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See Chicago Dance: Natya Dance Theatre Celebrates 50 Years at Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago

See Chicago Dance: Natya Dance Theatre Celebrates 50 Years at Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago

Like all of Natya Dance Theatre’s canon, “Sharīra Sharīri – Held Within” is representative of Artistic Director Hema Rajagopalan’s philosophy, put simply, “to get better, to love each other, to share, to lose one’s ego.” Rather than narrating philosophy, Natya’s work embodies it, allowing the audience to experience phenomenally the interconnection of all beings and how they are intertwined with the source of life, a message as old as the practice of philosophy itself, re-imagined by a classical dance company whose tradition is to be contemporary.

Columbia College Chicago Alum and Dance Center Artist Erin Kilmurray Named Chicagoan of the Year in Dance

Columbia College Chicago Alum and Dance Center Artist Erin Kilmurray Named Chicagoan of the Year in Dance

The Chicago Tribune’s Lauren Warnecke celebrates Erin Kilmurray, fellow Dance Center and Columbia College Chicago Alum as Chicagoan of the Year in Dance. Dance Presenting Series artist Kilmurray reflects on what’s next after ‘The Fly Honey Show.’

Kaleigh Dent looks back and synthesizes our Fall 2025 Symposium: What is Contemporary?

Kaleigh Dent looks back and synthesizes our Fall 2025 Symposium: What is Contemporary?

What Is Contemporary? Symposium 2025, hosted by the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago, explored the idea of ‘contemporary’ and the many meanings it takes on in reference to dance. The conference acknowledged that the word contemporary has a definitive meaning - ‘belonging to or happening now’ – while also recognizing that when paired with the word ‘dance’ (i.e., contemporary dance), takes on vastly different definitions from artist to artist. In this three-day symposium, dancers, academics, and professionals in the dance field contemplated this word contemporary – and in term contemporary dance – to not define it, but to understand what the complexity of the word means for the dance industry. Kaleigh Dent synthesizes some of the conversations and threads that emerged over the course of the symposium and related events.