“With wonderful presentations about the tradition and history of rhythm from different experiences, personal understandings, and cultures, I was able to unlock new ideas and grow my previous ideas of what embodying rhythm can mean.” - Sophie Daker
Embodying Rhythm: Dance Symposium Reflection by Malika Okot
Experiencing Time / Embodying Rhythm Symposium Reflection by J. Stephens
Environmental awakening: ETHOS IV connects community to the Earth
A canopy of pink blossoming trees showers petals on the audience as we sail down the path, pulled along by a current of wind and sound. Slow and easy, like swirling air, four figures float through the grove, reverently laying hands upon the bark and grass. They caress the breeze and mimic the shapes of the branches and trunks. Ayako Kato—kinetic philosopher, poet and choreographer—pauses to hang from one branch, arm hooked delicately and body unfolding toward the sky. The crowd is hushed. See Chicago Dance reviews Ayako Kato’s ETHOS IV: Degrowth/Cycle/Rebirth.
What happens when we take off our socks? The bittersweet power of introspection: a response by Aaliyah Christina
In January/February 2024, dance artist SJ Swilley held a production residency at the Dance Center of Columbia College supported by Chicago Dancemakers Forum. They invited collaborators Mawu Ama Ma'at Gora and Graciella Ye'Tsunami to help shape their work, Aaliyah Christina as an embedded writer, and Jovan Landry as the photographer to document some of the process. The resulting piece was part of the Chicago Artist Spotlight Festival in April 2024.
On the Ground
Expanding our blog to take the pulse on our dance communities
In 2021, through the support of The Walder Foundation, we were able to expand the On the Ground series on our blog. We checked in on the dance communities in our city and beyond by taking the pulse of the moment during the covid pandemic. On the Ground became an online dance journal-magazine that featured interviews with Chicago dance artists, shared work from virtual residencies that we hosted with choreographers, and took deep dives into our video archives.
Dance Buffet - thanks for coming!
The Dance Center’s Dance Buffet wrapped up last week and I want to celebrate and thank everyone who helped make it possible. Between mid-September and mid-November 2020, we presented 37 live events, ranging from discussion groups to improvisation workshops to technique classes. These were small-scale events, intentionally designed to preserve as many aspects of liveness and presence as possible…
Work to do
The Sun, Moon, and Her Stars
Columbia College Chicago was invited to participate in a summer intensive at the Centre National de la Danse in Pantin, just outside of Paris. In this blog post, student Kennedy Ward shares their experience of studying with dance legend Germaine Acogny.
