Department: ChiArts Arts Conservatory Faculty

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.

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.

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.

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.