American Dancing Bodies Symposium
Thursday and Friday, October 19-20, 2023
The American dancing body is a fusion of Ballet, Hip-Hop, Modern, and West African techniques. This understanding was a catalyst for the curricular revolution at the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago in 2012. More than a decade since this transformation at the Dance Center, the impact locally and nationally has been profound. Now what needs to happen next in dance, both on the stage, in the studio, and in the classroom? Come participate in workshops, lecture demonstrations, screenings, performances, and conversations exploring the intersectionality of present-day dance!
““I challenge the construction of the physical dance canon and argue that the demands of today’s contemporary dancer require a fusion of techniques that create fluidity in the body akin to the culturally pluralistic world in which we live.””
Some highlights of the symposium include: A New Decade of Dance Films: Screening and Performances by Kierah “Kiki” King and Patricia Nguyen presented in partnership with the Museum of Contemporary Photography, The New Orleans Original BuckShop Workshop by Michelle Gibson, and MO(VE)MENT: Performance Showcase featuring Ayodele Drum & Dance, BraveSoul Movement, The Joffrey Ballet, and Mordine & Company Legacy Project.
Schedule at a Glance
All events held at the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago, 1306 South Michigan Ave.
Thursday, October 19, 2023
10:30-11:50 a.m. Unlocking Dance Pluralism - An Embodied Round Table | Dance Center Theater
12-12:20 p.m. | Snack + Chat | Studio 102
12:30-1:50 p.m. | Session 1 : The Malleable, Expressive, Self-Reflexive Body | with Silvita Diaz Brown and Alyssa Motter | Dance Center Theater
2-3:20 p.m. | Session 2: Disrupting / Belonging | with Nora Sharp and Chrissy Martin | Dance Center Theater
Session 2: Building Somatic Confidence: Tools for Ballet and Improvisation | with Emily Stein and Rebecca Crystal | Studio 300
3:30-4:50 p.m. | Session 3: Dance, Money, & Success | with Joanna Furnans | Studio 102
Session 3: Embodying The River Archetype - The Wolfpack | with Reign Drop Winker | Studio 200
4:50-5:45 p.m. | Snack + Chat | Studio 102
6-7:30 p.m. | A New Decade of Dance Films: Screening and Performances by Kierah “KIKI” King and Patricia Nguyen
co-presented with the Museum of Contemporary Photography | Dance Center Theater
Friday, October 20, 2023
10 a.m.-12 p.m. | Session 4: Danced to Deliverance: Black Structures of Form Animating Dance | with Dr. Thomas F. Defrantz and The New Orleans Original BuckShop | with Michelle N. Gibson | Dance Center Theater
12:30-1:30 p.m. | Session 5: Brief Liberation: Experiments in Black Feminist Embodied Practice | with Anna Martine Whitehead, Tara Aisha Willis, and Damon Locks | Studio 102
7:30-9:00 p.m. | MO(VE)MENT Performance Showcase | Dance Center Theater
Support
The American Dancing Bodies Symposium is made possible in part by Alphawood Foundation, the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, Illinois Arts Council Agency, and is partially supported by a Chicago Arts Recovery Program grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events.
The American Dancing Body Symposium is presented in partnership with the Museum of Contemporary Photography, Ayodele Drum & Dance, BraveSoul Movement, The Joffrey Ballet, and Mordine & Company Legacy Project.
banner photo: Hold dear (recall) by Tristen Sanborn, BFA, Dance ‘23, photo by Julie Lucas, for the Dance Center of Columbia College, Chicago.
