Essence by Bevara Anderson-Selkridge
Presented in partnership with BĀLA Dance Project and National Association for American African Dance Teachers
Friday, October 23, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, October 24, 2026 at 12:00 p.m.
Tickets: General Admission ($30); Elder/Industry ($20); Non-Columbia Student/Child ($10); Free to Columbia College Chicago students.
Bevara Anderson-Selkridge presents her first standalone BĀLA Dance Project concert in Chicago featuring her choreographic range from solos to duets, from small group pieces to large ensemble works and drawing upon her fluency in Umfundalai, House, Modern, Horton, Contemporary Ballet, and Vagonava dance techniques and practices. Anderson-Selkridge’s work is more than movement; it’s revolution and it’s resistance.
Before founding BĀLA Dance Project, Bevera Anderson-Selkridge was a founding member of the Katherine Smith Dance Ensemble and a core performer with Kariamu & Company: Traditions. She is of the final generation of dancers mentored by the legendary Dr. Kariamu Welsh and carries her legacy fiercely, embodying and teaching Dr. Welsh’s technique, Umfundalai, with a burning desire to push it forward. An unapologetic professional dance artist from the Maryland Coast, Anderson-Selkridge serves as Assistant Professor of Dance at Columbia College Chicago where she continues to challenge the limits of dance, teaching the next generation how to break, bend, and rebuild the rules.
Banner image above: pictured Courtney Cooper (standing) surrounded by Milenka Aurelio, Grace Butt, Sophie Daker, Nia Durlacher, Lizeth Hernandez, Erica Jones, Shannon Lane, Sawyer Latimore, Sophia Peck, Areli Ramirez, CJ Triche, Diamond Turner, Mikaylah Williams, Ava-C. Winfrey; photo by William Frederking.
