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Joel Hall Dancers and Center
address: 1511 W. Berwyn Ave Chicago, IL 60640 - phone: 773-293-0900 or 877-737-0900
company members
Joel Hall is Artistic Director and Principal Choreographer for the Joel Hall Dancers and Chief Dance Instructor for the Joel Hall Dance Center. Co-founded in 1974 by Mr. Hall and the late Joseph
Ehrenberg, the Joel Hall Dancers & Center comprise one of Chicago’s most diverse and respected performing arts organizations. During the past thirty-three years, Mr. Hall has achieved an
international reputation for his dance company along with acclaim as a choreographer. He is noted as the creator of his own innovative Chicago urban jazz style of movement.
Mr. Hall’s unique dance style expresses a rich vocabulary of movement embracing both the classical and modern idioms. Mr. Hall also directs his annual and acclaimed mid-summer Joel Hall
Jazz Camp for children, parents and dance instructors. Apart from the many works created for his own company, Mr. Hall has choreographed for Maria Tallchief’s Chicago City Ballet,
Chicago Opera Theater, the Zenon Dance Company, Ballet Tennessee and Eisenhower Dance in Detroit. In addition, he was choreographer for Goldie Hawn’s now classic film Wildcats.
Under Mr. Hall’s leadership, the Joel Hall Dancers have performed nationally and internationally, in places such as New York City, England, Scotland, West Germany, Norway and the former
Soviet Union. Mr. Hall is the recipient of numerous awards including the Katherine Dunham Award, two Awards of Merit from the Black Theater Alliance and the King/Chavez/Parks Visiting
Scholar Award from Western Michigan University. Mr. Hall was inducted into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame by the late Mayor Harold Washington and in 2001 received the Black
and Hispanic Achiever of the Year Award from the Metropolitan YMCA of Chicago. A graduate of Northeastern Illinois University, Mr. Hall has received their Alumnus of the Year award.
Mr. Hall resides in his native Chicago.
Buenaventura Castrejón, a native of Escuchapa, Guerrero, México has been in the USUS for nine years, but it wasn’t until 2002 that he took his first dance class ever. Since then, the Joel Hall Dance Center has been instrumental in his development as a dancer. Buenaventura would like to thank all those nurturing instructors who have been involved in his education. Special thanks to Paul Sanasardo for his coaching and continuous guidance: “Thank you for believing in me!”
Kelli David-Low (Rehearsal Director) obtained a BA in English with a minor in Performance Dance from Illinois State University. She has performed with Ascension/
Kirby Reed Project (1996-2000/2002-2003), Dallas Black Dance Theatre (2000-2002), Instruments of Movement (2002-2003), The Joel Hall Dancers (1997-2000/2005), School Street Movement: The Sex Police (1996-2000/2002-2003) and Tyego Dance Project (1998-2000). She was the Rehearsal Director
for the Joel Hall Dancers (2002-2003) and School Street Movement: The Sex Police (2002-2003) before making her debut in Disney’s The Lion King National Cheetah Tour (2003-2005). Kelli hung up her dance shoes in 2005 and is currently Managing Partner of Watterson Transport, LLC, a proud member of Actor’s Equity, Treasurer of the Chicago Beverly Chapter of Mocha Moms and President of Joel Hall Dancers & Center Alumni Board.
Kareem R. Dixon Born in California,
Kareem began performing as a child in New York and continued to do so as he furthered his education after a move to Georgia. There he attended the Tri-Cities High Magnet School of Visual and Performing Arts where he majored in both Voice and Dance. At Iowa State University, he remained involved in the arts as a writer, singer, dancer, choreographer, and actor. After graduating with a BS in Biology Pre-Veterinarian Medicine, and a Minor in Dance, Kareem moved to Chicago to study at the Joel Hall Dance Studio. He intensified his training in dance there for three years as a member of the Joel Hall Dance Ensemble Second Company. This is his first season as a company member
with the Joel Hall Dancers. Kareem also dances with various other ensembles around the city such as DPCDT, GI Alliance, Ballet Entres Nous, and Five Star Boogie Productions.
Christina D. Eltvedt has danced
Christina D. Eltvedt has danced for the Joel Hall Dancers for three years. She loves working with this vibrant company and legendary choreographer Paul Sanasardo. She also enjoys teaching dance and making stained glass windows. Christina would like to thank you for giving her the opportunity to share her passion for dance on stage.
Eric Ford, a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is honored to be part of In The Shadow of Nina Simone. Since relocating to Chicago Mr. Ford has worked in the capacity of choreographer, dancer, and educator. He has appeared as a guest artist with the Salt Creek Ballet, Melissa Thodos & Dancers, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Dance Detour; Chicago’s first mixed abilities dance company. His work in the field of education includes collaborations
with the Chicago Park District, Urban Gateways and the Chicago Public Schools. This is Mr. Ford’s first season with the Joel Hall Dancers.
Courtney Hischke – born and raised in Nebraska, Courtney is a graduate of Oklahoma City University
with a Bachelors of Performing Arts in Dance Performance. She moved to Chicago with a scholarship
to the Gus Giordano Dance Center and joined the Joel Hall Dancers in 1999 where she continues to dance as a senior company member. She has also been a company member since 2002 with Instruments of Movement, and has been active in professional Chicago-area theatre (Drury Lane Water Tower, Drury Lane Oakbrook, Drury Lane Evergreen Park, Theater at the Center, and Chicago Center for Performing Arts) and is a proud member of the Actors Equity Association. She is Assistant Artistic Director of JHD 1511 and JHD II, and teaches in the surrounding suburbs and at Columbia College Chicago.
Tracey Hodgkin-Valcy received her early dance training from such Chicago greats as Stone Camryn, Orrin Kayan, Carlton Smith, and had her first dance classes with Jewel McLaurin. She has spent her entire professional dance career as a member of the Joel Hall Dancers, and she has regularly
performed with other companies such as, Bryant Ballet, as well as worked with directors Dominic Missimi and David Bell in musical theater productions of Hair, Carousel, West Side Story, and Matador. Her work in commercials and industrials includes Sears, Mercury Mountaineer, Jeep,
Kelli David-Low (Rehearsal Director) obtained a BA in English with a minor in Performance Dance from Illinois State University. She has performed with Ascension/
Kirby Reed Project (1996-2000/2002-2003), Dallas Black Dance Theatre (2000-2002), Instruments of Movement (2002-2003), The Joel Hall Dancers (1997-2000/2005), School Street Movement: The Sex Police (1996-2000/2002-2003) and Tyego Dance Project (1998-2000). She was the Rehearsal Director
for the Joel Hall Dancers (2002-2003) and School Street Movement: The Sex Police (2002-2003) before making her debut in Disney’s The Lion King National Cheetah Tour (2003-2005). Kelli hung up her dance shoes in 2005 and is currently Managing Partner of Watterson Transport, LLC, a proud member of Actor’s Equity, Treasurer of the Chicago Beverly Chapter of Mocha Moms and President of Joel Hall Dancers & Center Alumni Board.
Kareem R. Dixon Born in California,
Kareem began performing as a child in New York and continued to do so as he furthered his education after a move to Georgia. There he attended the Tri-Cities High Magnet School of Visual and Performing Arts where he majored in both Voice and Dance. At Iowa State University, he remained involved in the arts as a writer, singer, dancer, choreographer, and actor. After graduating with a BS in Biology Pre-Veterinarian Medicine, and a Minor in Dance, Kareem moved to Chicago to study at the Joel Hall Dance Studio. He intensified his training in dance there for three years as a member of the Joel Hall Dance Ensemble Second Company. This is his first season as a company member
with the Joel Hall Dancers. Kareem also dances with various other ensembles around the city such as DPCDT, GI Alliance, Ballet Entres Nous, and Five Star Boogie Productions.
Christina D. Eltvedt has danced
Christina D. Eltvedt has danced for the Joel Hall Dancers for three years. She loves working with this vibrant company and legendary choreographer Paul Sanasardo. She also enjoys teaching dance and making stained glass windows. Christina would like to thank you for giving her the opportunity to share her passion for dance on stage.
Eric Ford, a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is honored to be part of In The Shadow of Nina Simone. Since relocating to Chicago Mr. Ford has worked in the capacity of choreographer, dancer, and educator. He has appeared as a guest artist with the Salt Creek Ballet, Melissa Thodos & Dancers, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Dance Detour; Chicago’s first mixed abilities dance company. His work in the field of education includes collaborations
with the Chicago Park District, Urban Gateways and the Chicago Public Schools. This is Mr. Ford’s first season with the Joel Hall Dancers.
Courtney Hischke – born and raised in Nebraska, Courtney is a graduate of Oklahoma City University
with a Bachelors of Performing Arts in Dance Performance. She moved to Chicago with a scholarship
to the Gus Giordano Dance Center and joined the Joel Hall Dancers in 1999 where she continues to dance as a senior company member. She has also been a company member since 2002 with Instruments of Movement, and has been active in professional Chicago-area theatre (Drury Lane Water Tower, Drury Lane Oakbrook, Drury Lane Evergreen Park, Theater at the Center, and Chicago Center for Performing Arts) and is a proud member of the Actors Equity Association. She is Assistant Artistic Director of JHD 1511 and JHD II, and teaches in the surrounding suburbs and at Columbia College Chicago.
Tracey Hodgkin-Valcy received her early dance training from such Chicago greats as Stone Camryn, Orrin Kayan, Carlton Smith, and had her first dance classes with Jewel McLaurin. She has spent her entire professional dance career as a member of the Joel Hall Dancers, and she has regularly
performed with other companies such as, Bryant Ballet, as well as worked with directors Dominic Missimi and David Bell in musical theater productions of Hair, Carousel, West Side Story, and Matador. Her work in commercials and industrials includes Sears, Mercury Mountaineer, Jeep,
Katy Kempen has been a part of the Joel Hall dance community since 1997 when she first moved to Chicago. Katy performed with JHD II, served as an apprentice for the Joel Hall Dancers, and ultimately became a company member in 2002. In 2006, she was appointed artistic director of 1511, the pre professional teen company at the Joel Hall Dance Center. Katy has also been a company member of Instruments of Movement, where she had the honor of dancing the lead role “Suzanne”, the Christ figure, in the show Lifted. She received rave reviews from the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Reader for this performance. She danced for R. Kelly and Jay-Z on the best of both worlds tour where she was privileged to perform with many award-winning artists.
Merrick Mitchell is a veteran member of the Joel Hall Dancers. His professional dance career began with the Julian Swain Inner City Dance Theatre and Joseph Holmes Dance Theatre (where he danced under the direction of Joseph Holmes and Randy Duncan). He still considers himself a student and continues to take classes. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in biological sciences from Illinois State University. He is a member of the dance faculty of the Joel Hall Dance Center, teaches science in the Chicago Public School system, and is a very active member of his church. Merrick is blessed and thankful to be able to continue to share his craft.
Duwane Pendarvis has traveled across the U.S., Europe, and the former Soviet Union as a principal
dancer and assistant artistic director of the Joel Hall Dancers. In 1991, Duwane was a member of the national touring company of Sesame Street Live. Upon returning to his native Mississippi in 1992, he received three grants from the Jackson Arts Alliance. These grants enabled him to make his professional choreographic debut, “Family,” with Ballet Mississippi. In June 2000, Duwane returned to the faculty of the Joel Hall Dance Center where he currently teaches jazz and modern dance for children and adults. Since returning to Chicago, he has choreographed
for Gallery 37, JHDC “Dances from the Halls,” and Dance Chicago 2000 and 2001. He also serves as the director of JHD II.
Jacquelyn Sanders, studied ballet and danced for the Kalamazoo Ballet Company as a corps dancer and soloist under the direction of Therese Bullard.
After moving to Chicago, she studied with Deeply Rooted Dance Theatre and performed with them as an apprentice company member. She also performed extensively with the Tyego Dance Project before
joining the Joel Hall Dancers in 2004. Jackie is an accomplished costume designer who has created costumes for various dance companies in Chicago. She teaches ballet and modern technique at the
Hyde Park School of Ballet.
Jacqueline Sinclair is overjoyed to be celebrating another year of dance with her Joel Hall Family. Currently, she is the Director of Dance at Maine South
High School in Park Ridge, IL. Ms. Sinclair, aka Twister Storm, is also a co-founder of the 1960’s flavored Go-Go Troupe the Revelettes.
Vanessa Truvillion has been a devoted Joel Hall Dancer for over 20 years. She has choreographed for the Joel Hall Dancers, Dance Chicago, and the award winning film, “Soul Food.” Vanessa is a jazz dance instructor at Mayfair Academy
of Fine Arts and the Hyde Park School of Dance, both on the south side of Chicago. Her choreography has been seen throughout the Midwest. She thanks God for giving her the gift of dance.
Heather Zimny received her BA in dance from Columbia College Chicago in 2006. She is happy to be working with Joel Hall and grateful for the opportunity to work with Paul Sanasardo. Heather also performs with RASA Dance Chicago and is a cast member of DIAL, the JHDC’s educational outreach program. Heather wishes to thank those who have graciously supported her journey of dance.