NANIGO 2025: Movement, Memory, and Liberation on Juneteenth

NANIGO 2025: Movement, Memory, and Liberation on Juneteenth

Raynner Garcia (BFA, Musical Theatre ‘26) shares his experience of the National Association for American African Dance Teacher’s annual dance intensive NANIGO 2025 in this reflection. “Just a block from the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago, the Autin Lo’Ren Studio was full of warmth and rhythm the moment we stepped in. You could feel the energy pulsing before any music played; it was a community in motion. As someone with limited experience in Umfundalai, I came with a few nerves, but the generosity of the community quickly washed those away. That is the essence of Umfundalai. More than a technique, t’s a philosophy rooted in Diasporic movement traditions, ancestral connection, and the beauty of the African body.”

Review: Nora Sharp's COSMIC DOCKS on Sixty Inches from Center

Review: Nora Sharp's COSMIC DOCKS on Sixty Inches from Center

Corey Smith and Rachel Lindsay reflect on the March 2025 premiere of Nora Sharp’s COSMIC DOCKS at the Chicago Solo Spotlight Festival for Sixty Inches from Center: “Cosmic Docks is one part standup special, one part loop-pedal-karaoke, one part dance-with-an-uppercase ‘D.’”

Review: Jenn Freeman | Po'Chop's THICK on Sixty Inches from Center

Review: Jenn Freeman | Po'Chop's THICK on Sixty Inches from Center

Corey Smith and Rachel Lindsay reflect on the March 2025 premiere of THICK: a crumbling freak show by Jenn Freeman | Po’Chop at the Chicago Solo Spotlight Festival for Sixty Inches from Center: “The [performance] is a tour de force of Freeman | Po’Chop’s chops.”

Red Clay Dance Company's 16 Featured in Local Press: WGN-9 Midday Fix, Fox 32 and ABC 7 Interviews, New City, and more

Red Clay Dance Company's 16 Featured in Local Press: WGN-9 Midday Fix, Fox 32 and ABC 7 Interviews, New City, and more

Red Clay Dance Company is gearing up for its concert series at the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago and has been featured in New City, on See Chicago Dance, and several TV interviews - including WGN 9’s Midday Fix, Fox 32, and Chicago’s ABC 7.

Red Clay Dance Company & Bebe Miller: A Homecoming

Red Clay Dance Company & Bebe Miller: A Homecoming

Red Clay Dance Company’s upcoming program pairs two works created in collaboration with the dancers: Bebe Miller’s Field: New Ground and Vershawn Sanders-Ward’s Written on the Flesh. Asked about how it has been for the company to work with Bebe, for Vershawn it’s something of a full circle moment: “I’m still in awe. I don’t want to get all sentimental – it just reminds me of the specialness of the Dance Center.” Read about the two works and the collaboration between these two artists.