Shanna Cruzat

Shanna Cruzat (she/her) resides in Chicago and began training at The School of Homer Bryant Ballet starting at an early age. She graduated from the University of Michigan with a bachelor of fine arts in dance. Shanna received additional training at  ACDFA and Dayton Contemporary Dance Company (DCDC) second company. Shanna has also performed with Deeply Rooted Dance Theater, Praize Productions Rize Pro-Elite, Noumenon Dance Company, and Banks Performance Project. In addition to performing, Shanna has been an instructor/coach for Universal Dance Association, Chicago Multicultural Dance Center (CMDC), Premier One, and Chicago Contemporary Dance Theater. She is excited to serve as the jazz and modern instructor during the 2024-2025 Academy season, as well as return for her third season at Praize Productions and experience the stage with her sisters.

Allison (Allie) Harsh

Allison (Allie) Harsh (she/her) is from Omaha, Nebraska where she began her dance training. She earned her BFA in Dance Performance from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Dance, as well as training with the Kansas City Ballet and Deeply Rooted Dance Theater. In 2017 Allie began dancing and teaching with the Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey until she joined the Hiplet Ballerinas in 2019. She currently dances with Hiplet Ballerinas and Redd’s Angelz Entertainment as well as teaches at the Chicago Multicultural Dance Center and Forward Momentum Chicago. Allie is grateful to join Praize Productions this year as a RIZE Pro-Elite Company member.  She is also excited to serve as a substitute instructor for the 2024-2025 season.

Miranda McGovern

Miranda McGovern  (she/her) is a BFA graduate of The Ohio State University. She is originally from Henderson, Nevada, where she trained and danced competitively with The Dance Zone for fourteen years. During her time at Ohio State, she has performed in pieces choreographed by Daniel Roberts, Crystal Perkins, and Countess Winfrey. In addition to training at OSU, she has trained with companies Ate9, Deeply Rooted Dance, Groundworks Dance Theater, and Dayton Contemporary Dance Company. After relocating to Chicago, she had the opportunity to perform and choreograph for Alluvion Dance Chicago and Chicago Movement Collective. She is currently in her first season with the Hiplet Ballerinas and is a Pilates instructor in Chicago.

Kaylah King

Kaylah King (she/her) is a dancer, choreographer, and teaching artist based in Chicago, IL. She received her BFA in Dance from Sam Houston State University in May 2022. She began training in Houston, TX under the direction of Sherese Campbell. King has showcased original choreography in the SHSU undergraduate showcase “Dances @ 8” as well as presented her film “ARE YOU OKAY” in DanceWorks Chicago’s DanceChance. Furthermore, her piece “Les Funérailles Du Jazz” was featured at the Barnstorm Dance Festival in May 2022. She has had the honor to learn and work with a variety of acclaimed dance artists and notable choreographers including Joshua Manculich, Vershawn Sanders-Ward, Shonna Hickman-Matlock, Kevin Ward, and Alexis Diggs. She has been a member of Red Clay Dance Company and Dayton Contemporary Dance Company’s Second Company. King is currently a dance artist with Noumenon Dance Ensemble and Meher Dance Company. She is excited for her first season with PPI Rize Pro Elite!

Genesis Medious

Genesis Medious (she/her) is a vibrant 22-year-old professional dancer, choreographer, and educator who fuses an eclectic range of styles into her craft. A recent graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a Bachelor of Arts in dance and a minor in business, Genesis has honed her artistry through diverse movement vocabularies, including Umfundalai, house, hip hop, heels, contemporary, Cunningham, Graham, and Fosse, among many others. Known for her innovative interpretations and fluid adaptability, she engages students of all ages and skill levels — from young ballet and hip hop beginners to advanced commercial dance enthusiasts—with her dynamic teaching approach. Genesis’s choreography is celebrated for its bold, evocative storytelling and her ability to blend technique with personal expression, making her a compelling creative force on stage and in the studio.

Jada Dudley

Jada Dudley (she/her) is a Milwaukee, WI native who began her dance journey at the age of three, training in ballet, tap, and jazz. Her formative training includes two years at Milwaukee High School of the Arts with a focus on ballet, jazz, and Horton-based modern, followed by a year at the Milwaukee Ballet School & Academy, where she honed her ballet and pointe technique. She later continued her pre-professional training at the Chicago Academy for the Arts, studying ballet, jazz, and Graham-based modern under the mentorship of esteemed faculty such as Deborah Goodman, Natalie Rast, and Randy Duncan. Jada earned her Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she spent three years competing with the UIC Dance Team in pom, jazz, and hip-hop, and served as Assistant Coach for one year post-graduation. Now a versatile freelance dancer, Jada performs across genres including heels, jazz/jazz funk, modern, and contemporary ballet. Her professional development continues under the guidance of influential artists such as Lauren Taft (heels, jazz funk) and Russell Talbert (ballet). She can be seen in music videos, dance concept films, and live stage performances.

Nia Towe

Nia Towe (she/her) is a Chicago-based dancer from Oak Park. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Dance from the University of Missouri–Kansas City, where she worked with Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey and had the honor of performing at Debbie Allen’s Key to the City ceremony. After graduating, Nia’s performance credits have included dancing with Eleone Dance Theatre in Philadelphia, appearing in Moncler’s Paris Fashion Week, and performing at the 51st World Dance Conference on Dance Research in Athens, Greece. Nia is currently a company member with Hiplet Ballerinas and Joel Hall Dance Theatre, and she is thrilled to be joining Praize Productions for her first season.

Erica Wade

Erica Wade (she/her) is a Chicago native. At the tender age of three, Erica found her love of dance  at Studio One Dance Theater on Chicago’s South Side. Since then, she’s trained in a multitude of techniques including ballet, modern, jazz, tap, and West African.). She continued studying dance when she  was accepted to Stephens College, furthering her her dance knowledge with professors like Deborah Carr and Elizabeth Hartwell. After graduating, Erica returned to Chicago to pursue her love for all styles of dance and dance entertainment. She became a company member with Redd’s Angelz Entertainment (2022-23). In 2022, she was invited to join Praize Productions, Inc. RIZE Pro- Elite dance company. After three seasons, RIZE has become her dance home.

Erica has been blessed to serve in other dance capacities as well;from creative directing, choreographing, and serving as an assistant choreographer for the award winning musical, Ain’t Misbehavin’d to performing, giving back, and teaching across the Chicagoland area.. She is also the Competitive Coach for Jones College Prep dance team. Dance continues to be the center of her world and the love of her life.

Terri K Woodall

Terri K Woodall (she/her), Terri Berri if you like, is a South Side Chicago native, multi-faceted artist, and Dancerpreneur who has trained in the discipline art of dance for over 25 years. As a professional artist, Terri Berri creates space for authentic transformation through all facets of her artistic work. Experienced in the techniques of ballet/pointe, modern, jazz, tap, hip hop, and musical theater, her roots stem from Chicago’s own Studio One Dance Theater, where she learned the foundations of storytelling through movement. That foundational training equipped Terri to travel to New York and Los Angeles where she earned her B.F.A in Dance Theater from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA). She is currently a first company member with Praize Productions, Inc., and Hiplet Ballerinas.

Terri Berri strongly believes that every single human being has a story to tell, and deserves to feel what they need to feel in order to heal. It is through this spirit of art rooted in the R.E.A.L (Respect, Encouragement, Abundance, and Love) that Terri curates experiences for authentic holistic personal development. She is also excited to serve as a tap and hip hop instructor for the Academy during PPI’s 2024-2025 season.

Dorianne Thomas

Dorianne Thomas (she/her)is a Chicago native that began her dance journey at the age of three at Mayfair Academy of Fine Arts. Her summers were dedicated to honing her craft, attending prestigious programs such as Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp and The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Summer Intensive. Furthering her training, she delved into European contemporary dance and ballet during her time studying abroad in Geneva, Switzerland. Dorianne holds a BFA in dance with an emphasis in ballet from Webster University. She had the privilege of performing works by Michael Uthoff, Nejla Yatkin, Alicia Graf Mack, Cleo Parker Robinson, Judine Somerville, and Antonio Douthit-Boyd. Following graduation, she embarked on her professional dance career as a performing apprentice and later guest artist with South Chicago Dance Theatre before joining Praize Productions, Inc. and Joel Hall Dancers. Alongside her performing career, Dorianne shares her passion for dance by teaching ballet and jazz classes to students of all ages in various studio and after-school settings throughout the Chicagoland area.