Columbia City Ballet, apprenticed with the Colorado Ballet, and has been a frequent guest artist around the country. Robin trained privately under Sherry Moray and Alla Osipenko and attended the Académie de Danse Classique Princesse Grace in Monte Carlo, the Ruth Page School of Dance, and the Chicago Academy for the Arts. Her summer intensives include the schools of American Ballet Theatre, San Francisco Ballet, and Joffrey Ballet. Robin was a top finalist at the Youth America Grand Prix competition and chosen to perform at YAGP Galas in 2000 and 2001. Robin’s reviews include Dance Magazine’s late Ann Barzel, who praised Robin as a “uniquely talented dancer,” and the Chicago Sun-Times’ Hedy Weiss, who characterized Robin’s dancing as “brilliant.” Additional credits include appearing in the movie “Save the Last Dance,” the TV show “Sabado Gigante,” and modeling for Capezio and Leo’s Dancewear. Robin has had the pleasure of working with the dancers at ChiArts since 2017.

Florence Walker-Harris
Hip-Hop

Florence Walker-Harris Director/Choreographer/Visionary & Mentor. Flo, affectionately known as MzFlo, is a descendant of Haiti by way of Queens, New York. Since 1996 she has been taking the Chicago arts scene by storm. When she is not on a project choreographing, directing or producing you can find her passionately teaching, inspiring and empowering our youth through the world of performing arts. Trained in many disciplines; Jazz (strongly influenced by the late and beloved Frank Hatchet), Ballet, Modern Contemporary, traditional Haitian Folklore, Tap and Hip Hop. She also holds a B.S. in Sociology from the State University College at Oneonta in New York and a Master’s Degree in Human Service Administration Program Development from National Lewis University. Mz. Flo has also been a professor for nine years at Chicago State University, and is an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. of the Chicago Alumnae Chapter. MzFlo has received much recognition for her work including Jeff Awards for best choreographer in a midsize musical; a Jeff Nomination for a large size musical; The Black Theater Alliance Katherine Dunham Award for Best Choreography in a Musical to name a few. Her most recent credit as Choreographer on the MSMT stage for the epic and most compelling play into a musical, The Color Purple. She is currently a member of ChiArts Dance faculty as a HipHop instructor and the Dance Director for Francis W. Parker. Serving the community of artists while wearing many hats as Choreographer, Artistic Director, Creative Director to Producing and simply uplifting the next generation all across the city of chicago, she continues to encourage, motivate, and inspire her motto remains the same “Success is in the Journey not the Destination.” Along with having an impact in the Theater, Mrs. Walker-Harris has added another hat to her list of titles as entrepreneur and president of her company FLO FIYAH LLC and her NonProfit organization, Fiyah. Edifying. Empowering. Developing., better known as F.E.E.D. Flo Walker Harris is a multi ethnic interdisciplinary artistic change agent who continues to galvanize the arts world. She believes in direct, collaborative and transformational leadership pushing the boundaries of Art beyond the dance floor.

Greer Hutchison

Born and raised in Chicago, Greer Hutchison studied the majority of her pre-highschool years at Dance and Music Academy under the mentorship and teachings of Krissie Odegard-Geye. In 2011, Greer attended the Chicago High School for the Performing Arts, where she trained and performed works by former director Sarah Ford Thompson, Lizzie MacKenzie, Reginald Harris, and Brian McGinnis; along with guests from Gus Giordano and Hubbard Street. Greer studied summers at Peridance Capezio Center and the Hubbard Street Dance Chicago intensive, with a full tuition scholarship provided by the Anthony Quinn Foundation. Greer graduated with her BFA from UNC School of the Arts in 2019 where she had also served as Student Body President during her senior year. There she had worked with faculty members such as Brenda Daniels, Sean Sullivan, Abigail Yager, Ming Lung-Yang, and Kira Blazek-Ziaii. There she also studied the repertoire of Natalie Desche, Charles Zarney, Martha Graham, Kelly Maxner and Aszure Barton. Greer has had the honor of performing professionally with UNCSA at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre in NYC as well as with Mandala South Asian Performing Arts in Chicago. Post University, she has worked as a teacher and choreographer for Greensboro Performing Arts as well as UNCSA’s Acting Out program in North Carolina. This season, Greer is excited to join her second season with Trifecta Dance Collective as a Principal Dancer and choreographer as well as return to perform and choreograph with Mandala South Asian Arts. Greer is also honored to be teaching at Dance and Music Academy and The Chicago High School for the Arts.

David Mathews
Writer's Studio I + Poetry Workshop + Dance Administrative Assistant

David Mathews earned his MA in Writing & Publishing at DePaul University. His work has been nominated for Best of the Net, a Pushcart, and he was a finalist in the Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Awards. His recent publications include Midwestern Gothic, Eclectica Magazine, Belt Magazine’s Rust Belt Chicago: An Anthology, and Open Heart Chicago: An Anthology of Chicago Writing.

Nicole Scatchell
Ballet C + Musical Theatre Dance I + Musical Theatre Dance III

Nicole Scatchell holds a bachelor’s degree in Dance and a minor in Business Management, her teaching license to teach Dance K-12 in public schools and is currently pursuing a master’s in Counseling Psychology. Nicole has been a dedicated dance educator in CPS, domestically, and internationally for over 16 years. She is the Artistic Director of Chicago Dance Institute, on faculty at Chicago High School for the Arts, Harold Washington College, Joffrey Academy, and Dance Director of All City Performing Arts. Her choreography for ChiArt’s mainstage musical was nominated for Best Choreography through National High School Musical Theatre Awards. In partnership with WorldWide Orphans, Nicole has led and directed international programming in Haiti teaching local children and training local teachers in pedagogy. Nicole has trained with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Joffrey Ballet, and Ballet Legere. She has performed with the International Ballet Ensemble and companies including BONEdanse, Zephyr Dance, David Dorfman, Dropshift Dance and has worked with choreographers such as Peter Carpenter, Reggie Wilson, Jan Bartosek, Tammy Thomas, Sean France, among others. She has performed for audiences across the U.S, Scotland, Italy, France, and Germany. She continues to perform professionally and is earning credentials to pursue her dream of integrating arts education, mental health, and community intervention.

Ted Seymour
Ballet E + Develop Virtuosity + Senior Open Studio + Senior Repertoire

Ted Seymour was born in Dallas, Texas where he trained at the Dallas Metropolitan Ballet. He moved to Chicago to study with Dan Duell and Patricia Blair as a member of the Ballet Chicago Studio Company. Ted later attended The School of American Ballet where he choreographed two ballets for the school and was invited by Peter Martins to create a new ballet for the New York Choreographic Institute. After leaving SAB, he joined Cedar Lake Contemporary dance Company. Ted joined Suzanne Farrell Ballet in 2007 where he has danced featured roles in Balanchine’s Episodes, La Valse, and the Act II pas de deux from A Midsummer Night’s Dream among others.