Instruments of Movement was founded in January of 2001 as a conduit for me and a diverse group of dancers to explore our individual voices. Having worked in the Chicago dance community for four years following graduation from northeastern Illinois University, I was beginning to feel the need to express my own vision. Coming from an urban background, I yearned to see the classical vocabulary prevalent in concert dance integrated into the hip-hop culture with which I was surrounded. Instruments of Movement became a fusion of classical, contemporary, and urban dance styles.