Robert McKee is the Artistic Director of Inaside Chicago Dance.  He is a former dancer in Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago and was a guest performer for several dance companies in the Chicago area.  Robert began an interest in Choreography at a very young age.  He often uses everyday experiences and emotions to inspire his unique blend of jazz and contemporary movements in his dances.  Through his passion of movement exploration and a love for teaching, he has choreographed for his own company, studios, and Universities in the US and Europe.  Driven to connect with dancers of all ages, Robert instills the foundation of technique and quality in any group he is working with. 

ROBERT MCKEE

SEPTEMBER 18 & 20

Originally from Atlanta, GA, Joshua Blake Carter joined Giordano Dance Chicago in 2009 as a member of Giordano II. He then danced for seven seasons with GDC’s main company where he had the opportunity to perform works by Frank Chaves, Peter Chu, Ron De Jesús, Autumn Eckman, Gus Giordano, Ray Leeper, Ray Mercer, Mia Michaels and more. Joshua is in his eighth season as Director of Giordano II and he also acts as Operations Manager for the organization.  As a choreographer, Joshua’s works have been celebrated nationwide. In 2009, he was selected as the winner of Wonderbound's (formerly Ballet Nouveau Colorado) national choreography competition, dancemakers2.0, and in the spring of 2013 he was one of six winners commissioned to create a new work for DanceWorks Chicago's DanceMoves choreography competition. Later in 2013, Joshua was awarded the Producers' Panel Prize by the Ruth Page Foundation for his work, Ripen. He’s created two original works for Giordano Dance Chicago and eight original works for Giordano II. Most recently, Joshua was nominated for a 2019 Regional Broadway World Award for Best Choreography for his work on Disney’s NEWSIES at the Paramount Theatre. Other commissions include Missouri Contemporary Ballet, Nomi Dance Company, Visceral Dance Chicago, and Artifact Dance Project as well as an original work for Embarq with Joffrey Ballet. Additionally, Joshua created the finale for the 2016 event Sing! featuring Elton John. Joshua has been an Artist in Residence with Brenau University, Glendale Community College, and Illinois State University.

JOSHUA BLAKE CARTER

OCTOBER 4

Ryan Galloway is from New Richmond, IN and spent his early years studying tap, jazz, and hip-hop.  He performed with the professional troupe Fever Inferno Hip-Hop Squad and also earned many titles at national dance competitions.  He was introduced to contemporary dance in college at Indiana University, and was quickly cast in many guest works including Paul Taylor’s Esplanade, David Parsons’ Nascimento Novo, Larry Keigwin’s Runaway, and Ishan Rustem’s Long Story Short.  He also performed at the National College Dance Festival at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and was awarded the Provost’s Award for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity in the category of Performing and Creative Arts.  Ryan has performed with Elizabeth Shea Dance at the Boston Contemporary Dance Festival, the American Dance Guild’s Festival 2014 at the Ailey Citigroup Theatre, the Midwest Dance Festival, and as a guest with the Indianapolis-based Dance Kaleidoscope, directed by former Graham dancer David Hochoy. He is thrilled to make his debut with Giordano Dance Chicago as a Senior Performing Associate and looks forward to the rest of the season and many to come.

RYAN GALLOWAY

NOVEMBER 8

Robert McKee is the Artistic Director of Inaside Chicago Dance.  He is a former dancer in Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago and was a guest performer for several dance companies in the Chicago area.  Robert began an interest in Choreography at a very young age.  He often uses everyday experiences and emotions to inspire his unique blend of jazz and contemporary movements in his dances.  Through his passion of movement exploration and a love for teaching, he has choreographed for his own company, studios, and Universities in the US and Europe.  Driven to connect with dancers of all ages, Robert instills the foundation of technique and quality in any group he is working with. 

ROBERT MCKEE

JANUARY 17

Jacob Frazier started his dance training in Ballet, Modern, and Jazz in Cincinnati, Ohio. He graduated from Butler Tech School of the Arts in 2012 and attended Point Park University where he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance with a concentration in Modern Dance. While attending Point Park, Jacob has had the privilege of training and performing a variety of works by José Limóne, Lar Lubovitch, Dwight Rhoden, Mark Morris, Brian Enos, Jessica Lange, Douglas Bentz, and served as dance/fight captain for Oklahoma! under the direction of Patrick Cassidy. In 2014 Jacob attended the Indigenous Dance Residency at the Banff Centre. After attending the residency Jacob returned to Banff as a company member with Red Sky in which he performed as a dancer and choreographer in multiple showcases in Banff and Vancouver Canada. Jacob most recently finished his fourth season dancing with Giordano Dance Chicago and his third season as a main company member. While being in the company Jacob has had the opportunity to teach for Giordano Dance Chicago’s Jazz Dance Science and Health program. Educating Chicago youth and sharing the art form of dance. Jacob has also had the privilege of choreographing for Giordano on Giordano the past three years. Jacob has taught all over the country including the Big Island, Hawaii. While in Hawaii Jacob was honored to teach for University of Hilo Hawaii as well as perform in multiple shows with Giordano Dance Chicago. Since moving to Chicago in 2016 Jacob has performed in Randy Duncan’s Dance For Life Finale/Opening number. Jacob has performed multiple times on the Pritzker Stage in Milenium Park including Randy Duncan’s choreography for the 10th annual Chicago Dance Festival and Summer Dance with Giordano Dance Chicago. In the summer of 2017 Jacob had the opportunity to be Assistant Producer of Unity in Dance at the Pride Arts Center in Uptown, Chicago. Jacob continues to lead his life with an open heart and open mind by sharing the passion of dance and art with the world. Love, light, and gratitude. 

JACOB FRAZIER

FEBRUARY 6

Maeghan, named one of Dance Magazine’s Top 25 to Watch in 2010, was born in Baltimore, MD. She studied at the Baltimore School for the Arts where she performed works by David Parsons, David Grenke, and John Clifford. She received a full scholarship to Dance Theatre of Harlem, where she performed with the Dancing Through Barriers Ensemble. While in New York, Maeghan studied at Steps on Broadway and performed with Extended Dance Company, as well as off-Broadway under the direction of Tony-award winner, Hinton Battle. She has also participated in the Jazz Dance World Congress, The Miss America Parade, and Dancers Responding to Aids Benefit. In 2005 Maeghan received a full scholarship to GDS, and in 2006 became a performing apprentice. 2007 marked her first season with GDC, making this her sixth season. Along with establishing herself as a well recognized dancer, she has grown as a choreographer. Her work, “The Winner Is,” was performed opening night of Dance Chicago. In March her choreography was part of Youth America Grand Prix’s “Stars of Today Meet the Stars of Tomorrow” tour. In May 2011 her choreography, "Angelica," was performed as part of Dancin’ Downtown at The Joyce where it received the Performance Award. This piece will be performed in NYC during the Central Park Summer Stage Festival.

MAEGHAN MCHALE

APRIL 17