Elevate Chicago Dance 2022

Elevate Chicago Dance

OCTOBER 13-16, 2022

#YearOfChicagoDance

WHAT’S NOW, WHAT’S NEXT. A CROSS-TOWN FESTIVAL OF DANCE MADE IN CHICAGO.

Festival Events

ELEVATE CHICAGO DANCE 2022 OFFERED A MIX OF IN-PERSON, VIRTUAL, AND HYBRID EVENTS.

ELEVATE REPLAY VIDEOS

A dancer in a kimono with the overlay graphic of hand bluish in color.

Oct 13: Chicago Cultural Center

Downtown. FREE daylong event featuring Yoshinojo Fujima aka Rika Lin, Cristin Carole and Alumni of the Sammy Dyer School, Enneréssa LaNette with Monique Haley, Queering Career: a Conversation with Queer Dancemakers, Nico Rubio / Shuffle Liiife Productions, Ivelisse “Bombera de Corazon” Diaz, and BraveSoul Movement with Chi Buck Movement.

Five dancers wearing wearing Oskar Schlemmer's fantastical Bauhaus costumes + masks; Puppet in mask + striped pant legs; totem pole of dancers with red + purple spikes: 2dancers with black mask and red and white mask; turquoise fabric and tubes with silver ball.

Oct 13-14: Columbia College Chicago

South Loop. Featuring Ginger Krebs and collaborators, Hedwig Dances, and Donnetta Jackson / M.A.D.D. Rhythms.

A screenshot from a film. Two individual are seated in front of bookshelves.

Oct 14: Meet the Dancemakers

FREE virtual conversation with some of the dancemakers of Elevate Chicago Dance 2022. Live captioning provided.

Approximately 15 dancers in black sneakers, black pants and black t-shirts with orange printing leaning back in confidence and/or defiance. They are in a room with brick walls and dim lighting.

Oct 14: Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center

Hermosa. Event featuring BOOM CRACK! Dance Company / Trae Turner, Christopher “Mad Dog” Thomas / Kuumba Lynx, and FORCE! an opera in three acts / Anna Martine Whitehead.

A dancer in a long gauze fainted pink dress standing on top of the mountain while the sun is rising, emitting the long beam of lights.

Oct 15: Palmisano Nature Park

Bridgeport. FREE event featuring Ayako Kato / Art Union Humanscape.

Two dancers in dark lighting of similar height wearing black pants and either a nude or white leotard.

Oct 15: Mana Contemporary

Pilsen. FREE event featuring works by Christopher Knowlton, María Luisa Torres and Luis Tubens, Nora Sharp, South Chicago Dance Theatre / Kia S. Smith, and Erin Kilmurray.

Characters with Long Ears: Three performers sit in front a brick wall, wrapped in various fabrics with large headbands representing ears.

Oct 16: Chicago Cultural Center

Downtown. FREE dance film screenings featuring Gabriel Bruno Enrique Lopez Eng Gonzalez with Adanya Gilmore; Nora Sharp and Grace McCants; Every house has a door; Synapse Arts: Rahila Coats, Maggie Bridger, and Rachel Damon/Aaron Greer; Carolyn Castillo aka GoldGrrl; JaNiah Cooper; and Nadia Oussenko.

Three performers in all yellow outfits are in a field. One holds a black umbrella and is walking away from the camera. Two are improvising movement using an orange rope. A flag that reads “YOU” is visible at the center of the image. (cropped)

Oct 16: Big Marsh Park

Southeast Side. FREE event featuring works by Aaliyah Christina; Ysayë Alma; and Jasmine Lupe Mendoza, Lia Kohl, and Corey Smith.

An arm creating a kolam geometrical line drawing made of powder on the floor.

Oct 16: 21c Museum Hotel Chicago

Downtown. Event included performance by Kinnari Vora / Ishti Collective, Celebration of the 2023 Lab Artists, reception with open bar, and the Festival Closing Dance Party.

A tap dancer wearing a black mesh top, faux leather black pants with ruffles at the hips, and burgundy tap shoes smiles brightly with one arm, one leg, and her braids in motion. The background is solid white.

Festival Information

Participating Artists

Ysayë Alma
BOOM CRACK! Dance Company, choreography by Trae Turner
BraveSoul Movement and ChiBuck Movement
Maggie Bridger
Carolyn Carney aka GoldGrrl / Chicago Movement Series
Cristin Carole and Alumni of the Sammy Dyer School
Aaliyah Christina
JaNiah Cooper
Enneressa Davis with Monique Haley
Ivelisse Bombera de Corazon Diaz – Bomba
Every house has a door (Lin Hixson and Matthew Goulish)
FORCE! an opera in three acts
Yoshinojo Fujima aka Rika Lin
Gabriel Bruno Enrique Lopez Eng Gonzalez with Adanya Gilmore
Hedwig Dances, choreography by Jan Bartoszek
Ishti Collective, choreography by Kinnari Vora and Tuli Bera
Donnetta Jackson / M.A.D.D. Rhythms
Lydia Jekot with queer Chicago dance artists
Ayako Kato / Art Union Humanscape
Christopher Knowlton
Erin Kilmurray
Ginger Krebs
Grace McCants & Nora Sharp
Jasmine Lupe Mendoza, Lia Kohl and Corey Smith
Nadia Oussenko
Nico Rubio (Shuffle Liiife Productions)
Nora Sharp
South Chicago Dance Theatre, choreography by Kia S. Smith
Synapse Arts: Rahila Coats, Maggie Bridger, and Rachel Damon/Aaron Greer
Christopher “Mad Dog” Thomas / Kuumba Lynx
María Luisa Torres and Luis Tubens

Festival Staff

Dominique Atwood, Festival Manager

Solomon Bowser, Festival Assistant

La Mar Brown, Operations

Ále Campos, Virtual Experience Manager

Yolanda Cesta Cursach Montilla, Curator

Joanna Furnans, Managing Producer

Cameron Heinze, Artist Liaison

Shawn Lent, Festival Accessibility and Marketing

Margaret Nelson, Technical Director

Thanks!

Elevate Chicago Dance 2022 is supported by the City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), Chicago Park District’s Night Out in the Parks program, The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, Martha Struthers Farley and Donald C Farley Jr. Family Foundation, Morrison Shearer Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, The Ruth Page Center for the Arts and the 2022 Ruth Page Expanding Universe Award, and the School of the Arts Institute of Chicago. This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency. Food/Beverage donated by Dill Pickle, Illuminated Brew Works, Jewel Osco Andersonville, Milkweed Inn, and Whole Foods Edgewater. Additional support and partnership provided by 21c Museum Hotel, The Dance Center at Columbia College Chicago, High Concept Labs, Monira Foundation, and Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center. With this support, all participating artists and performers are being paid an honorarium that meets Working Artists and the Greater Economy (W.A.G.E.) requirements.

Learn about Elevate Chicago Dance 2017 and Elevate Chicago Dance 2018.

Image Captions and Credits

Header: Rahila Coats, Jenn Freeman, Zachary Nicol, and Anna Martine Whitehead – FORCE! Forceanopera at Pivot Arts Festival 2022, Edge Theater. Photo by William Frederking. [ID: Four Black femmes in denim and t-shirts roll over and across one another, their arms, legs, and puffs going in many directions. One person is lying atop a railing. Another person is blurred looking in from the foreground.]

Midpage: Donnetta ‘LilBit’ Jacksonof M.A.D.D. Rhythms, Photo by William Frederking. [ID: A tap dancer wearing a black meshtop, faux leather black pantswith ruffles at the hips, and burgundy tap shoes smiles brightly with one arm, one leg, and her braids in motion.The background is solid white.]