Post by Kia S. Smith, in collaboration with Shawn Lent

SPACE has long been a concern for dancemakers in Chicago, seeking out places for artistic exploration, process and practice, project development, public presentation, and more. In this blog initiative, artists share lists of their own favorite dance spaces in the Chicago area, as well as their individual perspectives on criteria. This is an ongoing blog series which launched with a list from Ladonna Freidheim and was followed last week by a post on outdoor spaces by Nejla Yatkin, Irene Hsiao, and Ayako Kato.

This week we are thinking about comfort, care, and comfort zones. Kia S. Smith, 2022 Lab Artist and Executive Artistic Director of South Chicago Dance Theatre, shares, “When I was putting this together, I realized that I’m a creature of habit when it comes to the places that I like to rehearse and take class. I didn’t have many places to list.” Her offering is appropriately brief and speaks to a fundamental feature we often overlook, friendliness. There often are times for home bases in dancemaking; these are the times we settle in to a space that holds our creativity like a nest holds eggs. There is something important about acknowledging friendliness and honoring comfort. When I read Kia’s list, I feel the warmth she leans toward.

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My Favorite Dance Spaces in Chicago

by Kia S. Smith

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What makes a space friendly to you? Where are you comfortable? 

Image: South Chicago Dance Theatre with Regina Perry-Carr (Artistic Director of Muntu Dance Theatre) at Hyde Park School of Dance, photo Courtesy of South Chicago Dance Theatre [ID: Ten dancers in dancewear and face masks stand with arms around one another’s shoulders, in a dance studio with warm-light sconces and wood-trimmed windows.]

The post Let’s Talk Dance Spaces in Chicago – Part 3 appeared first on Chicago DanceMakers Forum.

Post by Nejla Yatkin, Irene Hsiao, Ayako Kato and in collaboration with Shawn Lent

SPACE has long been a concern for dancemakers in Chicago, seeking out places for artistic exploration, process and practice, project development, public presentation, and more. In this blog initiative, artists share lists of their own favorite dance spaces in the Chicago area, as well as their individual perspectives on criteria. This is an ongoing blog series which launched last week with a list from Ladonna Freidheim, Executive Director of ReinventAbility.

This week we are thinking about the OUTDOORS. From the Bud Billiken Parade (since 1929) to the Annual Chicago Powwow (in its 69th year), outdoor space continues to be vital for many local dance communities.  In addition, independent dancemakers who create site-specific work in natural spaces must navigate certain considerations: such as physical accessibility, walking distances, natural challenges (direct sunlight, bugs, inclement weather, uneven ground, etc), electrical and bathroom access, park design and architecture, emergency preparedness, factors of environmental (in)justice, sacredness and rituals of a place, as well as both ancestral and contemporary matters regarding land ownership, stewardship, and permission. As an interesting case study, you can check out how Nico Rubio, Erin Kilmurray, Nejla Yatkin, and Ayako Kato navigated these considerations when Chicago Dancemakers Forum partnered with marsh spaces on the Southeast Side for “Natural Encounters” in 2019.

In the following post, Nejla Yatkin (2019 Lab Artist), Irene Hsiao (2020 Lab Artist) and. Ayako Kato (2007 Lab Artist) share their favorite Chicago spaces for dance out-of-doors. What they offer here gives us a look into how they each approach this work. Afterward, we link to relevant resources and share information on upcoming events.

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Our Favorite Outdoor Dance Spaces in Chicago

by Nejla Yatkin, Irene Hsiao, and Ayako Kato

From Nejla:

Irene Hsiao, still from a test video for “In Place: Medium, Image, Landscape” 2021

From Irene:

From Ayako:

• South Shore Cultural Center Park and South Shore Beach
• Northerly Island Park
• North Park Village Nature Center Park
• Steelworkers Park
• Under the L track

Ayako Kato from “Inception: ETHOS Episode II” Photo by Ricardo Adame

Why:

In terms of the natural sites, what I look for is the spirit of the place. When I resonate with a place, I am moved by the movements of wind, plants, waves, rivers, insects, sand, trees, soil, birds, and any other animals, pushing and pulling through cyclical symbiotic energy in nature. I reflect on the history of the land and of the place. I sense how the space has been cared for. I want to show my respect, care, and appreciation through my dance. The rhythm of the place inspires me. In that sense, in urban sites, amongst the man-made structures, movements, and rhythms created by cars, trains, people, noise, lights, bridges and skyscrapers, I sense my body-mind wants to prove the organic nature-self in the environment, as if the plants grow cracking the concrete sidewalk, extending roots, stems, and leaves even anonymously, breathing. Air/Atmosphere moves me as music moves me. Yet, I also wish to (shifting, if it’s not desirable, and) elevate ANY quotidian places and moments, excavating their innate beauty.

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A FEW RESOURCES 

1. Chicago Park District  
2. Pokégnek Bodéwadmik (Pokagon Band of Potawatomi) and Imprints: The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians and the City of Chicago by John N. Low
3. Native Land Digital Map and #HonorNativeLand – U.S. Department of Arts and Culture
4. Audubon Society – Great Lakes
5. The Nature Conservancy in Illinois
6. Global Water Dances (Dancemakers can sign up now for June 2023)
7. American Red Cross – Adult, Child and Baby First Aid/CPR/AED Online Class

A FEW RELEVANT UPCOMING EVENTS

1. June 10, Open Labs, 7 pm @ High Concept Labs (the shared evening of ETHOS III (Ayako Kato) work-in-progress showing)
2. To Be Announced, Nejla Yatkin roaming and popping up as Firebird in 21 park locations the month of June to welcome summer as part of Night Out In the Parks.
3. To Be Announced, more works from Irene Hsiao in residence at the Smart Museum.
4. June 16 and 18, Nejla Yatkin performance as part of the New Works Festival at Links Hall.

Header Image: Nejla Yatkin in “Conference of the Birds” at Burnham Wildlife Corridor, photo by Enki Andrews [ID: A dancer in a red dress bends backward with their face up toward a clear, blue sky, while surrounded by green bushes and trees.]

The post Let’s Talk Dance Spaces in Chicago – Part 2 appeared first on Chicago DanceMakers Forum.

Post by Ladonna Freidheim in collaboration with Shawn Lent

SPACE has long been a concern for dancemakers in Chicago, seeking out places for artistic exploration, process and practice, project development, public presentation, and more. Space is one of the key systemic issues that The City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) is looking at during the #YearofChicagoDance. Chicago Dancemakers Forum held a virtual gathering on the topic in 2020 and launched a crowd-sourced working list of dance spaces west of Western and south of Cermak. On Instagram, we asked local artists what they look for in a dance space. We’ve heard dancemakers looking for affordability, more options on the South and West Sides, fire and emergency preparedness, air filtration and COVID-19 safety protocols, decent lighting/windows, gender-neutral bathrooms, and appropriate flooring for their dance forms.

Ladonna Freidheim

In a new initiative, dancemakers share lists of their own favorite dance spaces in the Chicago area, as well as their individual perspectives on criteria. This will be an ongoing blog series, and the first artist to share is Ladonna Freidheim, Executive Director of ReinventAbility and Chicago Dancemakers Forum 2021 Digital Dance Grantee.

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My Favorite Dance Spaces in the Chicago Area

by Ladonna Freidheim

For classes/rehearsals:

Joffrey, 10 E Randolph St, Chicago, IL 60601

Dovetail Studios, 2853 W Montrose Ave, Chicago, IL 60618

MOMENTA, 605 Lake St, Oak Park, IL 60302

Glenwood Dance Studio, 7017 N Glenwood Ave, Chicago, IL 60626

As a Performer:

Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E 60th St, Chicago, IL 60637

Center on Halsted, 3656 N Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60613

Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E Randolph St, Chicago, IL 60601

As a dancer I look for:

• Accessible building entrance (including that ramps are clear and door at the end is unlocked) and elevator.
• Studio/stage with roll on ability (including to sprung floors with a 2-3″ rise) and accessible dressing rooms/bathrooms.
• Adequate wing and backstage space to maneuver wheelchair.
• Staff who are not rude when a non-wheelchair user (invisible disability) asks where the elevator is.
• Access features that are either unlocked or easily accessed. Too often staff do not know how to operate a lift or where the key is to the only accessible route.

As an Audience member:

Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium Park, 201 E Randolph St, Chicago, IL 60601

Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E 60th St, Chicago, IL 60637

Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E Randolph St, Chicago, IL 60601

As an audience member I look for:

• A main entrance that is accessible!
• Staff who are trained and knowledgeable. Can not count the number of times someone answered a question about access with “of course we are” when in fact there are a couple stairs or a ramp that leads to a locked door or no signage letting you know to enter in the back by the trash (which is so not ok, but happens often).
• Website with clear and easy to locate information about access including assisted listening devices, captioning, audio-description, accessible parking, etc.
• Access Signage!!!
• The ability to buy wheelchair accessible seats online when that ticketing option is available to others.
• Accessible seating in all price ranges and offered with any discounts available to others (eg students)

It is also nice when people with disabilities are not treated as an inconvenience to be tolerated, or as though we should be grateful that we get to enter around the block through the back alley (no signage of course) or when staff finally show up to unlock the lift half an hour after the performance began.  These things happen more often than not, really, I have shed many tears.

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Thank you, Ladonna, for sharing your important perspective with this offering. Now, it’s on all of us reading to take in what you have generously shared.

A FEW RESOURCES 

1. ReinventAbility’s Resource Page
2. ADA Section 504: Accessibility Self-Evaluation Workbook
3. ASL Interpretation: examples include Pro Bono ASL, Deaf Communication by Innovation (DCI), Chicago Area Interpreter Referral Service (CAIRS), and Chicago Hearing Society (CHS).
4. CART (Communication Access Realtime Translation) and Live Transcription Services: examples include Dillon Reporting Service (Tina Dillon), Efficiency Reporting (Catherine Rajcan), and Brewe Reporting Services (pjbrewe@attglobal.net). Rev.com offers auto-captioning for Zoom, video captioning, and other services.
5. Irene Hsiao’s 2021 article for the Chicago Reader, “Chicago Inclusive Dance Festival offers a base of support for dance and life”
6. “Hierarchy of Cultural Accessibility” graphic, as shared to the open-source 2021 Chicago Dance Resource Sharing padlet.

A FEW RELEVANT UPCOMING EVENTS

1. The Chicago Inclusive Dance Festival is a community building event that unites dancers with and without disabilities in movement exploration. (April 24-25).
2. Tea: Virtual Gathering for Chicago Dancemakers with Disabilities (May 6)
3. Everybody Can Dance monthly workshop series (March 13, April 10, May 15)
4. Kinetic Light performances at the MCA (May 5-8)
5. Bodies of Work/MCA Workshop surrounding the work of photographer Justin Cooper, involving his photographic practice and documenting inaccessible design in spaces (April 19).
6. July is Disability Pride Month and ReinventAbility is planning to celebrate with a dance event!

Image 1: Glenwood Dance Studio in East Rogers Park, photo as provided to Chicago Sun Times [ID: Exterior of a building with curtained windows and signage reading “Glenwood Dance Studio” and “Dance Classes for Adults”]

Image 2: Ladonna Freidheim, photo courtesy of the artist /ReinventAbility [ID: A dancer in a long sleeve purple top and a bright smile sits while reaching both arms straight overhead.]

The post Let’s Talk Dance Spaces in Chicago – Part 1 appeared first on Chicago DanceMakers Forum.