Residencies

ACTIVE (2015 - Present)

A black & white image of a dancer with short hair and in a black t-shirt holding his head in his hands, elbows splayed.

12

August

Program Contact

Shawn Lent

Current Artists

Production Residencies

With the support of Walder Foundation, Chicago Dancemakers Forum announces the continuation of its City-Wide Production Residency Project, which was piloted in 2020-2021 and matches local dance-making artists with performance venues for a period of experimentation and creative development in a technical theater space. The project promotes paid artistic development, experimentation with production elements, employment for designers and technicians, and new collaborations in the field. The 2023 artists-in-residence, Maggie Bridger and SJ Swilley, were selected by the host venues in collaboration with Chicago Dancemakers Forum.

2023 Production Residencies:

Maggie Bridger at Links Hall

SJ Swilley at The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago

In partnership with Performance Response Journal, a writer—who is also a practicing artist, curator, cultural producer, and/or all of the above—is embedded into each residency and paired with each dancemaker/collective while they are in this process of making a new work. Together they share space, process, dialogue, reflection, and creation.

2020-2021 Production Residencies:

BraveSoul Movement, Jumaane Taylor, and Nejla Yatkin at The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago
Ivelisse Diaz at Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center
La Vuelta Ensemble at UrbanTheater Company
Rigo Saura at The Ruth Page Center for the Arts
Fujima Yoshinojo aka Rika Lin at Space Stage Studios

CDF Residency at High Concept Labs

Chicago Dancemakers Forum partners with High Concept Labs to provide selected local dancemakers with space, resources, and opportunities to develop their current projects. The 2023 Residence Artist is Rigo Saura (2023 Chicago Dancemakers Forum Lab Artist Finalist). Former CDF Artists-In-Residence at High Concept Labs include Kinnari Vora, Irene Hsiao, Sterling Lofton aka Steelo, and Vershawn Sanders-Ward.

Chicago Dancemaker-In-Residence Program at Rebuild Foundation

Since 2015, Chicago Dancemakers Forum has continued to partner with Rebuild Foundation to provide selected Chicago Dancemakers Forum awardees with space, resources, and opportunities to develop their current projects. The 2022 Dancemaker-In-Residence at Rebuild Foundation is Starinah Dixon (2022 Lab Artist). Former Dancemakers-In-Residence at Rebuild Foundation include Sterling "Steelo" Lofton, Jenn Freeman aka Po'Chop. Ayesha Jaco, Jumaane Taylor, Daniel "BRAVEMONK" Haywood, Onye Ozuzu, and Barak adé Soleil.

Other Residencies for Lab Artists

In addition to Rebuild Foundation and High Concept Labs, Chicago Dancemakers Forum works with other Consortium organizations and community partners to offer residencies to the Lab Artists throughout their Lab year. Host sites for 2022 include the Chicago Cultural Center - Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (Marcela E Torres), Ruth Page Center for the Arts (Kia S. Smith), and The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago (Fabulous Freddie Prodigy).

Ragdale Residencies for Chicago Dancemakers

Chicago Dancemakers Forum has enjoyed a long collaboration with Ragdale on much needed residencies for past awardees. Space, time and dialogue with other artists of all disciplines are critical to the growth and health of dancemaking artists. This partnership and the new dance space at Ragdale will certainly contribute to pushing this important art form into new and exciting creative territory.

10x10 | Crossbody Collaborations

Chicago Dancemakers Forum partnered with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago to produce 10x10 | Crossbody Collaborations between ten Hubbard Street Dance Chicago company members and ten Chicago Dancemakers Forum awardees. With an emphasis on process, between, each pair developed a one-on-one collaborative way of working together. Honoring one another’s embodied dance forms, they exchanged and stretched their understanding of themselves as human beings and creators, discovering new insights into their individual practices along the way. Serving as Guides/Resonators for these collaborations were Meida McNeal and Tara Aisha Willis.These collaborations began in October 2020 and wrapped up in March 2021. The 10x10 Circle Shares are supported in part by a sponsorship grant from The Chicago Community Trust.

10x10 Artists