Joshua Ishmon

Joshua L. Ishmon was born and raised in Gary, IN. He is a 2007 graduate of Emerson School for the Visual and Performing Arts where he also studied with Ballet Chicago and M.A.D.D. Rhythms. After completing DRDT’s Summer Intensive (2006-2007), Ishmon joined the second company, where he continued professional training in Horton, Graham, Ballet, and African Pyragrammic and received choreography/leadership coaching. In 2009, he matriculated into the Deeply Rooted Dance Theater. He is a founder and the Director of Deeply Rooted’s Emerging Choreographer’s Showcase in addition to continuing to dance with the company. Ishmon was also a member of Winifred R. Harris’ Between Lines (Denver, CO), Seamless Dance Theater (Kansas City, MO), a guest artist with Ballet Chicago as well as Dayton Contemporary Dance Company (where he danced in the Bessie Award winning cast of Donald McKayle’s “Rainbow Round My Shoulder”), and has shared the stage with Bobby McFerrin. Ishmon teaches dance at West Side Leadership Academy (Gary, IN) and Purdue University (West Lafayette, IN). Ishmon has choreographed for a multitude of programs including Deeply Rooted Productions, Ballet Chicago, South Shore Dance Alliance, Cerqua Rivera and served as a co-choreographer and curator for the Chicago's Teen Dance Festival Showcase. In 2015, Ishmon founded Production: COLORS, a project based collective that uses music, dance, and storytelling to investigate the myriad of human experiences, with composer/co-founder, Sam Trump. In 2017, Ishmon was voted Chicago's Best Choreographer by the Chicago Reader, listed as Breakout Contemporary Dance Artist by Newcity Chicago, became a Chicago Dancemakers Forum Lab Artist, named a 3Arts Make A Wave artist in 2021. Joshua is always in a constant pursuit of deepening his artistry, continuing to grow, and must pay homage to the amazing people whose shoulders’ he stands on.