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Dionna Pridgeon

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Teacher Bio

Dionna PridGeon is an independent artist and entrepreneur from Chicago. Dionna is a 15 year Dance Educator, who has resided in 4 cities: Chicago, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, and New York. She's served on faculty at Lou Conte Dance Studio (The Hubbard Street Dance Center), Debbie Reynolds Dance Studio and Visceral Dance Center; On the east coast, she taught classes at Broadway Dance Center and various other prestigious teaching institutions, Princeton University, on the west coas...read more

Dionna PridGeon is an independent artist and entrepreneur from Chicago. Dionna is a 15 year Dance Educator, who has resided in 4 cities: Chicago, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, and New York. She's served on faculty at Lou Conte Dance Studio (The Hubbard Street Dance Center), Debbie Reynolds Dance Studio and Visceral Dance Center; On the east coast, she taught classes at Broadway Dance Center and various other prestigious teaching institutions, Princeton University, on the west coast at Edge Performing Arts Center, Movement Lifestyle, LA Contemporary Dance and Loyola Marymount University. Dionna taught a Master Class at The Pulse on Tour – Atlantic City and was a Guest Judge for The Pulse on Tour – New York City. Internationally, she has taught workshops in Montreal, Norwa,y and Germany. Her contemporary class was once featured in Dance Magazine.

She worked as a model for Lily’s Talent Agency and CTG. She studied with Rennie Harris at Puremovement (Philadelphia), received scholarships and recognition from Monsters of Hip Hop, The Pulse on Tour, and Dance Spirit Magazine. She has performed in both concert and commercial dance, in works by Lou Conte, Robert Battle, Danny Burczeski, Margo Sappington, Doug Bentz, and Kim Bears Bailey, as well as with commercial choreographers: Brian Friedman, Kevin Maher, NappyTabs, Shaun Evaristo, Ian Eastwood, Justin Giles, Rhapsody, Luam, and more. She's danced with companies such as The Pillow Project (PA), Pittsburgh Dance Ensemble, Dance 2XS (Chicago), and was a former Resident Choreographer for Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre (Chicago). Dionna also worked as a hairstylist on the Brittany Spears Circus Tour (Chicago).

Dionna's choreography has been set on UIC, Chi Arts HS, Joffrey Ballet School Ballet, Jazz and Contemporary Trainees, The Ailey Extension, plus numerous suburban and competition studios. She has showcased work at venues such as Chicago's Orchestra Hall, Pritzker Pavilion - Millennium Park, The Athenaeum Theatre, and Choreographer’s Carnival (CHI/LA/NY), and in New York at Queensboro Dance Festival, Actors Art Fund, Players Theatre, Symphony Space, Buddy Warren Gallery, Salvatore Capezio Theatre, and Ailey Citigroup Theatre.

Dionna has a dance degree from Point Park University and is the Founder and Creative Director of moveDIPR.

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Class Descriptions

Contemporary

Class begins with a very thorough warmup process; connecting mind/body/spirit. Dionna uses an organic approach to warmup - never starting the class in the same way. “Our bodies feel differently from day to day,” so why not experience warmup...in different ways?

Dionna’s warmup is a break from the classical and traditional forms. However, she focuses on centering, breath, finding length, conditioning, short sequences and moving away from a stationary base. In addition, a more therapeutic form of improv is also incorporated to help dancers explore their own voices.

The class will ALWAYS learn a piece of choreography that holds a more organic, human approach, which allows for subtly and freedom. Her choreography bounces from a Contemporary Modern to Contemporary Jazz, to a Contemporary Hip-Hop vibe.

Jazz/Funk/Hip-Hop

Class begins with a classic form of stretching, isolations, and conditioning. Dionna's style is very clean, groovy and at times, very detailed; It varies from performance to precision! Music is the impetus for her street choreography. Dionna believes that: “Musicality is everything!”