Schedule

Burlesque & Drag Show - Friday, March 1 at 6:30 pm (Sheridan Opera House)
Burlesque & Drag Show - Saturday, March 2 at 6:30 pm (Sheridan Opera House)

Alberto J. Arias

Alberto J. Arias is a world-renowned freelance dancer and choreographer from Chicago who has established himself by performing for companies such as Joseph Holmes Dance Theatre, River North Dance Chicago and Principle dancer with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. He has also served as the former Ballet Master and Rehearsal Director for Gus Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago. Alberto received a Ruth Page nomination for Outstanding Dancer and was voted Best Dancer 1992 by Chicago Dance Magazine. He has worked with and for numerous choreographers including: Margo Sappington, Twyla Tharp, Lynn Taylor-Corbett, Lou Conte, James Kadalka, Gwen Vernan, and Christopher Chadman. He was Assistant to David Bell in his rendition of the musical Fame and Choreographer for Michael Weber’s A Funny Thing Happened On the Way To the Forum and Assistant Choreographer to Randy Duncan in several works for the Joffrey Ballet and Dance For Life.

Alberto is enjoying his extensive career in the pageantry system with his company. He has choreographed over 80 winning talents in the continental system, Miss Gay America, USofA, Entertainer of the year F.I., All American Goddess and many other systems. He won overall talent in Miss Gay America 4 years in a row.

Ethan Kirschbaum

Ethan Kirschbaum is originally from Oakland, CA, and began his dance career as an apprentice with the Savage Jazz Dance Company while still in high school. Traveling to New York City to attend the Ailey School/Fordham University B.F.A. program, Ethan graduated summa cum laude with departmental honors in dance performance. While in his junior year, he joined Hubbard Street 2, dancing and teaching workshops around the globe while concurrently completing his degree. He has performed with the Santa Fe Opera, and danced internationally including Canada, Mexico, Holland, Germany, Israel, Switzerland, Luxembourg, France, and Russia. In 2011 Ethan moved to Saarbrücken, Germany to dance with Donlon Dance Company at the Saarländisches Staatstheater under the direction of Marguerite Donlon. Until its abrupt closure, he was on faculty at the Lou Conte Dance Studio since 2012 and was recently named the Scholarship Mentor, delegating scholarships to promising pre- professional and early career artists. After completing five seasons with River North Dance Chicago, Ethan is certified by the Ailey School to teach all levels of the Horton Technique and is a freelance artist performing at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, choreographing locally, and teaching nationally as a guest to dance studios and university programs alike. He is also the Artistic Associate for Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre, Assistant Director of AJA Talent, and in charge of Modern at The Chicago Academy for the Arts. Ethan is the proud founder of Chicago Movement Collective and director of the Claire Bataille Legacy Program, continuing to provide a home for talented and passionate pre-professional dancers.

Pollux Buerger

Pollux (he/they) is a Chicago based freelance artist with a BFA in dance from Columbia College of Chicago. His concert dance experience with Hedwig Dances, Same Planet Performance Project, and Fred Darsow has taken his performance throughout the U.S. and overseas. Currently, Pollux can be found teaching modern dance at Dance Center Evanston, performing with AJA talents, and backup dancing/choreographing for drag queens. Support the arts and tip your local queens!

Fernando Duarte

Fernando Duarte grew up in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and received their training at the Escola Estadual de Danças Maria Olenewa. In 2008, Fernando was awarded a full scholarship to train at The Harid Conservatory in Boca Raton, FL. With the guidance of the teachers at Harid, and Franco De Vita and Raymond Lukens at the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School in New York, they were offered a traineeship with the Joffrey Academy of Dance, Official School of The Joffrey Ballet, where they danced lead roles in ballets such as Cinderella, Coppélia and contemporary works by former Academy Artistic Director Alexei Kremnev.

Fernando joined The Joffrey Ballet in 2013 and has been performing with the company to this day, touring the country and also internationally. Duarte has performed in the Joffrey's extensive repertory such as Lar Lubovich’s Othello, Yuri Possokov’s Don Quixote, Krzysztof Pastor’s Romeo & Juliet, Val Caniparoli’s Incantations, Justin Peck’s In Creases, Christopher Wheeldon’s Fool’s Paradise, The Nutcracker, and originated roles like in Chanel DaSilva’s Swing Low, and many more.

Duarte received the Jeannot B. Cerrone Award for excellence in dance performance, an award given to the students who most improve during an academic year at The Harid Conservatory.

Jesse Hoisington

Jesse Hoisington began his training at a young age in Milford, Michigan. Over the years he has trained extensively in modern, jazz, and ballet. In high school, he was accepted into Interlochen Arts Academy and studied for two years under the tutelage of Mark Borchelt, performing in full length ballets as well as dances created by esteemed guest choreographers. Jesse then went on to graduate from Western Michigan University’s Department of Dance with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, where he had the honor of dancing in works by Gerald Arpino, Alonzo King, KT Nelson, Autumn Eckman, Peter Chu, and many others. He was also chosen by a panel of adjudicators to present his choreography at the American College Dance Festival Association's East Central Conference Final Gala Concert. Since moving to Chicago, Jesse has had the privilege of performing with Winifred Haun & Dancers, Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre, C5, Dance in the Parks, Hedwig Dances, and AJA Talent-where he currently serves as rehearsal manager. Most recently, Jesse had the opportunity to perform in Dessau, Germany as part of the Centenary Bauhaus Festival Stage TOTAL, an arts festival celebrating 100 years of the Bauhaus art & design movement.

As an active creator and choreographer, Jesse has presented his works all across the Midwest, from small studios to professional stages. His credits include: the Midwest Regional Alternative Dance Festival, Links Hall’s 40th Anniversary Season where he contributed solo material to Capillaries produced and directed by Mike Steele. And he choreographed stage plays, Tango and The Killer- receiving a 2020 Non-Equity Jeff Award nomination for Best Choreography.