SEASON 52: MOMENT + MOVEMENT

October 15, 2025 - may 15, 2026

Dedicated to Shirley Mordine (1936-2025), founder and leader of the Dance Center for three decades, Season 52 celebrates dance as a vital contemporary art form. You are invited to experience world premieres, U.S. premieres, Midwest premieres, and Chicago premieres by artists based in the U.S., Benin, and India exploring the present moment through movement.

 

May 5, 2025

It is with deep sadness that we share the news of the passing of our visionary founder, Shirley Mordine, who led the Dance Center from 1969 until 1999.

Shirley Mordine’s impact on Columbia and the broader dance community is immeasurable. A pioneering force in contemporary dance, her leadership transformed the Dance Center into a nationally recognized institution for dance education, performance, and public engagement.


David Rousseve/REALITY, from Stardust, photo by Yi Chun.

Urban Bush Women in Hep Hep Sweet Sweet, photo by Rick McCullough.

About

The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago is the city’s leading presenter of contemporary dance – bringing international, national, and local artists to Chicago audiences. The Dance Center has served as a focal point for dance and performance in Chicago since 1974.

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from Irene Hsiao’s Merely a Mistake A Score for your Door.

Explore On the Ground, the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago’s online publication. With support from The Walder Foundation, it features interviews with Chicago dance artists, checking in on dance communities, sharing work from our virtual residencies with choreographers, and exploring the Dance Center’s video archives.

 

banner image: from Approval At High Noon by: Kia S. Smith; pictured l to r: Sophia Peck, Diamond Turner, Isabel Bastardo, Adrean Maxwell, Konnie Kakridas, Courtney Cooper, Aly Owens, and Jay Richardson; photo by: William Frederking.