Chicago | SA Performing Arts

Project: Chicago (The Musical)
Role: Choreographer
Institution: SA Performing Arts
Location: The Exchange 1856, North Shields
Director: Maria Crocker
Musical Director: James Hedges

Production Overview

This reimagined production of Chicago, performed by students from SA Performing Arts, took place at The Exchange 1856 in North Shields. Led by director Maria Crocker (Resident Director, Hadestown) and musical director James Hedges, the show was a fresh take on the classic, using the authentic jazz dance vocabulary of the 1920s to add a unique historical layer to the story of ambition and intrigue set in Chicago’s roaring jazz scene.

Choreography Approach

For this production, I focused on blending traditional 1920s jazz dance styles with contemporary commercial staging to bring an authentic yet fresh energy to Chicago. Drawing on era-specific dances like the Charleston, Black Bottom, and Shim Sham, I crafted choreography that reflected the rhythm and intensity of the jazz age, giving the show a distinctive stylistic identity rooted in the dance culture of the period.