773 DANCE PROJECT
Photo by Jazmine Harris
WHERE IT STARTED
Upon making the decision to pursue a career as a choreographer, Executive Artistic Director Tyler Thompson realized many of the people who could benefit from the stories she sought to tell would not have access to them under the traditional ways concert dance is presented. This led to her founding of 773 Dance Project, a nonprofit organization that would work to present her choreography in a way that is accessible to all people in the city of Chicago.
OUR MISSION
773 Dance Project works to increase accessibility to concert dance in underserved communities through performance, arts education, and community engagement. We recognize that dance experiences offer unique emotional and psychological benefits that many disadvantaged communities are largely left out of. Our focus is on offering local and affordable concerts to make positive arts engagement more accessible to all. We hope that these efforts will inspire future dance organizations to look beyond outreach programs and begin to view marginalized communities as primary audiences for their work.
ARTISTIC DIRECTORS
TYLER THOMPSON
Executive Artistic Director
Tyler Thompson began her early dance training at the Hyde Park School of Dance under the direction of August and Aimee Tye. During her time there, she studied ballet, Horton, and jazz. Tyler continued her training at Chicago Multi-Cultural Dance Center under Homer Hans Bryant. At CMDC, she expanded her training to include African and Latin dance styles.
Tyler’s dance education continued with the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. While at Mason Gross, she had the opportunity to work with choreographers such as Pam Tanowitz, Yvonne Rainer, and Keith Thompson. In 2018, she performed Marble Halls by Mark Morris at the Joyce Theater in New York City. Mason Gross is also where Tyler discovered her love for choreography and decided to pursue what is now 773 Dance Project.
Since graduating from Rutgers, Tyler has continued dancing, performing in a residency at Links Hall, as well as performing with Concert Dance Inc. at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts. Her main focus, however, has been building 773 Dance Project. Through this dance company, she plans to present her choreography in a way accessible to Chicago’s underserved communities. 773 Dance Project will also strive to achieve its mission of access through dance education initiatives and community events. Tyler is beyond excited to continue her career by sharing her love for dance with the communities that helped to foster it.
PAULINE MOSLEY
Executive Artistic Director
Pauline Mosley was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. At the age of four, she began her early dance training at the South Shore Cultural Dance Center. She then went on to expand her training with former Ailey dancer Lisa Johnson-Willingham. She began attending Whitney Young in 7th grade for the Academic Center. During this time, she was introduced to Homer Hans Bryant and the Chicago Multicultural Dance Center (CMDC). She began training with them and became serious about her dance career.
In the summer of 2014, she went to San Francisco to study with LINES Ballet for a summer intensive. That summer was so eye-opening that she auditioned for the BFA program that following year. After being accepted on scholarship, she moved to California to pursue her love for dance with the Alonzo King LINES Ballet program. She received her BFA in dance Summa Cum Laude with honors in May 2019 from the Dominican University of California. In 2020, Tyler Thompson (founder of 773 Dance Project and childhood friend) asked Pauline to join her in furthering the company's mission. At the end of 2020, she moved back to Chicago after her father's passing to be with family and closer to home for 773 Dance Project operations. Since returning home to Chicago, she has also completed her Masters in Business Administration from National University. She continues her career as Co-Exectuive Artistic Director of 773 Dance Project and is the Operations Coordinator for South Chicago Dance Theatre.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
VERONICA THOMPSON
Board Treasurer
Veronica Thompson is a proud Chicago native. She holds graduate degrees in early childhood and Advocacy and curriculum and supervision from National Louis University. With more than 25 years in education, including 16 years as a Chicago Public Schools principal on the city’s south side, she is passionate about equity and opportunity for all children of color to be their very best selves in their educational and career paths. As a 773 Dance board member, she brings experience as an educator who believes in the educational and therapeutic value of the arts.
KAYSI GRAY
Board Secretary
Kaysi Gray is a Chicago native passionate about communal health, wellness, medicine and education. She is the co-founder of an organization, Seed Wellness, which aims to aid in the integration of wellness into the Black community. Kaysi strives to inspire others toward achieving total spiritual, mental and physical wellness. She believes that all people should have the opportunity for arts engagement because such experiences are vital for growth and creativity. As a board member, she looks forward to growing communities through the mission of 773 Dance Project.
CYNTHIA WAGNER
Board Member
Cynthia Wagner is a St. Louis, Missouri native. She began studying dance at 10 years old with the Pelagie G. Wren Dance Academy. She went on to dance with the Black Repertory Dance Company and the Creighton University Dance Company. She’s also taught ballet, pointe, tap, and jazz at Best Talent Center. Cynthia continued her love for dance with the founding of Powerhouse Productions where she facilitated dance seminars led by talent such as Darrin Henson. Later, she returned to school to attain her bachelor’s degree in business management and her master’s in business administration. She is the founder of Creative Marketing Methods and a member of the National Black MBA Association. She brings a wealth of experience and passion to the board of 773 Dance Project.
SHADAYAH GRAY
Board Member
Shadayah Gray is a Chicago native. Her dance training began at Mayfair Academy. While in high school, Shadayah performed with Whitney M. Young Magnet School's award winning poms team. Shadayah has also studied Ballet and Horton through Deeply Rooted Dance Theater's summer intensive program. Despite pursuing a career in finance, her love and passion for dance has always remained strong and has guided her to 773 Dance Project. Shadayah is extremely excited to get to work creating opportunities for all ages to engage in dance activities without barriers.
MICHAEL THOMPSON
Board Member
Michael Thompson is a graduate of the The John Marshall Law School. While a student, Michael interned with the Cook County 6th Municipal District in Markham, where he clerked for the presiding judge, the Hon. Marjorie Laws. After his clerkship in Markham, he became a student intern with the Federal Public Defender’s Office under Lead Attorney, and Intern Coordinator, Sergio Rodriguez. Throughout Michael’s entire tenure of law school, he served every summer as an Assistant Program Director for Just the Beginning - A Pipeline Organization. In that work he helped to create and implement summer programs that provided access to the legal field for a diverse group of youth. After graduating from law school, Michael managed the WIOA grant for a school district, exceeding all performance metrics in the first year. After a short transition to the private sector, reviewing contracts and commercial insurance, Michael came back to the workforce system with Skills for Chicagoland’s Future, as Manager of Workforce Solutions, where he developed demand driven solutions for employer clients in the labor market. Michael is passionate about creating equal experiences for people regardless of their income level and is excited to serve on the board of 773 Dance Project.
X'ERNONA WOODS
Board Member
Innovative and inspiring author, educational consultant, social emotional intelligence facilitator, and life coach X’ernona Woods has committed and dedicated well over twenty years of her life’s work to supporting socio-economically challenged youth through her State of Illinois Librarian recommended financial literacy prosperity building programs, children’s books and workshops entitled “Kid Millionaire” and other publications. Due to the staggering increase of poverty in America, X’ernona Woods created the “Kid Millionaire” wealth building kit. X’ernona has been acknowledged and featured in a plethora of media outlets sharing her passionate connection and love for youth by empowering communities and schools abroad with impactful knowledge to further enrich the growth and development of youth. X’ernona Woods is a member of the Illinois Jump Start coalition, Chicago Federal Reserve Money Smart , Illinois Author, Global Association of Teachers of Economics presenter, Young Professionals of Chicago, Chicago Public School Financial literacy and Ingenuity partner, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. public service organization. She is also an Ariel Capital Investments Chicago Game Changer Award recipient. X’ernona also has a love and passion for dance, expressed through her time choreographing for inner city scholars. X’ernona’s belief is that dance offers a vainglorious experience of freedom and expression to live and feel without boundaries.
SERENITY HUGHES
Board Member
Serenity Hughes is an essayist hailing from the South Side of Chicago. She graduated from Wellesley College in 2018 with a degree in Africana Studies and Education Studies. Her work has been featured in prominent publications such as The New York Times Magazine and 68to05. In 2021, she was selected as a Periplus Fellow. Currently, Serenity serves as an Infrastructure Program Manager at Google.
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