Crash's new Artistic Director is a performance and visual artist (musterseed.tumblr.com, dylanwestphoto.tumblr.com). The long list of companies Mikey has performed with includes River North Chicago, Luna Negra Dance Theater, Mordine & Co., Lucky Plush Productions, Same Planet Different World, Scott/Powell Performance, Lingo Dance, Nandanse, and Salt Horse. In 2001 Mikey formed Impetus Dance Theater and served as Artistic Director until 2005 when he picked up and moved to Seattle. While in Seattle Mikey received his BFA in printmaking and video from Cornish College of the Arts.

Mark realized his love for dance about the same time his instructors led him to believe he'd never make it as a performer. They were completely right. In order to serve the craft, Mark dove into the world of producing while earning his degree in Dance and Theatre Management at Illinois State. To date, Hackman has produced over 30 full-length shows/festivals, has served as well as the Dance Programming Coordinator at the Lakeshore Theater, and is currently a Midwest dance talent scout for Redbull Energy.

A veteran trainee of Atlanta’s Gotta Dance, the Joel Hall Dance Center, and his old living room, Daniel graduated from the University of Georgia and has danced with his heart, 13TH Floor Performing Arts in South Africa, The Seldoms, Jump Rhythm Jazz, and Five Star Boogie, and in a music video with Kanye West and Kid Sister. A former member of Culture Shock Chicago, Daniel loves shoes, hitting the resale shops at least once a week, and fried chicken, among other cooked meats.

A flashy fusion dancer and up-and-coming choreographer, Jessica has trained with Joel Hall, Denise Sabala Dance Studio, and at Illinois Wesleyan University, where she majored in sociology. The young anti-positivist and loyal Émile Durkheim follower recently toured the high seas with Royal Caribbean Productions and has danced with Instruments of Movement, Chicago Contemporary Latin, Joel Hall Dancers, Jean Ann Ryan Productions, and the USO.

Mary attended the Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance and graduated from the University of Kent in London with a BA in 2008. Tarpley has also trained with Interlochen Arts Academy, Ballet Durango, and Centre de Danse du Marais, Paris. Prior to moving to Chicago, Mary performed as a principal dancer in Los Angeles, CA with Invertigo Dance Theatre, the City Ballet of Los Angeles, and Creations Dance Theatre. Like Crash founder Mark Hackman, Mary enjoys long walks on the beach and candle lit dinners.

This self-taught street dancer and Southside native attended both Columbia and Rust College and is trained in Hip Hop, Ballet, Modern, African, and Jazz. David has performed with UDF (Urban Dance Force), Pure Renditionz, TI3, and Hip Hop Force. A loyal employee of Harold’s Chicken #52 at 72nd & Western, Chase is trained in the martial arts, writes poetry, and can do the splits.

A graduate of Southern Methodist University with a BFA in Dance Performance, Taylor first trained for 15 years at the Denton Ballet Academy under Hugh Nini. A veteran performer, T-Swift has previously danced with Festival Ballet of North Texas, DekaDance, and Contemporary Ballet of Dallas, and studied for a summer in France under Danièle Villers of the Paris Opera Ballet.

A self-taught youtube learner since 17, Julian now attends Columbia College Chicago as a Dance Performance Major. Julian specializes in breaking, tutting, ballet, popping, and modern and is driven by the belief that "if you have a gift, then you’re meant to share it with the world, not keep it to yourself."

Kaitlin recently graduated Cum Lade from Cornish College of the Arts with a BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography. While in Colorado, she trained with the Boulder Jazz Dance Workshop at the University of Colorado and performed with Interweave Dance Theater. Her Seattle credits include several Merce Cunningham "Min events" and Corrie Befort's "Cut Chalk" at the Northwest New Works Festival in Seattle, WA. Coffee and newspapers, yes please. Tomatoes, a big fat no.

A graduate of Knox College with a B.A. in Biology and minors in Dance and Angry Birds, Brian began training in 2007 during the residency of David Dorfman at Knox. Upon graduation, he continued his training at Visceral Dance Center. In addition to his previous credits with Crash, Humphreys has performed with Innervation Dance Cooperative, Perceptual Motion Dance, and Back and to the Left Productions.