CHRP provides high quality educational programs that offer a range of experiences that teach artistic skills, enhance social and emotional learning, support other academic subjects and lead students to lifelong engagement with the arts.
Programs are tailored to each individual school and vary based on dance and music genres, length of residency, and hours per week. CHRP offers a range of opportunities, including long- and short term residencies, masterclasses, lecture demonstrations, and field trips to our south side dance center, the Mayfair Arts Center.
IGNITION
CHRP provides rhythm-based, lecture-demonstrations and master classes in K-12 settings throughout Chicago.
“Ignition” moments expand the minds and imaginations of students who have had little or no access to percussive dance. Almost every great artist can point to a moment that led to a lifetime of artistic practice. While deep engagement is important, we do not discount the deep impact of “ignition” opportunities.
IMMERSION
Through our world class Tap Scholar program and summer intensives, our immersion programs bring together world renowned teachers with gifted students which accelerates the advancement of the individual as well as the field.
Alumni from these programs have included a MacArthur “Genius” Fellow, Michelle Dorrance, Jazz at Lincoln Center Soloist, Jared Grimes, and numerous leaders of the field of dance education, creation and performance including Dani Borak, Jumaane Taylor, Nico Rubio, Star Dixon, Chandler Brown, Ian Berg among others.
WE ALL GOT RHYTHM INSTRUCTORS
ENGAGEMENT
We also offer extended residencies during or after-school. These programs are supported in part by the Creative Schools Fund and individual donors.
CHRP’s in-school/after-school education programs help to level the playing field at a critical early age for underserved Chicago young people attending public schools that lack sufficient funds to offer high-quality, standards-based dance education programming. CHRP’s partner schools are located across Chicago.
If you are interested in bringing rhythm to your school, or would be interested in funding a CHRP outreach program for elementary and high school students, please contact:
Canisha Russ
Arts Education Manager
312-542-2477
Later that year, she premiered as a principal dancer in Ugly Flavors. A livestream work sample performance piece created by tap dancer Jumaane Taylor, premiered at The Dance Center of Columbia College. Keyana has also dedicated her time in being a professional stuntwoman featured on television shows such as Power Book IV: Force and the Chi. Keyana strongly believes in empowering underserved youth in Chicago through the education of the performing arts to help reflect on and envision their futures.
Markeya Olokunsmoon Howard
Keyana Latimer
Keyana was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois and began her dance training at The Academy of Dance Arts. At the age of nine, she began choreographing dances teens in Chicago’s North Lawndale community. She made her professional debut in 2009, as a Junior Luvabulls and Bulls Kidz for Chicago’s NBA team and in 2010 was selected to be dancer for the legendary band Pink Floyd. In 2020, she appeared as an actor on Fox’s television show, “Empire” and “The Chi” on Showtime.
Markeya was introduced to West African and Caribbean dance from the late Regina Taitts Founder & Artistic Director of NuNu Fatima Dance Company in the late 1990’s. Regina trained Markeya to the level of professionalism where she then went on to such West African dance companies such as Alyo Children's Dance Company, Najwa Dance Corp., Muntu Dance Theater of Chicago, and now she’s the Founder & Artistic Director of Mofindu Urban Village Dance Company.
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By the way of Mofindu’s Mo’Drum Mo’Dance programs Markeya has gained a great reputation for being an awesome beginner’s drum and dance instructor. She has taught health and wellness through music, song, and dance to thousands of youths and adults for more than 15 years. Markeya is steadfast on continuing her mission of making urban villages of youth and families by removing violence and generational trauma through traditional West African & Caribbean drum and dance..
Monternez Rezell
Monty has been selected as one of the top choreographers from Chicago to showcase in the Carnival Chicago 2011 and the Carnival Chicago 2012, a Choreographer's Ball that puts the top choreographers in the world on the same stage all in one night. He was also selected as a member of the USA dance team to compete as a soloist in the World Hip hop Championship 2010 and 2012 in Bochum, Germany. Monty's goal is to continue to spread H.I.P. H.O.P. Healthy Independent People helping Other People. His motto is Pray, Prepare, Perform and remember to always feel the beat!
Julie Matolo
Inspiring artistic growth, imagination, self confidence, community and discipline, are class staples.
Julie can be seen performing in film, television, music videos, large arenas, theaters, stages, corporate venues, festivals and beyond!
Julie looks to continue to grow everyday as an artist, a performer, a teaching artist and a mentor!!
Jarais Musgrove
Jarais has been seen in regional stage productions at Chicago Shakes, Drury Lane Theater, Paramount Aurora, and Steppenwolf. Within the educational sphere, they hope to not only foster the next generation of dance stewards but to also help youth develop a liberatory relationship with the craft regardless of their long term life goals.
Brenda (Malika) Moore
Monternez Rezell, also known as Monty, is a Choreographer, Dancer, and Teacher of all styles of Hip Hop/Break Dance, as well as tumbling. Monty is Co-Artistic Director of the world famous Stick and Move dance crew (Seen on America's Got Talent season 7), Artistic Director/Founder of Monternez Rezell’s Movement Revolution and one of the choreographers of Hip Hop Chicago, an artist collective that performs all the elements of the Hip Hop culture. Hip Hop Chicago was selected to represent Chicago and the USA at the World Expo in Shanghai, China in 2010. Monty has been blessed to travel around the world performing and teaching master classes and workshops everywhere from Chicago to Shanghai, Paris to Germany and Uganda.
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(She/Her) Julie Matolo is an accomplished dancer, acrobat, aerialist, stunt performer, actor, choreographer and teaching artist. Julie toured with the largest touring stunt show, “MARVEL Universe Live”, where she played Agent Maria Hill and Black Cat, in addition to multiple other tracks in the show. She considers The Joel Hall Dancers her longtime home dance company.
As a Teaching Artist, Julie has taught a diverse range of students and has worked with many children in Chicago and surrounding areas, California, Tennessee and Iowa.
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Jarais Musgrove is a Black, gender nonconforming Chicago-based actor, dancer, vocalist, writer, and model from Joliet, IL. They grew up performing on the stage and for their community which eventually led them to receiving a BFA in Musical Theater-Dance from Roosevelt University’s Theater Conservatory.
Ms. Moore was also Artist-In-Residence for the City of Chicago and has served on the Dance Program Advisory Panel for the Illinois Arts Council, Technical Advisory Dance Committee for Walter H. Dyett High School for the Arts & Alvin Ailey Ambassador for the Auditorium Theater of Roosevelt University.
Malika's focus is to develop dancers in the intergenerational transfer of dance.
Amansu Eason
Eason began training Katherine Dunham Technique in 2008 and became a certified instructor in 2013. He has performed and trained with Chris Walker and Kevin Ormsby since 2016. Eason plans to continue learning, training, and sharing his passion for the arts with the world.
Barakissa Coulibaly
Amansu Eason began performing at age 4 with the Morning Bishop Theatre Playhouse, and at age 10 began studying ballet, jazz, tap, and modern at the Emerson School for the Visual and Performing Arts in his hometown of Gary, Indiana. Throughout his early career he has performed with Ben Harper, Euclid Gray, Celestial Voices and opened for artists such as Omarion, Marcus Houston, Mary Mary, Fred Hammond, Arrested Development, and the Brat. Eason began performing with Muntu Dance Theatre of Chicago, under the direction of Amaniyea Payne, around this time and would continue to perform with the company until 2021.
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In February 2017, Barakissa served as a guest instructor at the Houston Community College for the annual Akwaaba Dance and Drum festival and later in August 2017 became a dance instructor for S-Connection Aerial Arts in Gainesville, FL where she currently Instructs weekly dance classes. Additionally, Barakissa has established Gainesville’s first & only African Diaspora Festival, known as Don-Ba.
Barakissa Coulibaly is a member of the CID at UNESCO The International Dance Council. In Fall 2020, Barakissa joined the University of Florida's School of Theatre and Dance as an adjunct lecturer.
She also offered West African dance instruction to the local community alongside Ayodele Drum and Dance at Bedford Park in Chicago.
Lei'Sean Brooks
RECENT PARTNERSHIPS
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From the Southside of Chicago to Senegal, West Africa, Ms. Moore has fashioned a unique brand of mystical, magical dance in motion and considers herself a dance ambassador.
Ms. Moore's first dance teacher was Lucille Ellis, one of the original Katherine Dunham dancers, who provide scholarships for Ms. Moore to study with Katherine Dunham at her school in East St. Louis, IL.
Barakissa is a West African dancer and choreographer from Abobo, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. She started her career in traditional African dance in 1990 with “Fotemogoban”.
In fall 2012, she traveled to the United States to choreograph and perform for the University of Florida’s (UF) “Agbedidi” annual show. Soon after, in 2013 Barakissa formed the philanthropy known as Petit Coeur d'Afrique/Barakissa Coulibaly-Foundation supporting the youth of Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
In Fall 2014 as well as Spring 2015 Barakissa served as a guest choreographer at the University of North Carolina Asheville's and dance instructor with Studio Zahiya of Asheville, North Carolina.