Born in Gary, Indiana and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Rio Tasia Guillaume began dancing under the leadership of Dawn Brunner at six years old. She was cast as Clara in The Nutcracker and Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz at the Egyptian Theatre in DeKalb, Illinois under the Beth Fowler School of Dance. Soon after, she began training at the Ruth Page Foundation, where she studied under the legendary Larry Long, Dolores Lipinski, and Birute Barodicaite. At the age of fifteen, Rio was accepted with scholarship into the Civic Ballet of Chicago, with whom she traveled the Midwest performing classical ballets and works by artists such as Harrison McEldowney and Mary Jo Irbe. She spent her summers studying at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Milwaukee Ballet, and American Ballet Theatre's Summer Intensives.
In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Rio attended the Conservatory of Performing Arts at Point Park University as a recipient of the Presidential and Artistic Achievement in Dance scholarships. She performed multiple concerts with the Pittsburgh Playhouse Dance Company under Susan Stowe, learning works by artists such as George Balanchine, Lauri Stallings, Alan Hineline, Kiki Lukas, Doug Bentz, Judith Leifer, Jason McDole, and Peter Merz. On the Playhouse stage, she was privileged to premiere her choreographic work advocating for human rights in poverty, titled Wavering Grace ; and on campus, served as President of the International Justice Mission - Point Park University Chapter. While in Pittsburgh, Rio also danced with The Pillow Project and taught at regional dance institutions such as Point Park University's Community Classes and the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School.
In New York City, under the direction of Kazuko Hirabayashi and Robert Swinston, Rio danced with the Kazuko Hirabayashi Dance Theatre, for whom she eventually served as Company Manager. She danced solo roles at New York City Center and Alvin Ailey Citigroup Theater, including the sad tale of a long lost lover to Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, accompanied by her mother, Myra Beth Smith. She was also part of the original cast of Ms. Hirabayashi's The Spring, music to Le Sacre du printemps by Igor Stravinsky. Rio has performed guest roles in New York City with artists such as Jessica Taylor and DAMAGEDANCE, as well as for the ABC Television Network with the Christian Cultural Center Dance Ministry.
Rio has found her greatest joy in the dance world to be imparting wisdom to the next generation of dancers. As an American Ballet Theatre® Certified Teacher, Mrs. Guillaume successfully presented her classes at NYC's American Youth Dance Theater each year for examinations by the American Ballet Theatre® Artistic Board of Examiners, thus having achieved ABT® NTC Affiliate Status in 2011, and ABT® NTC Fellow Status in 2016. She has also mentored and privately coached select students into earning acceptance from professional training schools such as New York City Ballet's School of American Ballet, the ABT® Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School, the Paris Opera Ballet Summer School, and LaGuardia High School of the Performing Arts. Mrs. Guillaume has choreographed multiple works each year on students at AYDT for bi-annual recitals and company performances, including The Nutcracker, and enjoyed teaching Body Ballet® and Dance Cardio adult fitness classes with New York's Center for Dance and Body.
Rio currently resides in her hometown of Chicago, where she recently served as a teaching artist at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and regularly guest teaches at Ballet 5:8 School of the Arts and Beth Fowler School of Dance. Currently, Ms. Rio serves on faculty at Dance Academy of Libertyville and Ballet Theatre of Illinois, and directs all ballet classes at Interclub Academy of Dance, Mary Seat of Wisdom School, Expanded Learning at D63, and the Niles Family Fitness Center.
Along becoming a lifelong dance professional, Rio has developed a passion for underprivileged children abroad, particularly in the "Pearl of the Caribbean", what is known as Haïti. Rio has become fluent in Haitian Creole, and alongside her native Haitian husband, Garry Guillaume, she founded the grassroots organization, Voice of Jean Rabel, an advocacy and aid development platform for the northern region of Haiti. Rio has also been accompanied by students from the United States to lead a dance education and therapy program for former child slaves in transition at the Restavek Freedom Foundation in Port-au-Prince.
Rio holds a B.A. in Dance and a Minor in Business Management from Point Park University. She has also successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Primary through Level Five of the ABT® National Training Curriculum, attained ABT® Affiliate Teacher status in 2011, and achieved ABT® NTC Fellow Status in 2016 for having successfully presented her students for more than three consecutive sessions of annual exams.
In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Rio attended the Conservatory of Performing Arts at Point Park University as a recipient of the Presidential and Artistic Achievement in Dance scholarships. She performed multiple concerts with the Pittsburgh Playhouse Dance Company under Susan Stowe, learning works by artists such as George Balanchine, Lauri Stallings, Alan Hineline, Kiki Lukas, Doug Bentz, Judith Leifer, Jason McDole, and Peter Merz. On the Playhouse stage, she was privileged to premiere her choreographic work advocating for human rights in poverty, titled Wavering Grace ; and on campus, served as President of the International Justice Mission - Point Park University Chapter. While in Pittsburgh, Rio also danced with The Pillow Project and taught at regional dance institutions such as Point Park University's Community Classes and the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School.
In New York City, under the direction of Kazuko Hirabayashi and Robert Swinston, Rio danced with the Kazuko Hirabayashi Dance Theatre, for whom she eventually served as Company Manager. She danced solo roles at New York City Center and Alvin Ailey Citigroup Theater, including the sad tale of a long lost lover to Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, accompanied by her mother, Myra Beth Smith. She was also part of the original cast of Ms. Hirabayashi's The Spring, music to Le Sacre du printemps by Igor Stravinsky. Rio has performed guest roles in New York City with artists such as Jessica Taylor and DAMAGEDANCE, as well as for the ABC Television Network with the Christian Cultural Center Dance Ministry.
Rio has found her greatest joy in the dance world to be imparting wisdom to the next generation of dancers. As an American Ballet Theatre® Certified Teacher, Mrs. Guillaume successfully presented her classes at NYC's American Youth Dance Theater each year for examinations by the American Ballet Theatre® Artistic Board of Examiners, thus having achieved ABT® NTC Affiliate Status in 2011, and ABT® NTC Fellow Status in 2016. She has also mentored and privately coached select students into earning acceptance from professional training schools such as New York City Ballet's School of American Ballet, the ABT® Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School, the Paris Opera Ballet Summer School, and LaGuardia High School of the Performing Arts. Mrs. Guillaume has choreographed multiple works each year on students at AYDT for bi-annual recitals and company performances, including The Nutcracker, and enjoyed teaching Body Ballet® and Dance Cardio adult fitness classes with New York's Center for Dance and Body.
Rio currently resides in her hometown of Chicago, where she recently served as a teaching artist at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and regularly guest teaches at Ballet 5:8 School of the Arts and Beth Fowler School of Dance. Currently, Ms. Rio serves on faculty at Dance Academy of Libertyville and Ballet Theatre of Illinois, and directs all ballet classes at Interclub Academy of Dance, Mary Seat of Wisdom School, Expanded Learning at D63, and the Niles Family Fitness Center.
Along becoming a lifelong dance professional, Rio has developed a passion for underprivileged children abroad, particularly in the "Pearl of the Caribbean", what is known as Haïti. Rio has become fluent in Haitian Creole, and alongside her native Haitian husband, Garry Guillaume, she founded the grassroots organization, Voice of Jean Rabel, an advocacy and aid development platform for the northern region of Haiti. Rio has also been accompanied by students from the United States to lead a dance education and therapy program for former child slaves in transition at the Restavek Freedom Foundation in Port-au-Prince.
Rio holds a B.A. in Dance and a Minor in Business Management from Point Park University. She has also successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Primary through Level Five of the ABT® National Training Curriculum, attained ABT® Affiliate Teacher status in 2011, and achieved ABT® NTC Fellow Status in 2016 for having successfully presented her students for more than three consecutive sessions of annual exams.