2023 PRODUCTION RESIDENCY

THE DANCE CENTER OF COLUMBIA COLLEGE CHICAGO

Originally from Charlotte, NC, SJ Swilley (they|them|theirs) is a Black queer movement artist and educator. Centering their own notions of liberation, empowerment and mental health, they are a Summa Cum Laude graduate of Johnson C. Smith University where they received a BA in Dance and a BA in Communication Arts. Swilley holds an MFA in Dance from Temple University where they initially began adjunct teaching. Swilley is an alum of the American Dance Festival where they served as assistant rehearsal director to Michelle Gibson. Additionally, they are an alum of the Urban Bush Women’s Summer Leadership Institute.

Swilley has been honored to work and study under impeccable artists including Candace Jennings, PJ Pennewell, Shani Collins, and LaTanya Johnson. They have performed with Lela Aisha Jones|FlyGround, Martha Connerton/Kinetic Works, and Kariamu and Company. They have presented work at the Cherry Street Pier Show, The American College Dance Association, Loose Leaves Showcase, and Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance (BAAD!) Prior to joining the touring company of Red Clay Dance, Swilley has served as faculty at Columbia College Chicago, Denison University, Temple University and Barber-Scotia College. Swilley is a 2020-2021 performance fellow with Queer Art, a 2020-2021 recipient of the Rose Vernick Artistic Transformation Award, and a 2023 City of Chicago (DCASE) Grant Awardee. Swilley is excited to begin their residency in Chicago with the Chicago Dancemakers Forum.

This project is about playing in process. Utilizing a camera as story telling device, SJ Swilley is bridging together several elements of their performance in the sharing of how their art intersects with their mental health. Movement excavations are drawn from improvisation, and pedestrian modes of movement to be captured. SJ will continue to explore the active or “in-process” modalities that are affiliated with being in a creative process.

Image Description: SJ, A Black Queer Gender Non-Conforming is pictured wearing all white, with a brown cap looking tenderly into the camera.