Meet Our Summer 2024 Guest Artists

Rachel Schmidt and Meghann Mueller

will be teaching our Ballet Intensive in June!

Rachel Schmidt

Rachel Schmidt was born and raised in Santa Cruz, CA and received her early dance training from Robert Kelley and Diane Cypher of Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre. After graduating from Butler University with a degree in Dance she joined the Alonzo King LINES Ballet training program and danced as a company member of dawsondanceSF in San Francisco, CA. She later joined Brooklyn Ballet and Visions Contemporary Ballet in New York, NY and performed at the Guggenheim Museum during Dance Lab NY’s Alchemy Lab Cycle. She has performed in works choreographed by Gerald Arpino, Alonzo King, Maurya Kerr, Sidra Bell, Gregory Dawson, Wade Schaaf, Mike Tyus and Kia Smith. She is currently in her third season with Chicago Repertory Ballet under the direction of Wade Schaaf.

Meghann Mueller

Originally from the Chicago area, Meghann began her early dance training at the Evanston School of Ballet, the Ruth Page Center for the Arts and the Lou Conte Dance Studio. Meghann continued her dance education at Texas Christian University where she had the opportunity to perform works by TCU faculty members, as well as by several guest artists including TCU Choreographer in Residence Fernando Bujones. She graduated from TCU, magna cum laude, with a BFA in Dance and a BA in History and returned to Chicago. In 2009, Meghann founded Project606 Dance, which for nine years was active in the Chicago arts community. She is currently the Rehearsal Director for Trifecta Dance Collective. In 2015, she joined the faculty at the Joffrey Academy of Dance and currently teaches classes in the Pre Professional, Dance Lab, Childrens and Adaptive Programs.

Braeden Barnes and Hattie Haggard Gobble

will be teaching our Contemporary Intensive in July.

Braeden Barnes

Braeden Barnes is a Chicago based director, choreographer and teacher. He found his love of choreography from a young age and has created work for over 15 years. Braeden danced professionally with companies including Balletmet, Joffrey Ballet Chicago, Billy Elliot the Musical, Nevada Ballet Theatre and Visceral Dance Chicago. He has worked with choreographers such as James Canfield, Paul Vasterling, Danielle Agami, Kevin O’Day, Mónica Cervantes, Marguerite Donlon, Matthew Neenan, and Lucas Crandall. As a choreographer, his work has been featured across the United States and\ abroad. Among these places, his work has won the first-place audience choice\ award at REVERBDance festival in New York, as well as first place for best choreography at YAGP in 2021. He has choreographed on companies such as Nevada Ballet Theatre, Cirque Du Soleil, Visceral Dance Chicago, Peoria Ballet, Waterstreet Dance Milwaukee, A&A Ballet, Common Conservatory, Indiana University Contemporary Department and for New Dances: a collaboration between Danceworks and Thodos Dance Chicago. In 2020, he started his own nonprofit danced-based company, Symbiosis Arts, which is based in Chicago. Symbiosis has produced full evening performances in Chicago and Denver and has commissioned choreographers such as Anna Long, Francisco Avina, Shannan Alvis, Jason Parsons, and Noelle Kayser. Symbiosis Arts is taking an expanded approach to incorporate multiple mediums of art, in hopes of questioning norms, building unorthodox collaborations, and being open-minded about how art can be seen and consumed. In addition to Symbiosis Arts, Braeden has recently taken on the role of Co-director of Visceral Encore, a company for dancers over 35.

Hattie Haggard Gobble

Hattie Haggard Gobble is a stylistically diverse dancer and choreographer originally from Plano, TX. She has trained extensively in Contemporary, Ballet, Modern, Jazz and Hip Hop for over 25 years. She has performed around the world with companies such as Thodos Dance Chicago, Dark Circles Contemporary Dance, and Sol Dans Company. She has won multiple awards for directing, producing, and choreographing for film and stage. Alongside performing and creating, Hattie regularly teaches classes in Contemporary, Ballet, Jazz and Musical Theatre. Her students have won national tiles and titlist runners-up for competitions such as NYCDA and The Dance Awards. She feels blessed to share her enthusiasm and whimsical style with the future generations of artists.

Rachel Schmidt and Meghann Mueller

will be teaching our Ballet Intensive in June!

Rachel Schmidt

Rachel Schmidt was born and raised in Santa Cruz, CA and received her early dance training from Robert Kelley and Diane Cypher of Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre. After graduating from Butler University with a degree in Dance she joined the Alonzo King LINES Ballet training program and danced as a company member of dawsondanceSF in San Francisco, CA. She later joined Brooklyn Ballet and Visions Contemporary Ballet in New York, NY and performed at the Guggenheim Museum during Dance Lab NY’s Alchemy Lab Cycle. She has performed in works choreographed by Gerald Arpino, Alonzo King, Maurya Kerr, Sidra Bell, Gregory Dawson, Wade Schaaf, Mike Tyus and Kia Smith. She is currently in her third season with Chicago Repertory Ballet under the direction of Wade Schaaf.

Meghann Mueller

Originally from the Chicago area, Meghann began her early dance training at the Evanston School of Ballet, the Ruth Page Center for the Arts and the Lou Conte Dance Studio. Meghann continued her dance education at Texas Christian University where she had the opportunity to perform works by TCU faculty members, as well as by several guest artists including TCU Choreographer in Residence Fernando Bujones. She graduated from TCU, magna cum laude, with a BFA in Dance and a BA in History and returned to Chicago. In 2009, Meghann founded Project606 Dance, which for nine years was active in the Chicago arts community. She is currently the Rehearsal Director for Trifecta Dance Collective. In 2015, she joined the faculty at the Joffrey Academy of Dance and currently teaches classes in the Pre Professional, Dance Lab, Childrens and Adaptive Programs.

Braeden Barnes and Hattie Haggard Gobble

will be teaching our Contemporary Intensive in July.

Braeden Barnes

Braeden Barnes is a Chicago based director, choreographer and teacher. He found his love of choreography from a young age and has created work for over 15 years. Braeden danced professionally with companies including Balletmet, Joffrey Ballet Chicago, Billy Elliot the Musical, Nevada Ballet Theatre and Visceral Dance Chicago. He has worked with choreographers such as James Canfield, Paul Vasterling, Danielle Agami, Kevin O’Day, Mónica Cervantes, Marguerite Donlon, Matthew Neenan, and Lucas Crandall. As a choreographer, his work has been featured across the United States and abroad. Among these places, his work has won the first-place audience choice award at REVERBDance festival in New York, as well as first place for best choreography at YAGP in 2021. He has choreographed on companies such as Nevada Ballet Theatre, Cirque Du Soleil, Visceral Dance Chicago, Peoria Ballet, Waterstreet Dance Milwaukee, A&A Ballet, Common Conservatory, Indiana University Contemporary Department and for New Dances: a collaboration between Danceworks and Thodos Dance Chicago. In 2020, he started his own nonprofit danced based company, Symbiosis Arts, which is based in Chicago. Symbiosis has produced full evening performances in Chicago and Denver and has commissioned choreographers such as Anna Long, Francisco Avina, Shannan Alvis, Jason Parsons, and Noelle Kayser. Symbiosis Arts is taking an expanded approach to incorporate multiple mediums of art, in hopes of questioning norms, building unorthodox collaborations, and being open-minded about how art can be seen and consumed. In addition to Symbiosis Arts, Braeden has recently taken on the role of Co-director of Visceral Encore, a company for dancers over 35.

Hattie Haggard Gobble

Hattie Haggard Gobble is a stylistically diverse dancer and choreographer originally from Plano, TX. She has trained extensively in Contemporary, Ballet, Modern, Jazz and Hip Hop for over 25 years. She has performed around the world with companies such as Thodos Dance Chicago, Dark Circles Contemporary Dance, and Sol Dans Company. She has won multiple awards for directing, producing, and choreographing for film and stage. Alongside performing and creating, Hattie regularly teaches classes in Contemporary, Ballet, Jazz and Musical Theatre. Her students have won national tiles and titlist runners-up for competitions such as NYCDA and The Dance Awards. She feels blessed to share her enthusiasm and whimsical style with the future generations of artists.