It’s like the launching of a new season of a television show AND the excitement of the first day of school wrapped all into one. There are new twists and turns to be had – new performance opportunities, new venues, new dancers to meet, etc.! It’s also a big exciting syllabus day – catching up with all of our friends and seeing what is in store for us for the whole year.

So, what does day one look like for South Chicago Dance Theatre? Our typical start time is at 9:15am, so we are all called to Hyde Park School of Dance at that exact time. The day begins with introductions of all of us dancers as well as our Artistic Director, Kia, and our Rehearsal Director, Jessica. Promptly after, we begin to review and talk through all important documents and THEN we get to the fun part (at least my most favorite part!). Looking ahead at the calendar of events for the season ahead gets me so pumped and so motivated to begin our dancing yet again! I love looking forward to new projects, what choreographers we will be working with, and which performances we have to gear up for. It’s an insane amount of work, but we live to perform and we rehearse to perform, so it’s my favorite thing to look into!

After all the business talk, the company takes a long walk together over to have a picnic, in which SCDT provides us with lunch, snacks, food, drinks, and all the fun! It’s so lovely to be outside in the nice weather and enjoy time catching up with our favorite group of dancers. SCDT truly is a family and after and much-needed summer break, it’s the best thing to get back to what we all love so much with the people we love so much. 

Stay tuned to meet our new friends that have joined the company this year, hear more about the new performances that are coming up, and all of the details behind the scenes as well.

As always, I’ll be here to guide you through it all. From my first season on South Chicago Dance Theatre to Season 7, I have loved sharing my best memories with you on the blog!

-Kelly Anderson (she/her)