“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
DEMETRIUS MCCLENDON, from Chicago, IL, began dancing at the age of 15 with a hip-hop group at King College Prep. He was encouraged to join All-City Dance, where he was inspired to seriously pursue his newly discovered passion and where he met Pierre Lockett, who became his mentor. Demetrius has participated in summer intensives with Deeply Rooted Productions and Joffrey Ballet and has had the privilege to study on scholarship at Lou Conte Dance Studio under the direction of Claire Bataille as well as train with wonderful teachers like Birute Barodicaite, Judith Chitwood, Autumn Eckman, Paula Frasz, Randall Newsom and many others. He aspires to one day use dance and the performing arts as a means to bring about social change. Demetrius joined DanceWorks Chicago in September 2011.