team

sARA - Founder
My name is Sara, and I am a high school sophomore from Chicago. I have been dancing since the age of two. Over the years, I’ve danced jazz, ballet, hip hop, contemporary, modern, acro, musical theater, and more! Dance has given me a means to express myself, a way to feel comfortable expressing myself in front of audiences, and more confident in my own skin.
Competing has brought me a multitude of new friends and dance “families,” and helped me to develop a work ethic, resilience, and stamina. Competitions have taken me all the way to Florida (where I won at nationals!), and this year, I’ll be dancing in Arizona.
I’ve been so fortunate to be able to dance throughout my life. However, I understand that there are costs associated with dancing and competing that make it inaccessible to some people. That is why I founded Dressed to Dance: to eliminate barriers to dance.

shilpa - Executive director
Shilpa is based in Chicago and is thrilled to be a part of Dressed to Dance! She has a BA in Applied Math from Northwestern University, an MBA from The University of Chicago, and a Masters of Gastronomy from The University of Gastronomic Sciences in Italy. Most recently, she headed Operations for an upcycling food startup and is passionate about preventing waste (of all types!) and helping the environment. Follow her adventures at Arcadian Fare.


Maddie - Communications director
Hi! My name is Maddie, and I am a senior from New York City. I’ve been dancing and doing musical theater since I was 11 months old. I have experience dancing tap, musical theater, jazz, contemporary, hiphop, and commercial styles. Dance gives me an amazing creative outlet, enabling me to challenge myself constantly and giving me opportunities, like becoming a choreographer. Dance has brought me a “dance family” who support, teach, and motivate me. Dance has provided me with so many unique opportunities to experience new things, grow, and travel; I want everyone to have the dance experiences growing up that I’ve been fortunate to have. I love Dressed to Dance because it combines three things I love: dance, sustainability, and giving back. I am so excited to continue working with Dressed to Dance and growing our network even more!
PARTNERS
Dance on Broadway is a studio in Chicago on mission to provide the highest quality dance training for both children and adults in an atmosphere which promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion. They are committed to inspiring our students to work to their full potential, and to express themselves artistically in a positive and professional environment.
Dance Peace is an initiative where refugee children and families in areas of social tension integrate peacefully into their communities through dance.
En Las Tablas Performing Arts (ELTPA) is a nonprofit community arts organization established in Chicago in 2006 to offer children and adults from the Hermosa Neighborhood, and surrounding communities, affordable access to an array of performing arts classes and professional artistic training opportunities.
KIPP Chicago consists of eight schools educating more than 3,600 students in grades K-8 from the South and West Sides of Chicago.
Teatro Tariakuri provides a spotlight for underrepresented voices to express themselves, to be seen, and understood. Based in the Southwest Chicago Lawn neighborhood, they are dedicated to producing Spanish-language productions for Chicago’s Mexican American immigrant community
Dance Out of Poverty empowers underprivileged children in Delhi, Mumbai, and Hyderabad by providing free-of-cost dance education and instilling life skills in them through dance.
Akanksha Education Fund supports initiatives to improve access to high-quality education for children from low-income communities in India, and create pathways out of poverty for them through a transformative education.