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Teacher Bio
DIONNA JOI PRIDGEON, originally from the western suburbs of Chicago, began her dance journey after high school and has since become a distinguished dance educator, choreographer, creative director and published author. A graduate of Point Park University, she launched her teaching career at Hubbard Street Dance Center and later served as faculty at The Lou Conte Dance Studio, where she was mentored by Claire Bataille, the muse and first dancer of Hubbard Street....Read more
DIONNA JOI PRIDGEON, originally from the western suburbs of Chicago, began her dance journey after high school and has since become a distinguished dance educator, choreographer, creative director and published author. A graduate of Point Park University, she launched her teaching career at Hubbard Street Dance Center and later served as faculty at The Lou Conte Dance Studio, where she was mentored by Claire Bataille, the muse and first dancer of Hubbard Street. Her teaching and choreographic background spans respected institutions including The Ailey Extension, The Joffrey Ballet School/Academy, Debbie Reynolds Dance Studio, and more.
Dionna has taught master classes across the U.S. at Columbia College, Chicago Repertory Ballet, Loyola Marymount University, Princeton University, and other institutions, as well as internationally in Montreal, Norway, Germany, and South Korea. Her training includes Rennie Harris: Illadelph Legends, Deeply Rooted, American Dance Festival, Monsters of Hip Hop, The Pulse on Tour, Ballroom Dance Chicago, and Self Explore by Shaun Evaristo. In addition to her dance career, she has also worked in the modeling industry, represented by Lily’s Talent Agency and Clear Talent Group.
In commercial dance, Dionna’s credits include Coachella Music Festival, Waterbomb LA, B96 Summer Bash, and 3 Sleuths Las Vegas. She has performed work by Brian Friedman, NappyTabs, Ian Eastwood, Luam, Tony Testa, and others. Her concert dance repertoire includes works by Lou Conte, Robert Battle, Margo Sappington, Danny Buraczeski, Doug Bentz, and Kim Bears Bailey, as well as performance and creative work with The Pillow Project, Pittsburgh Dance Ensemble, Xpressions Dance, Dance 2XS, Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre, and Black Nativity at the Goodman Theatre.
Dionna has also shared her choreography and creative direction at TEDx, Chicago’s Orchestra Hall, Millennium Park’s Pritzker Pavilion, The Athenaeum Theatre, Choreographer’s Carnival in Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York, plus The Actors Art Fund, Players Theatre, Symphony Space, Salvatore Capezio Theatre, and Ailey Citigroup Theatre. Her work has been commissioned twice by Inside Chicago Dance.
As the Founder and Creative Director of moveDIPR (deeper), Dionna creates work centered on professional development and mental health. Her artistic contributions include a published article by Dance Teacher magazine (2022) and has also been supported through fiscal sponsorship from Unique Projects by Pentacle and a grant from Queens Theatre New York. In 2021, she launched DIPRminds, which includes a YouTube series and a podcast (2024) centered on artists and their mental health stories. In all, her creative work includes advocacy rooted in the belief that #mentalhealthmatters.
After two years of living and teaching in South Korea, Dionna returns to New York with a renewed artistic vision, ready to reintroduce herself to the dance community and expand her work.
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Class Descriptions
At the start of class, Dionna uses an organic approach to warmup, guided by the energy in the room. While the structure may vary, the focus remains on centering, conditioning, developing awareness in the body. The warm-up moves away from strictly traditional or stationary forms and may incorporate improvisation to help dancers explore their own voice.
Class will ALWAYS include choreography rooted in an honest, human approach that balances musicality and personal expression. Dionna’s movement draws from Contemporary Modern, Contemporary Jazz, and Contemporary Hip-Hop influences, encouraging dancers to connect deeply to the music.
“Musicality is everything.” Dionna’s classes begin with a focused warm-up including isolations and short conditioning to prepare the body for movement. At times the choreography is highly detailed, while other moments emphasize performance quality and presence.
Choreography is always the main focus, inspired directly by the music and rooted in timing, texture, and expression. Classes are engaging, and designed to build confidence while helping dancers connect more deeply to rhythm and style.