2026 CRB Dancers: Molly Gemerchak

Molly began her training at Illinois Ballet Theater under the direction of Susan Snider. At 16, she left Iowa to attend boarding school, first at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts under Dean Ethan Stiefel, and later at Interlochen Arts Academy under Director Cameron Basden. She went on to earn her BFA in Dance from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music under the direction of Jiang Qi.

During her senior year, Gemerchak completed a co-op in Boston, dancing with BoSoma Dance Company (Katherine Hooper), City Ballet Boston (Tony Williams), and SunDanceX (David Sun). After graduating, she continued performing while cultivating her passion for teaching, joining the faculty at Boston College and Tony Williams Dance Center.

In 2018, Gemerchak returned to the Midwest, performing with Joel Hall Dancers (Jacki Sinclair) and Esoteric Dance Project (Brenna and Christopher Tucker). She joined Chicago Repertory Ballet in 2019 as an apprentice and was promoted to company artist in 2021.

Career highlights include touring Spring Waters, guesting with the Schaumburg Dance Ensemble, choreographing a 14 minute ballet (Effacé, 2024), teaching for North West Ballet Academy and Logan Square Pilates, and performing works by Kevin Jenkins, Lindsey Leduc, Gino DiMarco, Mariana Oliveira, Mike Tyus, Brian Enos, Taylor Mitchell, Braeden Barnes, and Wade Schaaf.

2026 CRB Dancers: Tessa Castellano

Born in Atlanta, Tessa started dancing at the age of two, and at nine began training with The Atlanta Ballet. During high school she studied the RAD syllabus and passed all vocational exams with the highest honor of Distinction, qualifying her for the Adeline Genée International Ballet Competition (now Margot Fonteyn) where she was a semi-finalist. In 2015 Tessa launched her professional career with The Georgia Ballet and quickly progressed to principal roles by 2018. She then joined Eugene Ballet in Oregon and toured the Pacific Northwest performing corps de ballet and demi-soloist roles in The Nutcracker and Swan Lake, as well as in original productions by Artistic Director Toni Pimble and Resident Choreographer Suzanne Haag. Tessa possesses a decade of teaching experience in various styles, and in 2021 moved to South Carolina to become Gracefully Fierce Dance Company’s Ballet and Pointe Director, in addition to choreographing award winning competition pieces. With a recent move to Chicago in the fall of 2024, Tessa is currently an instructor at All About Dance, and is excited for her first season with Chicago Repertory Ballet.

2026 CRB Dancers: Haley Baker

Haley Baker is originally from Enola, Pennsylvania and has been dancing since the age of three. She began her classical ballet training at Pennsylvania Regional Ballet in 2010 under the direction of Sandra Carlino. She also attended Ribbon Mill Ballet in Carlisle, Pennsylvania with individual coaching from Leslie Hench. She has attended summer programs at Pennsylvania Ballet, Miami City Ballet, the USA/IBC Dance School, and Joffrey Ballet Chicago. Baker went on to attend Indiana University and graduated from the Jacobs School of Music in 2020 with a Bachelor of Science in Ballet and an Outside Field in Psychology. In her time at Indiana University, Baker performed in a wide variety of works from choreographers such as George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Twyla Tharp, Penny Saunders, and Mark Morris. In her senior year, Baker performed as Sugar Plum in Michael Vernon’s The Nutcracker and was working with Sasha Janes on the role of Cinderella in his new production of the full length classic. After graduation, she joined Grand Rapids Ballet where she danced for two seasons, performing in works such as George Balanchine’s Serenade and Christopher Stowell’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Baker is currently in her third season with Chicago Repertory Ballet and on faculty at Chicago Ballet Center.

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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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 Rachel

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 first season with Chicago Repertory Ballet

Celebrate10! Gala A Success!

Thank you to everyone who attended our Celebrate10 gala! The evening was filled with fun, laughter and some very important philanthropy all in support of Chicago Repertory Ballet’s 10th annual season. We had a wonderful performance by the company dancers choreographed by Artistic Director Wade Schaaf. As well our Youth Ensemble joined us with a performance of their new ballet “Petite Suite”. Please enjoy some photos shot throughout the evening by @DanielleCarpenterPhotography (You can find her at that handle on social media).