WHO WE ARE!

The mission of The Hawkins House of Horton is to provide an outlet for full mind body and soul expression, to use the art of dance to motivate, educate and inspire a high vibrational generation rooted in community and to pass on the legacy of the great Lester Horton.

what is horton?

Horton is a modern based dance technique developed by dancer and choreographer Lester Horton, in the 1940's. Lester Horton created the first racially inclusive dance company giving a starting platform to black dance pioneers such as Alvin Ailey, Janet Collins, James Truitte and many others. Horton created the technique to fortify, stretch and stregthen the human body in preperation for it's use as an intrument for dance.

IS YOUR PROGRAM BEGINNER
FRIENDLY?

Absolutely! We prioritize dancers who might feel like they have a late start. All of our classes have intro and advanced levels or offer variations of combos based on skill level.

OUR PROGRAMS

DROP IN CLASSES

HORTON CERTIFICATE PROGRAM

HEELS DANCE PROGRAM

MAJORETTE PROGRAM

HORTON CERTIFICATE PROGRAM

MASTER THE HORTON TECHNIQUE! THIS PROGRAM IS OFFERED AT BOTH INTRODUCTION AND INTERMEDIATE LEVELS. STUDENTS IN THIS PROGRAM WILL NOT ONLY HAVE ACCESS TO ALL HHOH CLASSES BUT WILL LEARN BALLET TECHNIQUES, ESSENTIAL HORTON EXERCISES, FORTIFICATION AND PRELUDES.

HORTON CERTIFICATE PROGRAM SCHEDULE

INT/ADV HORTON WITH JOSH ISHMON - SUNDAYS AT 1:30P.

BEG HORTON WITH ALANA HAWKINS - WEDNESDAYS AT 6:30PM

BECOME A HEELS DANCER

Focus in on mastering the art of dancing in heels! Take heels with Erica Patten weekly for just one monthly price or drop in to a single class. The class starts at 6pm at the beginner level, where you will learn the foundation of walking, standing and executing basic combinations. Int/Advanced heels students join in at 6:45 to go deeper into the world of executing choreography in heels.

SCHEDULE:

MONDAYS 6PM - BEGINNER HEELS

MONDAYS 6:45PM - INT/ADV HEELS

Beginner

Int/Adv

Our team

PRINCESS REID

Ballet Instructor

Princess was born in Jacksonville FL and has been studying ballet since the age of 7. She is currently a company member with the Joffrey Ballet, where she has been since 2018

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DOMINIQUE ATWOOD

Horton Instructor

Dominique Atwood is from Dayton, Ohio where she started her training at Dayton Contemporary Dance Company. She is currently Development Director with The Deeply Rooted Dance Theatre.

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ERICA PATTEN

Heels Instructor

Erica was born in Los Angeles, CA and raised in Chicago, IL. Erica's dance journey began at the age of 5 where she learned the basis of ballet, tap, jazz, and hiphop. During her collegiate career, she went on to join The Diamonds of FAMU from 2010 to 2013, one of the best majorette teams at Florida A&M, where she co-captained the team in 2011 and became captain in 2012. Erica is now living in her purpose as a professional dancer / choreographer. She currently choreographs weddings, teaches heels + majorette classes full-time, performs at various events/showcases all while training at the Hawkins House of Horton dance company in Chicago, and with amazing choreographers in LA, namelv Mitchell Kelly.

SAM KIRKWOOD

Associate Artistic Director

Sam Kirkwood Jr., artistically known as Samus Starbody, is a BlaQ creator and connector from Chicago’s Far Southside. After exploring the facets of his creativity at Morgan Park High School, Sam attended UIC, where he majored in Business Management and minored in Gender & Womens Studies. Over the years, Sam has pursued the balance between art and life through retail management, education, and non-profit administration. Sam has joined HHOH to continue his research of Modern dance as well as reconnect black and brown youth to the wealth and culture that Chicago has to offer.