Melissa Thodos - Dance Faculty (Visiting)

Broadway legend Ann Reinking said it this way about performer, choreographer and director Melissa Thodos: “She has this way of moving, of approaching dance, that is informed by history, based on her personal experience, and totally unique.  Wherever she puts her energy, she does so with grace and talent.”

Melissa was born in Evanston, Illinois and received early dance training at the Evanston School of Ballet.  She continued her study of both classical and contemporary technique at Skidmore College in Saratoga, New York, and then the Ruth Page Dance School, the Dance Center of Columbia College and the Lou Conte Dance Studio, all in Chicago.

Melissa went on to years of success as both a performer and choreographer with The Chicago Repertory Dance Ensemble on the local, national and international contemporary dance circuits, performing her own work as well as works by Paul Taylor, Lar Lubovitch, Zeva Cohen, and established Chicago-based artists.

In 1992, she founded Melissa Thodos & Dancers, later renaming it Thodos Dance Chicago, and has developed it into one of Chicago’s most innovative and top performing companies.  Its repertoire consists of acclaimed works by Melissa – over 30 that she has created over her career – and selected works of ensemble members, as well as those of acclaimed guest choreographers Ann Reinking, Lar Lubovitch, Shapiro & Smith, and Amy Ernst, formerly of the Lewitzky Company.

The environment Melissa has created at Thodos Dance Chicago serves as an incubator for its artists as choreographers and as teachers.  Ensemble members are invited to join based on an audition and an in-depth evaluation of their achievement as performers, educators and choreographers.  The Company holds a very unique position in the national community of dance for this very reason.  

Thodos Dance Chicago has performed in some of the most prestigious dance showcases and venues throughout Chicago, the U.S., and internationally in cities such as Paris and Edinburgh and countries including Australia, South Korea and Turkey.

An honored veteran of the Chicago dance community, Melissa has been the recipient of numerous awards and grants for her work including Illinois Arts Council Fellowships, Ruth Page Award nominations, a Chicago Dance Achievement Award nomination, and an award from the State of Illinois as a Greek American for nurturing and training dancers and choreographers in Chicago.  Melissa currently serves on the Illinois Arts Council Dance Advisory Panel.