ELEVATE CHICAGO DANCE 2022

LAB ARTIST 2020

Christopher “Mad Dog” Thomas is an extremely motivated dancer, activist, and youth mentor. Born and raised in Chicago’s Altgeld Gardens housing project, he was inspired to dance at age 5 by artists like Michael Jackson and New Edition. “Mad Dog” became a member of the FootworKINGz in 2007 and was the official spokesperson for FWK during their 2009 appearance on “America’s Got Talent.” In 2005, Thomas joined Kuumba Lynx, where he is now the Program Manager. He also teaches footwork at a juvenile temporary detention center as a part of a social/emotional development program and is a member of the dance fraternity Delta Phi Delta Dance Fraternity Incorporated.

Thomas’ Lab year centers on social liberation through artistic expression. He plans to explore the idea of codifying his style of Chicago Footwork while developing new choreographies that tell the stories of how bodies react to certain traumas, including his own — at Altgeld, Thomas and his family were exposed to pollutants that caused them to have respiratory problems. Imagine trying to dance at 160 beats per min when you have asthma.