WHO'S WHO IN THE COMPANY

SHOTA MIYOSHI (he/him, Kanagawa, Japan) started to train in jazz and ballet at Nakura Jazz Dance Studio. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance from SUNY Purchase college in 2022. He has performed works by Norbert De La Cruz, Jamar Roberts, Martin Løfsnes, Doug Varone, George Balanchine, Martha Graham, and José Limón. Additional training includes MOVENYC’s S.W.E.A.T and Paul Taylor Summer Intensive. He hopes to become a versatile dancer who is able to collaborate with a variety of musicians in order to create something the world has never seen before.

DAVID SCHULTZ (he/him, Grand Rapids, MI) began his training in Michigan with the School of the Grand Rapids Ballet, where he then performed for four seasons with its company, the Grand Rapids Ballet. He joined Hubbard Street 2 in 2009 and was promoted to the main company, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, in 2011 where he has worked with many of the world's leading contemporary choreographers. He is a recipient of a 2012 Princess Grace Award. As a choreographer, he has had the honor of creating works for DanceWorks Chicago, Chambered Squared, Boston University, and a co-choreographed piece with Jacqueline Burnett for Danza Visual in Mexico City. When he is not dancing or choreographing, he has spent many years studying music and has performed and scored many pieces for Hubbard Street Dance Chicago as well as for his own works.

SIMONE STEVENS (she/her, Atlanta, GA) earned her BA in Dance and Minor in Anthropology from Kennesaw State University in 2017. She then moved to Chicago and trained at the Lou Conte Dance Studio where she was mentored by Laura Wade, Ethan Kirschbaum, and Kristina Fluty. She also freelanced throughout the city and performed works choreographed by Alice Klock, Alysia Johnson, Hanna Brictson, LOUD Bodies, and Joshua Peugh. She performed as a company member with Katlin Bourgeois's Ensemble180 and was on faculty with Ethan Kirschbaum’s Chicago Movement Collective before joining HSDC last season. In her inaugural season, she was recognized as one of Dance Magazine’s "Top 25 To Watch." Having performed works by Jermaine Maurice Spivey, Aszure Barton, Rena Butler, Ohad Naharin, and Nacho Duato, she is looking forward to what a second season in the company will bring.

CYRIE TOPETE (she/her, Peoria, AZ) is from Peoria, AZ, where she trained in competitive dance beginning at the age of 13. She then graduated from The Juilliard School where she received her BFA in the summer of 2022. She was given the FENDI Vanguard Award and is a YoungArts winner. She also attended programs including, Springboard Danse Montreal, Jacob’s Pillow Contemporary Program, B12 in Berlin, Germany, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and more. She has also performed works by Crystal Pite, Ohad Naharin, Alan Lucien Øyen, Bobbi Jene Smith, Peter Chu, Justin Peck, Aszure Barton, Jenn Freeman, and Jamar Roberts. She is extremely honored and excited to embark on this new journey with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago!

MATT WENCKOWSKI (he/him, St. Charles, IL) received his early training at Moves Dance Studio in North Aurora and trained as a competitive dancer with Excel Dance Productions. In 2009, he joined the Joffrey Academy’s pre-professional programs under the direction of Alexei Kremnev and Anna Reznik, performing in The Nutcracker and more. He studied at Lou Conte Dance Studio under the guidance of Claire Bataille and joined DanceWorks Chicago in 2013 under the direction of Julie Nakagawa. In 2015, he joined the Grand Rapids Ballet performing soloist roles in classical and contemporary works. He’s performed pieces by Alejandro Cerrudo, Trey McIntyre, Ben Stevenson, George Balanchine, Yuri Possokhov, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Val Caniparoli, Robyn Mineko Williams, Penny Saunders, and more. He is thrilled and grateful to be part of HSDC and would like to thank his parents for all they’ve done to support him.