M.K. Victorson is the Dance Content Specialist for the Chicago Public Schools Department of Arts Education. M.K.’s arts education career extends from dance studios to arts organizations to 15 years in the pre-K–8 classroom. At Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, M.K. worked in the education and youth programs and helped to develop the Autism Project. She is a two-time recipient of the Fund for Teachers Fellowship for professional development. Her passion for continuing education has led her to the National Dance Institute, Luna Dance Institute, and the Dance Education Laboratory (DEL). M.K. is a recent graduate of the DEL Institute and a certified DEL facilitator. She holds an MFA in dance from Smith College, and an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Mary Kovalcheck grew up in Grayslake, IL and started training at Dance Connection, her local dance studio. She also took classes at the Lou Conte Dance Studio during high school. She recently graduated from Grand Valley State University in Michigan, where she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance and a Business minor. During her time in the dance program, she had the opportunity to work with several artists such as Queala Clancy, Yoshito Sakuraba, Wallie Wolfgruber, Deborah Lohse, and Renaldo Maurice. Mary has performed at the American College Dance Association (ACDA) regional conferences in 2022 and 2023. Her senior capstone solo “Forward” was selected to be in the Spring Dance Concert. Mary is also a recipient of the Upper Division Dance Scholarship and the Alexander Calder Honors Scholarship. Mary is an artist with South Chicago Dance Theatre.

Eric Skinner has been working nationally and internationally as a performer, choreographer, director and teacher for thirty years, originally training as a gymnast before receiving a B.A. in Dance from Butler University’s Jordan School of Fine Arts in Indianapolis. Collaborating with artists from numerous different disciplines has enabled him to create unique, deeply personal work that explores what it means to be human. Eric was a founding member of Oregon Ballet Theatre and founding member, performer, choreographer,  and Artistic Associate with Bodyvox in Portland Oregon for 20 years. He also had his own contemporary dance company skinnerkirk | Dance Ensemble for 19 years.

Riley Savage began dancing at age 4, initially training in competitive dance before discovering her passion for ballet at 15. She trained under renowned ballet professionals including Amy London, Pollyanna Ribeiro, Viktor Plotnikov, Jonathan Guise, and Robert Moore. Riley earned a BFA in Contemporary Dance from Indiana University Bloomington, where she worked with esteemed faculty such as Elizabeth Shea, Beatrice Capote, Stafford C. Berry Jr., Christian Claessens, and Lalah Hazelwood. Riley performed in IU’s faculty shows and collaborated with several choreographers, along with taking part in dance festivals performing around the country. She is currently a company member with Ardent Dance Company.