THE SHORT STACK TEAM
Ashley Deran
Producer & Video Artist
Ashley Deran is a Chicago-based dancemaker, teaching artist, and photographer who received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in dance from Western Michigan University. In 2013, she founded Project Bound Dance and her work with co-director Emily Loar was selected as one of the "Top 10 Performances of 2019" by SeeChicagoDance. Most recently Ashley’s choreography has been presented by COMMON conservatory, Chicago’s Dance in the Parks, Harvest Contemporary Dance Festival and Death’s Door Dance Festival in Door County. She is also a producer and collaborator with #The1HourProject - a collaborative endeavor that gives Chicago artists 60 minutes to create a 60 second dance film in unique spaces and places. When not in the studio, Ashley can often be found behind a camera photographing the Chicago dance community and beyond.
Emily Loar
Producer
Emily Loar is a dance artist, writer, and improvisor living in Chicago, IL. A BFA graduate from Columbia College Chicago, Loar has presented original and commissioned dance work across the Chicagoland area in addition to performing with dancemakers like Peter Carpenter, Lydia Feuerhelm, Kasey Foster, Erin Kilmurray, Jonathan Meyer and Julia Rae Antonick of the dance company Khecari, and Ishti Collective. Emily Loar is a founding member of the modern dance group Project Bound Dance, and current Co-Artistic Director alongside collaborator Ashley Deran. Loar is an organizer and producer of #The1HourProject, a collaborative endeavor that invites artists to create a 60-second dance film in unique Chicago spaces. When not in the studio, Loar is also an administrator, working closely with regional and national non-profit organizations to support the development of their fundraising and operational capacity.
