Alyssa (Uhh-lee-sa) Gregory (she/her) is a Chicago-based performer, choreographer, teaching artist, and arts administrator. She’s worked with some of Chicago dance’s greatest, including Erin Kilmurray, The Moving Architects, Joanna Furnans, The Leopold Group, Jenn Freeman/Po Chop, and The Fly Honey Show. Alyssa has been teaching dance since the age of 16. Her belief is that dance is FOR ALL. Meaning you are a dancer at any age, with any body type and there is room for all identities. She believes in the mixture of play and hard work in the studio and will always try to play the best music possible. Alyssa is currently Communications Manager for the Bates Dance Festival and Communications & Community Engagement Manager at Arts + Public Life. She is also the host of The Process Podcast, which highlights the creative process of Chicago dancers, dance makers, and all-around booty shakers.
Ballet first came into my life when I dressed up as a ballerina for Halloween. My mom got me a costume, and I absolutely loved it. I would wear it after school, and I think my mom noticed that I had a real interest in it. So, she signed me up for ballet classes when I was five years old. My first impressions of ballet were at such a young age, but I liked it enough to keep going back all these years.
What really drew me to ballet was the structure and how focused you had to be. There were proper ways to do things, like putting your arm here and bending your knees like this. Even as a young kid, it felt really good in my body. I carry the discipline that I learned from ballet in all aspects of my life.
Ballet also gave me a strong sense of community. As an only child, dance gave me sisters. Being at the studio from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, and then rehearsing all day on Saturday, you create an undeniable bond. I am still close with the girls that I grew up dancing with. We've seen each other through some of life's hardest moments, and I love them so much.
While ballet isn't as present in my day-to-day life as it once was, I naturally transitioned from being a studio dancer to a studio teacher. Teaching became a significant source of income for me during undergrad, and I was valued for my ability to teach young children, which not many teachers want to do.
Mrs. Boyle, my childhood ballet teacher, gave me a strong foundation in ballet. She wasn't the best at communication and sometimes our personalities clashed, but she knew how to teach ballet. I also give credit to my other childhood dance teacher, Ms. Danielle for showing me the importance of having a balance of hard work and play in the studio. She also taught me how to treat my older students like people and make space for them to be vulnerable in my class with any and everything.
I said yes to this project because I love teaching ballet and want to get back into it. Right now teaching feels really far away for me and I'm excited to tap back into that part of my identity. I am also grateful to offer this class experience to my Chicago dance community.