MS. IMANI
A native of Madison, WI, Imani credits her early training to Karen Smith-English and the Madison Professional Dance Center’s performing company. She is a 2014 graduate and Valedictorian of the Chicago High School for the Arts. There, she performed repertoire from Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Muntu Dance Theater, and the Joffrey Ballet, and performed with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in Alvin Ailey’s notable work entitled Memoria. Upon graduation from ChiArts, Imani joined DanceWorks Chicago in 2014 and, in 2016, joined Dallas Black Dance Theatre’s DBDT: Encore!, where she spent two seasons. During that time, she also performed with the Dallas Opera in Samson & Dalila, as well as with the Tony Award-winning Dallas Theater Center in its production of the Broadway musical Hairspray.
Throughout her career, Imani has performed works by renowned choreographers such as Christopher Huggins, Demis Volpi, Harrison McEldowney, Jennifer Archibald, Kevin Iega Jeff, Kristofer Storey, Nicole Clarke Springer, Tahehiro Ueyama, among many others.
Imani has continued to share her artistic voice through choreography and dance education. As a choreographer, Imani has commissioned work for notable dance companies, including Visceral Dance Chicago, Hiplet Ballerinas, and Winifred Haun & Dancers, and was a 2023 NEW Dances Choreographer in collaboration with Thodos Dance Chicago and DanceWorks Chicago. That same year, Imani’s work created for Dance Wisconsin was presented at the Midstates Festival of Regional Dance America and was selected for the Black Choreographers Festival in Baltimore, MD, where her work, Healing the Healers, was performed by her own collective. In 2024, Imani had the honor of choreographing the finale performance for the Chicago Black Dance Legacy Project production Divination. Her work also continues to be recognized in the dance competition circuit and has been awarded by notable conventions, including New York City Dance Alliance, Artists Simply Human, among many others.
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Throughout her career, Imani’s most passionate connection to art has always been through the humble work of teaching. Ms. English has been on the faculty of many dance organizations, including The Chicago High School for the Arts, Chicago Movement Collective, the Deeply Rooted Dance Education Program, Visceral Dance Center, and many more. She has also taught for prestigious summer intensives in the Midwest, including The River North Chicago summer program, The Milwaukee Ballet School Summer Intensive, and the “Made In Chicago” Dance Intensive held at the Auditorium Theater. Imani continues to inspire professional artists while teaching company class for DanceWorks Chicago, Praize Production’s RIZE Pro-Elite Company, and South Chicago Dance Theater. She also served as the Program Director for the Chicago Multicultural Dance Center for its 2024–2025 season.
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Ms. Imani is dedicated to the holistic development of young minds through the art and discipline of dance. She looks forward to continuing to share her passion for Dance Education with the Black Girls Dance Community.