The Shirley Mordine Dance Maker Award Selection Criteria
““Every dance should be new, strange & beautiful.””
Pictured: Jan Erkert, Carol Bobrow, and Shirley Mordine in Three Women (1975) by Shirley Mordine, photo by Chuck Osgood.
Shirley Mordine never stopped exploring, inquiring, or innovating in her more than six decades making dances. At the 50th anniversary concerts of Mordine & Company Dance Theater in 2019, an audience member shared: “This is not someone resting on her laurels or coasting. This is a dancemaker who has never stopped pushing boundaries.”
Applications for The Shirley Mordine Dance Maker Award will be reviewed by a panel of dance professionals with Shirley’s approach to dancemaking in mind:
Is the applicant making explorative/inquisitive work? If yes, how?
Are you excited to see the applicant’s proposed work come to life? If yes, why?
In addition, the mission and values of the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago will be honored:
The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago values embodied human expression and nurtures an expansive understanding of dance from the established to the experimental. Centering pluralism, the Dance Center aims to be a nucleus for innovation and creativity—on stage, in the classroom, and beyond. We cultivate an environment and culture that prioritizes respect for self and others, and advances an anti-racist, equitable, and just society.
Selecting Awarded Choreographers
Panelists are expected to be open to a range of choreographic processes and how artists communicate them.
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On a scale of 1 to 4, panelists are asked to assess applications on:
A. Artist’s Readiness – does the application suggest that the artist is ready to bring this work to life?
B. Project Scope – do you think the work can come to fruition as described in the application?
C. Artistic Risk – does the work feel like it will stretch the artist in healthy ways?
D. Spark – do you think this artist is tenacious and driven to innovate through dance making for the foreseeable future?
Note: Applicants who request feedback on their proposal will receive an anonymized version of the panelist’s written assessment sent to them via email by the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago.
The Shirley Mordine Dance Maker Award Fund
Shirley Mordine lived and created from 1936 to 2025. The Shirley Mordine Dance Maker Award Fund was established in 2026 by her family, friends and colleagues to honor and continue her dedication to dance education and performance and to the City of Chicago.
The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago facilitates The Shirley Mordine Dance Maker Awards through the support of the Fund.
Your gift to The Shirley Mordine Dance Maker Award Fund helps award more money to more choreographers to make more dances. 100% of your tax-deductible contribution goes to awarded choreographers. Thank you for contributing.
