Rachel Schmidt began her dance training with Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre under the direction of Robert Kelley and Diane Cypher. Upon graduating from Butler University in 2015 she moved to San Francisco, California where she danced as a trainee with Alonzo King LINES Ballet and later as a company member of dawsondanceSF, lead by Gregory Dawson. In 2019 she moved to New York City and performed with Brooklyn Ballet, Dance Lab New York as part of the Alchemy Lab Cycle at the Guggenheim Museum, and Visions Contemporary Ballet before moving to Chicago at the start of 2022. She has performed in works by Alonzo King, Sidra Bell, Maurya Kerr, Gregory Dawson, David Harvey, Robert Dekkers, and Susan McGuire. This is her third season with Chicago Repertory Ballet.
Meet Miriam-Rose
Miriam-Rose is a multi-passionate creative focused on ballet, music, and business. After earning her bachelor’s degree in Performing Arts and Business from Indiana University, she launched her dance career in Chicago. Ms. LeDuc has performed numerous featured roles with Chicago Repertory Ballet, including Lady Macbeth in Wade Schaaf’s Macbeth, The Chieftess in The Rite of Spring, and Winter from The Four Seasons. She’s grateful to have danced in additional works by Shannon Alvis, Taylor Mitchell, Mariana Oliviera, and Ryan Jolicoeur-Nye.
Ms. LeDuc made her choreographic debut with the creation of Morning Song in 2017 and has since produced works for Chicago Repertory Ballet and Project 606. When she's not pursuing art, she supports purpose-driven entrepreneurs through marketing and operations services and enjoys time with her husband and busy toddler.
Meet Rachel
Rachel Day began her formal ballet training in Geneva, IL under the direction of Elise Flagg studying Balanchine technique. She went on to complete her Bachelors of Fine Arts in Dance Performance at Northern Illinois University (NIU) and completed her degree in December of 2022. There, she studied under Judith Chitwood, Paula Frasz, Richard Grund, and Marc Macaranas. While at NIU, she was awarded the Victoria Young Scholarship, the Rene LeBeau Scholarship award, and the Talented Student Tuition Waiver. Rachel had opportunities to work on projects outside of NIU with DanceLoop Chicago on a film project titled “Maybe We Don’t Know Love” which was awarded audience choice at Life In Motion film festival in Colorado. Most recently, she performed a work choreographed by Marc Macaranas for Big Muddy Dance Fest in 2022. After graduation Rachel joined Chicago Repertory Ballet as a Performing Apprentice and is going on her second season with the company.
Meet Tyla
Tyla A. Howell, a native of Atlanta, Georgia, began her formal dance training at Ballethnic Academy of Dance, and Tri Cities High School both located in East Point, Georgia. She spent her summers at the Dance Theatre of Harlem, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, and Dance Canvas Next Generation Summer Intensives. Tyla is a graduate of Point Park University where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in dance with a focus in classical ballet. While at Point Park, she had the opportunity to perform in and learn works by Daniel Karasik, Maree Remalia,Terrell Rogers, Lindsay Fisher Viatori, Christopher Wheeldon and many others. Shortly after graduating Tyla joined the Georgia Ballet where she spent two seasons as a trainee with the professional company. Most recently, she returned to Ballethnic as a Guest Artist and performed a variety of roles in The Urban Nutcracker and Waverly T. Lucas' signature ballet, The Leopard Tale. Tyla is ecstatic to be here in Chicago dancing with CRB!
Vibrant Variations Performance Photos
Audiences loved CRB’s recent performance of Vibrant Variations at the Studebaker Theater for the diverse works presented. The staff and dancers were pushed artistically, and they rose to the challenge! Check out these performance photos by KT Miller.
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Dancer Spotlight: Miriam-Rose LeDuc
Happy Holidays! I am thrilled to introduce you to Miriam-Rose LeDuc. This January, it will be her sixth anniversary of being a Chicago Repertory Ballet dancer! She started dancing at age five. At age nine, Andrei Bossov of Bossov Ballet Theatre asked her if she wanted to be a ballerina when she grew up, and she has done it! Growing up in Washington, D.C., she trained at the Kirov Academy of Ballet and then went to Indiana University and graduated with a bachelor's degree in Ballet and Performing Arts. After graduation, she moved to Chicago, launched her dance career and we are so honored to have her as part of our Chicago Repertory Ballet family!
Recently, I had the opportunity to ask her some questions and learn more about one of the dancers that make our company special!
Why do you enjoy being a Company member?
Artistic Director Wade Schaaf's choreography pushes the boundaries between classical and contemporary ballet. It's a rewarding artistic challenge and thrilling to dance. On a personal note, CRB has become my dance family. My fellow artists are some of the most supportive humans I've ever met, and it's an honor to share the studio and stage with them.
What are some of your favorite performances with Chicago Repertory Ballet?
My favorite role was Lady Macbeth in Wade Schaaf's Macbeth (Spring 2019). I loved delving into the character and bringing her to life through movement and expression. One of my favorite sequences from Wade's work is a series of turns featured in Grand Pianola Music: On The Great Divide (Spring 2018). They get faster and faster and finish in a dramatic flourish, and it's always fun to hear the delighted reaction from the audience.
What are some of your interests and talents outside of Chicago Repertory Ballet?
Outside of CRB, I'm a Marketing and Operations Specialist for a web design company, and mom to my daughter, Josette. You can also find me cooking, writing, devouring audiobooks, and watching comedies.
It is an honor to learn more about you, Miriam-Rose, after watching you on stage for so many years!
To support Miriam-Rose and the rest of the CRB artists, please consider making a tax-deductible year-end donation. Donate Now
Gwyn
CRB Board Member & End of Year Giving Chair
Board Member Spotlight: Donna Spagnola
Gwen here! I had the wonderful opportunity to speak with our Treasurer, Donna Spagnola, and ask some questions about her service to Chicago Repertory Ballet. And if you went to The Ballet Bash, you may remember her receiving our Director’s Award for all the things she has done for the CRB!
What is your involvement and for how long have you been involved in CRB?
I have been Company Treasurer since fall 2018 and a patron of CRB for longer than that.
As a Pilates student of Wade’s, I know what a talented professional they are and was
therefore happy to get involved in CRB in a more meaningful way and help support and grow
the Company to a level I felt they were deserving of.
Why is donating to CRB important to you?
It was not until I became the Treasurer that I recognized the ongoing support needed by
donors to keep Theater and Arts organizations like CRB alive and thriving. Above all, it has
made me feel so good personally to support performances done so incredibly well with limited
resources.
What is your favorite thing about watching a CRB performance?
Having no artistic talent of my own, I am in awe of the talent, dedication and physicality
necessary to put together a top notch performance and to do it consistently the way CRB has
done for ten + years now.
Thank you, Donna, for all you do to support Chicago Repertory Ballet!
Gwyn
CRB Board Member & End of Year Giving Chair
THE BALLET BASH 2022, CRB's Annual Gala
Thanks to all that could join us in person and virtually for THE BALLET BASH, CRB’s Annual Gala in support of upcoming season 11. Such a fun night!
Meet Marco
Marco Clemente began his dance training at Ruth Page under the directorship of Larry Long and Dolores Lipinski-Long. Upon graduation he went on to dance for Dayton Ballet, Minnesota Ballet, Ballet Nebraska, and South Chicago Dance Theatre. He is extremely happy to be part of Chicago Repertory Ballet's 10th anniversary.
Chicago's homegrown ballet company celebrates a decade with "TEN".
After two years of economic downturn from America’s “great recession” and two more years of economic uncertainty 2012 was not the ideal climate in which to start a ballet company. What about the investors? What about the budget? What about sustainability?
But what about the passion? But what about the art?
These were the questions on Wade Schaaf’s mind. After ending an 11 year professional performing career that took them from Europe, to ballet companies around the country and back to Chicago Wade was ready for the next artistic step in their life. Economics aside Wade knew that if they were to do something big, the first step was to focus on the art.
And so it was. Challenge and circumstance aside, Chicago Repertory Ballet was born.
This Spring marks the ten year anniversary of Chicago’s homegrown contemporary ballet company touting the tagline ‘dance that defies labels’. Since 2012 CRB has produced an immense breadth of work from their well known one act ballets like “The Four Seasons” and “The Rite of Spring” to Schaaf’s critically acclaimed evening length work “Macbeth” all of which have been performed in Chicago and around the country.
We caught up with Wade and asked about this decade long journey: “As trite as it may sound running a company has truly been a rollercoaster. There have been mountain top experiences and those performance moments of sublime perfection as well as experiences that made me question everything. Running this company has been not only one of the most challenging experiences of my life, full of immense learning, but also one of the most rewarding. To see this little peanut of an idea grow into a highly successful organization that employs dancers, choreographers and designers from around the country has meant so much to me. I can’t wait for the next ten years!”.
In celebration of this milestone, Schaaf has engineered a Spring performance series chalk full of exciting works for both CRB fans and people who will experience the company for the first time. Dance lovers will be in for a real treat with three world premiere works on the program: a neo-classical ballet from Schaaf, a new Pas de Deux from Kia Smith of South Chicago Dance Theater and a new work from LA choreographer Mike Tyus. “The audience will be taken on a real journey with a concert which will range in style and emotional content.” said Schaaf. In celebration of CRB’s past, the company will reprise favorite dances “The Four Seasons” (in an excerpted format) and “Grand Pianola Music”.
“Mostly I’m just excited to have folks who have performed with the company and fans who have been on this journey with us in attendance in April.” said Schaaf.
Chicago Repertory Ballet will perform “TEN: celebrating 10 years of CRB” at the Atheneum Center for Thought and Culture April 1, 2, and 3 at 7:30pm on Friday and Saturday and 2:00pm on Sunday. Tickets can be purchased on CRB’s site at www.crb.dance or you can contact the Athenaeum box office. Group rates and senior discounts available.