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They are the enormous, illustrious and hugely talented shoes of the legendary Madame Katherine Dunham and the late great Theo H. Jamison, that Homer Simmons now finds himself stepping into. But Simmons is doing so with reverence, excitement and eagerness. 

Simmons is the new director of the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville East St. Louis Center Performing Arts program, initially known as the Katherine Dunham Center for the Performing Arts. 

“The East St. Louis Center for Performing Arts has long been a gem in the area,” said Simmons, an East St. Louis native. “I remember when Katherine Dunham relocated to East St. Louis and established her dance company here. I attended dance performances and theater productions at the old location of 411 E. Broadway, as well as the Edwardsville campus . At its peak in the 1990s, the Performing Arts program provided year-round instruction to more than 1,000 youth and was a training ground for professional artists of all disciplines. Many of Ms. Dunham’s students have gone on to perform on Broadway and around the world, and have introduced and kept Dunham’s legacy alive.” 

“I have been in performing arts all of my life,” added Simmons, who has a bachelor’s in art and theater and a master’s in education administration. 

Simmons’ professional career includes playing the character of “Suede” in Spike Lee’s film, “Cronies,” which was filmed in St. Louis in 2012. “Cronies” was featured at all the major national and international film festivals that year, and later aired on Netflix, YouTube and Apple TV. 

He spent several years teaching art and theater, retiring as a fine arts director from East St. Louis School District #189 in 2014.  Since retiring, Simmons has sold several paintings and has appeared in local television commercials and other films. He also sat in as an extra for the filming of an Oprah Winfrey episode of “David Makes Mam,” starring Phylicia Rashad. 

Simmons’ immediate plan is to introduce a visual arts component as part of the Performing Arts program. 

“I want to create the space where students can draw, paint, sculpt and design, thus elevating their creativity quotient,” he added. “Student art exhibitions, framed prints, fabric and textiles are all a part of my vision for this program.” 

Currently, Performing Arts offers after school classes in dance that include jazz, hip hop, tap and modern dance. Vocal and music classes in piano, guitar and violin are also offered. 

“I am building on a long history of performing arts royalty,” Simmons remarked. “I hope to develop and maintain a strong and viable program that helps foster all facets of the arts. The program will help students and the community thrive, and will remain an important source of cultural entertainment. I also hope to introduce our students to local and national entertainment and film organizations.” 

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Homer Simmons is the new director of the SIUE East St. Louis Center Performing Arts program.