Brenda Didier
Artistic Director
Ballet, Musical Theatre Senior, and Pre-Professional
Artistic Director and Owner of the Lincolnshire Academy of Dance, Ms. Brenda Didier is also an accomplished Chicago director and choreographer. She has received 12 Jeff Award Nominations, receiving 2 for Best Direction and 5 for Best Choreography. She has received 2 After Dark Awards, 2 Choreography Awards from the Society of Theatre Artists and Friends, the National Youth Theatre Award, Chicago Broadway World’s 2010 and 2011 Choreography Award, and has been listed in the Chicago Sun Times Top 5 for Best Musical Theatre Choreography in 2009 and 2010. Theatre critic and blogger Mr. Bob Bullen named Ms. Brenda Didier as having the biggest year in 2011 among Chicago theatre artists.
Ms. Didier made her TV Choreography debut in December, 2011 with the National TV Commercial, T-Mobile’s “Home for the Holidays”, directed by “Glee” director Alphonso Gomez-Rijon with Darek Wolski (“Pirates of the Caribbean”, “Sweeney Todd” and “Alice in Wonderland” Director of Photography) at the helm.
Ms. Didier began dancing at age 8, dancing professionally at age 16, and teaching and choreographing by age 24. She danced lead roles in numerous musicals, theme parks & industrials often serving as the dance captain.
In 1999, she founded the Lincolnshire Academy of Dance!
Ms. Didier received her training (receiving many talent scholarships) in all styles of dance from Elizabeth Campbell, Bentley Stone, Walter Camryn, and studied on a full dance scholarship at the University of Illinois, Champaign/Urbana.
As a dance educator, she has over 20 years experience in the areas of ballet, jazz, pointe, and musical theatre. Ms. Didier has served as a guest teacher/choreographer at Columbia College, The University of Illinois, the University of Wisconsin/Parkside, Carthage College and Northwestern University.
At the high school level, Ms. Didier has choreographed 3 mainstage shows for the International Thespian Festival- all MTI world premiere student editions on behalf of Bradford Theatre Arts: Aida, Rent and the National High School cast of Thoroughly Modern Millie, which earned her and LAD tap teacher, Christie Kerr, the 2007 National Youth Theatre Award for Best Choreography.
She also served as the technique coach for Stevenson High School’s Varsity Patriettes.
As a freelance choreographer/director, credits include The Miss Illinois Pageant, the Kenny Rogers Christmas Tour, Mayor Richard Daley’s Millenium campaign for the City of Chicago, Second City, mainstage shows and parades for Six Flags and Busch Gardens theme parks, industrials and over 80 musicals. She traveled to China to choreograph Cirque Shanghai, on behalf of International Special Attractions. The productions played to sold out houses at Navy Pier’s Skyline Stage the summers of 2007-2011 and followed with engagements at the Tropicana Resort in Atlantic City, Harrah’s in Las Vegas and off-Broadway in New York in December, 2011.
Ms. Didier’s work has been seen at Theatre Building Chicago, The Apollo, The Mercury, The Goodman, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, The Bailiwick, Theo Ubique, Porchlight Music Theatre, Emerald City Theatre, Teatro Vista, The House of Blues, Theatre on the Lake, Stage Left, City Lit, Second City, the Park West and includes 3 World Premieres, 5 Chicago Premieres and 1 American Premiere.
Ms. Didier is most proud of her annual scholarship awards to help families keep their children in dance classes at LAD.
