Happy New Year and Happy first week back in the studio for both us and our friends at Giordano!

We have exciting news for everyone to kick off your 2023! For Giordano’s 60th Season Celebration, they commissioned a work by our Artistic Director and resident choreographer, Kia S. Smith, AND nine of us from South Chicago Dance Theatre get to be a part of it!

Last season, us dancers got to join Giordano in one of their “Dance Circles” in which we took company class with them and their Artistic Director, Nan Giordano. It was their way of getting the dance community together and sharing the space. Giordano participated in multiple dance circles throughout their season. The energy between our two companies just clicked right off the bat, and as Nan serves as one of Kia’s biggest mentors, the idea sprouted for this project! The 26 of us are dancing together on stage at the Harris Theater in Chicago on March 31 and April 1! Be sure to mark your calendars!!

One of the coolest parts of this process, in addition to being inspired by new dancers in the room, is watching others take part in Kia’s process. We are so accustom to how Kia works with her dancers, that it’s interesting to have outsiders in on the process as well. Kia is extremely collaborative with her artists and allows them to make choices, string movement phrases together, and contribute their own artistry to the piece. Having extra dancers in on that process has made for one of the most intricate and exciting pieces to date. The talent in the room is unmatched, the Giordano dancers have unending energy, and the work ethic is hard to beat. After a full five days of working together, we are all exhausted and worn out, but thrilled to share this piece with an audience!

The piece is high energy with a lot of partnering, a familiar music score, and so many dancers to fill the space. You won’t want to miss it and we can’t wait to share it.

Harris Theater, March 31 and April 1, 2023…BE THERE!