Family, friends, dance community, supporters, fans – WE DID IT!

If you weren’t there on Friday, May 20, 2022 to join us for our SOLD OUT Harris Theater Debut, here’s a picture to flood you with our memories of it. This was the biggest show of South Chicago Dance Theater’s existence and to tell you we were stunned that we sold out every seat in the theater is still a shock to me. I will never forget checking the seat plot online continuously. During our lunch break on Friday, we hit that mark – SOLD OUT. To all of you who came out and bought tickets – thank you from the bottom of our heart. You supporting the arts and our passion-filled career means the absolute most to us.

The show featured 5 world premieres of new works by 5 different choreographers. It was a wide range of pieces – in size, genre, intensity, and choreography. It was the biggest sigh of relief at the final bow of the show to know that everything went as planned and that all of our choreographers and our wonderful Artistic Director were proud of what went out on that stage. A smile was plastered on my face throughout the evening and into the next day in which I felt like the rest of my body couldn’t move an inch.

One of my favorite memories of the show that I’ll leave you with today is something that our guest artist Ricky Ruiz said to us right after warm-up and before the show began. All in all, I’ve always loved a pep talk or encouraging word from others prior to performing…those are the memories I save for a lifetime. After our Rehearsal Director, Jessica Miller Tomlinson, finished class and gave us a few encouraging words, Ricky asked if he could say a few words as well. Ricky is a Chicago dance community veteran and has a few more professional dancing years on the rest of us (SCDT is a young company, y’all!). Ricky told us to enjoy every moment out on that stage because you’ll wish you had it back. The years and the performances fly by, and he encouraged us to savor the moment and soak it up while we have it. I hugged fellow company member Heather Cagle as he said it because it’s true. Each phase of your dancing career moves by so quickly. I love and enjoy dancing with these people pictured above so much and if I did one thing on that stage on Friday, it was enjoy where I was in the present moment.

Dance is my favorite thing out there. To share it with over 1,500 people on Friday night was a dream. Thank you – for being so supportive and allowing us to live out our biggest dreams. Without an audience, there is no show. ALL of my love and appreciation.