Born and raised in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood, Skylar attended the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign where she received her BFA in Dance. Dedicating herself to community engagement, Skylar worked as a Teaching Artist for the Joffrey Ballet followed by Red Clay Dance Company before founding and becoming the CEO of Nexus. Skylar’s choreography career has spanned a decade, including original works featured in Dance Chicago, Dance at Illinois Alumni Concert, the Hyde Park School of Dance and, recently, a music video commercial campaign for Cologuard starring celebrity rapper Lil Jon. Alongside her brother, Kenny Males, she has choreographed musical productions such as West Side Story and an original theatrical production about breaking entitled B-YOU, which premiered at the Ruth Page Dance Center and The Theatre School at DePaul University.

Born in Korea and raised in Indianapolis, Loki’s first introduction to breaking was through the graffiti scene at Scribble Jam ‘98 where she saw Phase II, TBA, and Chicago Champions. After living in South Korea for a summer and experiencing their breaking scene, Loki was finally inspired to break. After her travels and meeting different B-boys around the world, she moved to Chicago in 2001 and has been competitively breaking ever since. After a 10-year hiatus, Loki returned to breaking where she currently trains 4-5 days a week while working as a full-time school counselor.

Melissa Adao (Bgirl MEL) has over 20 years of experience in dance education, performance, and mentorship. With an MA in Dance from California State University, Long Beach, and a BA from San Diego State University, she’s an adjunct professor at Grossmont Community College. MEL’s work spans award-winning choreography and performances at places like SeaWorld and the San Diego Zoo. Mel has achieved recognition at events like Red Bull BC One and Monster Night and represents FLOORISTAS Crew. As co-owner of The Confident Dancers, she empowers individuals through dance to feel confident on and off the floor.

Auristela Lady Champ Nunez is a member of the legendary Chicago Champions Crew. Lady Champ has been breaking since the early ’90s and was featured in magazines, music videos, and a documentary called All the Ladies Say by Ana Rokafella Garcia. Lady Champ is a founder and member of the Battle 4 the Eagle organization. Tune into Windy City Wednesdays to watch interviews with Lady Champ and Miguel Teck Arteaga.