PREMIERING SEPTEMBER 20TH

THE GROUP CHAT VIDEO

Welcome to Season 3 of *The Process*—titled 'The Group Chat'—hosted by Alyssa Gregory! This season features some of the most dynamic voices in Chicago dance: Camila Rivero Pooley, Kara Brody, RahIla Coats, and SJ Swilley.

In a bold new step, we’ve transformed The Process from an audio-only podcast into a full video experience. This was a huge leap—both creatively and technically—but Alyssa has been eager to explore this format for years. With the support of an incredible creative team, we've crafted something truly special.

KARA BRODY

photos by Sarah Elizabeth Larson and Michelle Reid

Kara Brody (she/her) is a Korean American movement artist based in Chicago focusing her practice towards community driven spaces. She has contributed to numerous productions as a devising collaborator and performer for Lucky Plush Productions, Faye Driscoll, Erin Kilmurray, Melinda Jean Myers, The Fly Honey Show, Helen Lee, Darling Shear, Danceable Projects | Erick Montes, and The Cambrians. She was a curatorial resident at Steppenwolf 1700 Theatre, creating a dance series that celebrated artists in process through a two-week production residency and performance festival.

Kara is a Lecturer at University of Chicago and has been on faculty at COMMON Conservatory, The Joffrey Academy, Chicago Movement Collective, Visceral Dance Center, Dovetail Studios, and Lucky Plush Productions’ Community Class. She has guest taught for Rutgers University, Northern Illinois University, The Cambrians, DanceWorks Chicago, Hedwig Dances, Pro.Noun Dance Festival, Young Dancer’s Initiative, and Brighton Dance Festival. Additionally, she has led community and intensive workshops for Lucky Plush Productions at The Kennedy Center, Sonoma State University, Hamilton College, and The Dance Center of Columbia College. (she/her)

Rahila Coats

photos by Ricardo E Adame Photography and Michelle Reid

Rahila is a dancer, movement facilitator, musician, and choreographer based in the Midwest. She has performed new works and repertoire by Abigail Sena Atugah, Kofi Anthonio, Judith Brin Ingber, Karen Charles, Marciano Dos Silva Santos, Amansu Eason, Michelle A. Gibson, Carl Flink, Kevin Iega Jeff, Michel Kouakou, Drew Lewis (House of DOV), Ohad Naharin, Andrea Miller, Robert Moses, Leslie Parker, Jeffrey Peterson, Vershawn Sanders-Ward, Uri Sands, Chris Schlicting, Gabby Abram, Erin Kilmurray, Anna Martine Whitehead, and Tali Wertheim- Agranionik within and outside the large US dance community. Her works have been shown through the support of Chicago DanceMakers Forum, Synapse Arts, Co.mpany Projects, Twenty Percent Productions, Jerusalem Jazz Festival, and the University of Ghana- Legon. Recently she completed her third season with Red Clay Dance Company. In 2021 she received Chicago’s 3Art’s Make A Wave Award along with 120 other artists. Currently she tours nationally with Anna Martine Whitehead’s FORCE! An Opera in 3 Acts and performs with the music collective Family Junket. She holds gratitude for her family that has brought her to Chicago and celebrates the community she learns and loves from in the city. (she/her)

Camila Rivero Pooley

Camila Rivero Pooley is a Venezuelan/Peruvian movement artist based in Chicago, IL. She illustrates and pushes forward new visions of Latin American people through the exploration of Latin American aesthetics, music, artifacts and idiosyncrasies. They create to uplift the Latin American self-esteem, resist patriarchies, and encourage sexual liberation by introducing unapologetic feminist images of power, reinvention and pleasure. Her work is intimate, grungy, sweaty, dramatic, dynamic and immersive.

Within her artistic trajectory she has performed for U.S. based artists Erin Kilmurray [“SEARCH PARTY”, “Fly Honey Show X” and “Nightshade”], Alex Grelle [“Lady Di” and “The Grelley Duvall Show 4”], Body Watani [“TERRANEA”], Peruvian dance artist Verónica Garrido Lecca [“Ser o Hacer” and “Donde se esconden las flores”] and worked as a director for Peruvian theater Teatro La Plaza [“FRONDOSO”] and ZINFORMA [“iORGAN”].

She is a recipient of the Albert P. Weisman Award [2018], received an Honorable Mention at the Experimental Forum in NYC 2020 [“iORGAN”], was listed as an Official Selection of the Blow Up Film Festival in Chicago 2020 [“iORGAN”], selected as a competitor for Best Scenic Video Selection for FAE 2021 in Lima, Peru [“Sábanas”] and exhibited at the SPACES gallery in Cleveland, OH 2021 [“Sábanas”]. (she/they)

SJ SWILLEY

photos by William Frederking

Originally from Charlotte, NC, SJ Swilley (they|them|theirs) is a Black queer/trans movement artist, educator and storyteller. Centering their own notions of liberation, empowerment and mental health, they are a Summa Cum Laude graduate of Johnson C. Smith University where they received a BA in Dance and a BA in Communication Arts. Swilley holds an MFA in Dance from Temple University where they initially began adjunct teaching. Swilley is an alum of the American Dance Festival where they served as assistant rehearsal director to Michelle Gibson. Additionally, they are an alum of the Urban Bush Women’s Summer Leadership Institute.

Swilley has been honored to work and study under impeccable artists including Candace Jennings, PJ Pennewell, Shani Collins, and LaTanya Johnson. They have performed with Lela Aisha Jones|FlyGround, Martha Connerton/Kinetic Works, and Kariamu and Company. As a solo artist, they have presented work at the Cherry Street Pier Show, The American College Dance Association, Loose Leaves Showcase, and Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance (BAAD!) Swilley has served as faculty at Columbia College Chicago, Denison University, Temple University and Barber-Scotia College. Swilley is a 2020-2021 performance fellow with Queer Art, a 2020-2021 recipient of the Rose Vernick Artistic Transformation Award. In 2023, they became a city of Chicago (DCASE) IAP Grant Awardee. This year, they recently completed a production residency sponsored in part by the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago and Chicago Dance Makers Forum.

Their recent projects have integrated live camera capturing with movement. Utilizing the camera as a story telling device, SJ bridges together several elements of their performance in the sharing of how their practice intersects with their mental health. Movement excavations are drawn from improvisation, and pedestrian modes of movement to be captured. SJ continues to explore the active or “in-process” modalities that are affiliated with being in a creative process. (they/them)