Four New Dancers Join HSDC
June 23, 2021
Under the artistic leadership of Linda-Denise Fisher-Harrell, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (HSDC) is welcoming Alexandria Best, Michele Dooley, Michael Garcia and Simone Stevens to the company. Hailing from all over the United States, these four new company members bring with them a wealth of technique, talent and creative vision as HSDC approaches its next season.
“Finding these new company members has been a long, exciting and rewarding process. We auditioned nearly 900 applicants via video and found four exceptional dancers who have tremendous skill and talent,” said Fisher-Harrell. “These dancers are excellent personality matches for the HSDC ensemble, while also possessing distinct star power as individuals. We are thrilled to have them on board for the 2021/2022 season!”
Keep reading to learn more about each of these extraordinary artists.
Alexandria Best was born and raised in Raleigh, North Carolina. She developed her talents at Carolina Dance Center and CC and Company Dance Complex. In her training years, Best acquired skills from programs at American Ballet Theatre, French Academie of Ballet, Carolina Ballet and Arts Umbrella. She received her BFA in dance as part of Pace University’s class of 2021. Best performed works by world-renowned choreographers and choreography companies including Crystal Pite, Jiri Kylian, FLOCK, Rena Butler, Paul Taylor, Alexandra Damiani and Jessica Hendricks.
Dance artist and teacher Michele Dooley hails from Philadelphia. She began her dance training at The Institute of the Arts, graduated from The High School for Creative and Performing Arts and earned her BFA in Dance from The University of the Arts. Dooley has completed programs with Bates Summer intensive, BalletX Summer Program and DCNS Summer Dance Intensive. Dooley has worked with choreographers Gary Jeter, Tommie-Waheed Evans, Dara Meredith-Stevens, Milton Myers and Nora Gibson. She has also had the privilege of working with Eleone Dance Theatre and Spectrum Dance Theater.
Born and raised in McAllen, Texas, Michael Garcia later moved to Dallas to further pursue dance at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and Dance Industry Performing Arts Center. He recently completed his BFA in dance at The Juilliard School. Garcia is an alumnus of YoungArts and The School at Jacob’s Pillow. He has collaborated with and performed the works of artists such as Bryan Arias, Aszure Barton, Jessica Hendricks, Lar Lubovitch, Donald Mckayle, Andrea Miller and Ohad Naharin.
Atlanta native Simone Stevens earned her BA in Dance with a Minor in Anthropology from Kennesaw State University in July 2017. In 2018, Stevens moved to Chicago and trained on scholarship at the Lou Conte Dance Studio where she was mentored by Laura Wade, Ethan Kirschbaum and Kristina Fluty. Stevens performed works choreographed by Alice Klock, Alysia Johnson, Hanna Brictson, LOUD Bodies and Joshua Peugh among others. Most recently, she performed as a company member with Katlin Bourgeois's Ensemble180 and Wilfredo Rivera’s Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre. She was introduced to HSDC through a YouTube promotional video for Alejandro Cerrudo's One Thousand Pieces.
More information about HSDC’s upcoming season will be announced at a future date.