Meet the Artist

Frances Natalie Komperda grew up in Chicago, IL. She attended Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, IL where she was very involved in dance. Frances was a member of her high school’s dance company, Repertory. In this company, she performed in student and guest choreography, including works by artists’ Autumn Eckman and Josh Manculich. During her last two years in high school, Frances was a Dance Leader for beginner students where she assisted in teaching, choreography, and grading of students. Her instructors, Angela Dauphin and Tiffany VanCleaf guided her through pedagogical practices and grading in contemporary, ballet, and modern styles. Frances volunteered for the fundraiser, Project Dance, where she raised money as a team for the Riverside Foundation, a nonprofit serving adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Frances received additional dance training in Libertyville, IL, at Dancenter North. She was involved in Jazz, Ballet, and Modern companies. Through her ballet company, she performed in her studio's annual The Magic of the Nutcracker as well as ballets such as Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, and various Balanchine works. She also has completed Summer Intensives at the Joffrey Ballet School in New York, as well as at Hubbard Street Dance and Giordano Dance in Chicago.  

Frances graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance and an Interdisciplinary Minor in Legal Studies at Colorado State University in May 2021. Since her first year, she performed in over a dozen works choreographed by colleagues, professors, and guest artists. In her senior year she was cast in a particularly sentimental solo, As Tall As They that featured a dancing projection and choreography in collaboration with her professor, Madeline Harvey. Frances has been awarded Academic Recognition Awards, Dance Scholarships, placement on the College of Liberal Arts Dean’s List, a Joffrey Ballet School Scholarship and Volunteer Recognition from the CSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital. 

Frances has been educated and trained in teaching essential courses at the University level from professors Judy Bejarano, Grace Gallagher, and Lisa Morgan in Modern Pedagogy, Ballet Pedagogy, and Teaching Creative Movement. Their teachings translated well into her breaks away from CSU where Frances teaches in her hometown to dancers of all ages in various studio settings. Frances also held a leadership role as the Secretary of her Phi Epsilon Chapter Kappa Delta sorority and completed an administrative internship for CSU's Dance Lab summer intensive 2021. In Fort Collins, Frances worked at a corporate Veterinary Hospital and volunteered at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital as well. 

After graduation, Frances moved back to the Northwest suburbs of Chicago to continue her dance training on a professional path through performance, teaching dance, and choreographing works for higher education dance students. She also plans to apply to Law Schools as she hopes to also work in a legal setting in politics and policy reformation for the arts.