South Chicago Dance Theatre
WORLD PREMIERE
By Kia S. Smith
Presented in partnership wtih South Chicago Dance Theatre
Thursday, February 11, 2027 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, February 12, 2027 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, February 13, 2027 at 12 p.m. (noon)
Tickets: General Admission ($30); Elder/Industry ($20); Non-Columbia Student/Child ($10); Free to Columbia College Chicago students.
A Dance Center commission, this world premiere by South Chicago Dance Theatre Founder and Director of Vision and Strategy Kia S. Smith is the fourth evening-length work by the 10-year-old company. Inspired by Smith’s Great Grandmother Josephine Griffin Jones, the new dance theater work explores how family histories and embodied knowledge can flower into artistic expression and the power of belief and hope to transform and vanquish, survive and thrive.
“I am honored to be able to pay homage to my Great Grandmother’s legacy of unwavering faith and resilience. It is because of her trailblazing spirit that South Chicago Dance Theatre exists; and I look forward to embarking upon this process in collaboration with the team at the Dance Center and the artists of SCDT’s performing ensemble.” - Kia S. Smith.
Kia S. Smith is a Chicago native, whose work spans contemporary dance, theater, jazz, opera and artistic diplomacy and is linked to the specific, idiosyncratic soundscapes, colors, peoples and ephemera of her childhood on Chicago’s south side as the daughter of a well-known jazz saxophonist and visual artist. South Chicago Dance Theatre (SCDT) is a multicultural organization seamlessly fusing classical and contemporary dance styles as well as preserving historic dance work. With Choreographic Diplomacy™ at the heart of the organization, SCDT creates, performs, and teaches dance on a local, national, and international platform.
Banner image above courtesy of South Chicago Dance Theatre, pictured Tonei Silver, photo by Michelle Reid.
