Stephanie Paul is a Co-Founder, Artistic Director, and ensemble member of Be the Groove. While attending Northwestern University, she discovered her passion for rhythm as a member of Boomshaka, NU's dance/drum ensemble and as a student of Billy Siegenfeld, Jump Rhythm Jazz Project's Artistic Director. After co-directing Boomshaka for two years, Stephanie graduated from Northwestern in 2006 with an undeniable need to continue creating, performing and educating. Be the Groove is the realization of that desire. When not performing with Be the Groove, Stephanie is an adjunct lecturer in Northwestern University's Dance Department and on staff at Dance Center Evanston. She has also taught for the Chicago National Association of DanceMasters and choreographed for Ohio Northern University, Northwestern University and the Evanston Dance Ensemble. Her love of theater has led her to the nationally acclaimed Albany Park Theater Project with whom she is a Resident Artist and Co-Director. Stephanie has also worked with Adventure Stage Chicago and Lookingglass Theatre's LAB program as a choreographer and music artist. Her performances have been described by the Chicago Tribune as "beguiling and passionate," and the Chicago Sun-Times noted her work as "brilliantly percussive." 

izzie MacKenzie Pontarelli is the Artistic Director of Extensions Dance Company and founder of Extensions Dance Center, both located in Chicago. She enjoyed 6 years dancing and touring internationally with Rivernorth Dance Company following 5 years doing the same with Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago. She has worked closely with many choreographers, some of the most influential being Laurie Stallings, Sidra Bell, Harrison Mceldowney, Kevin Iega Jeff, Robert Battle, Mia Michaels and Ron De Jesus. She has studied under Alexandra Wells and Amy Shullman at Springboard Danse Montreal, where she also had the opportunity to work with Coleman Lemieux Dance Company and perform the work of James Kudelka. Her Choreography has been seen in numerous festivals around the country and also on such companies as Inaside Chicago Dance and Nomi Lamad Dance Company. She has been given various awards for her choreography, including the “New Voice” honor from Dance Chicago in 2006, the “Choreographer of The Year” from Dance Chicago in 2008 and she was a finalist in the A.W.A.R.D show for her piece entitled “Altered Interactions” on Nomi Lamad Dance Company. She has been honored for her contemporary choreography at Youth America Grand Prix and has had numerous finalists in the NFAA Young Arts competition, including a Presidential Scholar in the Arts in 2011. 

Wade Schaaf hails from the Chicago area and graduated Cum Laude from Northern Illinois University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in theater arts (emphasis dance performance). During his professional career Wade has danced for such companies as the Ohio Ballet, State Street Ballet Santa Barbara, The Omaha Theater Ballet, and Thodos Dance Chicago, and River North Chicago Dance Company. He has worked with choreographers Septime Weber, Stephen Mills, Kennet Oberly, Bill Soleau, Frank Chaves, Lauri Stallings, Ron DeJesus and the Tony Award winning choreographer Ann Reinking. Wade has been privileged to dance such roles as Tybalt in Robin Welche's Romeo and Juliet, Snow Pas in Welche's Nutcracker, and Jonathan in Oberly's Dracula and most currently he had the role of Mayor Carter Harrison set on him in the Thodos/Reinking collaboration, The White City. Wade has set his own work on the Omaha Theater Ballet, Groundwork Dance Company and Thodos Dance Chicago. Currently, Wade has two pieces of choreography in the Thodos Dance Chicago’s repertoire. Wade is a certified Pilates instructor and teaches extensively throughout Chicago in most disciplines of dance.

Mr. Ocampo has danced with some of Chicago’s premiere dance companies as the Joel Hall Dancers, River North Chicago Dance Company and Giordano Dance Chicago. Mr. Ocampo has served as school director of the Giordano Dance Center, as well as the director of Giordano II and the Giordano Merit Scholarship Program from 2000-2004. As a master jazz teacher, he has taught in Europe, Mexico, Canada, the Russian Republic and throughout the U.S. As a choreographer, Mr. Ocampo’s works can be seen on such companies as Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, Houston Metropolitan Dance Company, Odyssey Dance Company, (Salt Lake City), Thodos Dance Chicago, Eisenhower Dance Ensemble, (Detroit), Kannon Dance (St. Petersburg, Russia), Lisa Clark Dancers (San Francisco, CA), and many regional ballet companies across the U.S. Mr. Ocampo received the Outstanding Choreographer Award for Dance Chicago in 2004 and the Cliff Dwellers’s Choreographer of the Year in 2005 and 2007. He is the first recipient in the history of the foundation to have ever received this honor twice. Eddy was also named as one of the best jazz dance teachers in the country by Dance Spirit Magazine and has been featured in Dance Magazine, Dance Spirit and Young Dancer Magazine, as well as numerous Chicago publications, including the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Magazine, The Sun Times and The Daily Herald. Eddy is artistic director of Forum Dance Theatre, as well as co-director of LEVELdance, a new Chicago based dance company, which will have its inaugural performance at the Athenaeum Theatre in July 2013. Mr. Ocampo is the recipient of the 2005 Filipino American of the Year Award, recognized as a pioneering artist in the field of dance.