Dedrick “D.Banks” Gray is a dance artist, educator, and aspiring creative producer from Chicago, IL. He holds an MFA in Choreography and Performance from Florida State University. Dedrick has deeply engrained himself in the Chicago dance community, working with numerous dance companies and serving as the Education Community Programs Coordinator and Dance Faculty for youth programs with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. He also furthered his professional training at Jacob’s Pillow, where he was a scholarship recipient for the professional program in 2015 and 2016.
In 2024, Dedrick was cast as a principal dancer in the Grammy Award-winning opera Champion at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. He also performed internationally in collaboration with Choreographer J’Sun Howard at the Fringe Dance Festival in January 2024. Since moving to Brooklyn, NY, Dedrick has embedded himself in the local dance community, apprenticing with Camille A. Brown & Dancers and serving as a Production Assistant for special projects with Jawole Zollar and Urban Bush Women in 2023.
In celebration of Hip Hop 50, Dedrick curated and produced the Hip Hop Legends interview series with TheLoopNetwork, where he interviewed prominent national Hip Hop dance artists and educators.
Currently, Dedrick is a Visiting Professor of Dance at Bard College in upstate New York. His academic work focuses on integrating Hip Hop and African Diasporic movement practices with lecture and performance. Most recently, his new work, And It Don’t Stop Vol. 1, premiered at the Spring 2024 Faculty Concert at Bard College.
Dedrick's performance credits include collaborations with renowned artists such as Gwen Welliver, Ron K. Brown, Allison Janae Hamilton, Onye Ozuzu, Darrell Jones, Diane McIntyre, J’Sun Howard, Nick Cave, BET Network, BraveSoul Movement, Muntu Dance Theater of Chicago, and Red Clay Dance Company.
