In the audio series portion of “The 1619 Project,” New York Times cultural critic Wesley Morris says that when he hears American pop music—jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, even yacht rock—he hears Blackness. Likewise (and inseparably) is American social Black dance, emerging and evolving alongside these genres: bodies unstoppably moved by syncopation and harmony, shot through with ripples of delight only a perfectly landed improvisation can provide. But improvisation lives in the new. And as Black artists push forms and culture forward, older styles can get left behind….
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.”
Dance Theatre Etiquette and How It Shapes Our Experience as Viewers by Gabriela Marks
Jumaane Taylor "Raised the Bar for Tap Dance" with "Supreme Love"
The Chicago Reader in Conversation with Meredith Sutton, Interim Series Director
Review calls the Dance Center “arguably the best venue to see dance in Chicago!”
Recent praise for FLOCK & Artists’ Somewhere Between calls the Dance Center -- “arguably the best venue to see dance in Chicago!”:
Sometimes in duets, and most often as a six-dancer ensemble, Flock’s Somewhere Between continues to mesmerize with seamless transitions. We lose track of time. It’s not unlike the hypnotizing effect of a lava lamp. All is fluid. Transitions are so seamless we only realize they have happened in retrospect….
Columbia announces Spring lineup for 49th Dance Presenting Series
The Dance Center at Columbia College Chicago announces its 2023 Spring Season, which includes performances from STAYCEE PEARL dance project & Soy Sos, FLOCK, and Jumaane Taylor.
Announcing the fall lineup for our 49th Presenting Series!
The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago announces its 2022 Fall Season, which includes two performance series—Elevate Dance Chicago and B-Series B-All-Access: Celebrating Accessibility and Inclusion in Hip-Hop and Street Dance Culture featuring guest artist Bill Shannon. “At the Dance Center, we are honored to be able to hold the space for this work to take place, and for the coming together of community in celebration of the dancing body,” says Lisa Gonzales, Associate Professor and Chair of Dance at Columbia.
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.