We were honored that Sharon Hoyer of New City Stage picked our Artistic and Producing Directors as part of their 50 Players for Chicago in 2026.
The Chicago Reader Remembers Shirley Mordine
Kerry Reid of the Chicago Reader wrote a remembrance of Shirley Mordine, our founder. Mordine, 89, founded the dance department at Columbia College Chicago and the college’s influential Dance Center. During her 30-year tenure at Columbia, which began in 1969, she instituted the center’s Dance Presenting Series in 1974, which brought contemporary dance artists from around the country to Chicago, often placing them in conversation and collaboration with local talent.
Dance Center Leaders Chosen by New City Stage for its Players 50 2024: The Institutions
We’re really honored that New City highlighted our Artistic and Producing Directors as part of its Players 2024: The Fifty People Who Really Perform for Chicago. Meredith Sutton and Roell Schmidt, in collaboration with dance department chair Lisa Gonzales, are experimenting with ways to erase that “and” by “moving away from the ‘gatekeeper’ model of dance presenting.”
