Rachel Spies

Rachel began dancing at the age of 3 in Cleveland, Ohio where she danced competitively until the age of 17. She then attended The University of Akron and earned her BFA in Dance Performance in Spring of 2016. During her time at UA, she had the privilege of working with the artists of BalletX, Les Ballets Jazz De Montreal, Groundworks Dance Theater, STREB, and Neos Dance Theatre during their individual residencies at the university.

Upon graduation, she relocated to Chicago to train with Thodos Dance Chicago during their 25th and final season. During her time with TDC, she had the pleasure of working in the studio with jazz legend Ann Reinking on her choreography “A Light in the Dark”, as well as performing works in “New Dances” by Melissa Thodos and various company artists. Following TDC, Rachel danced and choreographed as a freelance artist around the Chicago area and attended workshops with Giordano Dance Chicago, Visceral Dance Chicago, and Cocodaco Dance Project. She also performed alongside Visceral Dance Chicago in their 2017 WITHIN performance. In 2018, she joined Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre where she danced for 2 seasons. While with CRDT she performed work by Sherry Zunker in Dance for Life 2018, and worked with choreographers such as Alice Klock, Monique Haley, Shannon Alvis, Christian Denice, and Joshua Ishmon.

Rachel left CRDT in 2020 and joined Moonwater Dance Project, where she is currently in her 3rd season as a company member and social media manager. In addition to Moonwater, Rachel continues to perform throughout Chicago as a freelance artist with AJA Talent, Mystique Productions, and Stage Factor.