Update from Berlin
Off to Germany!
Three weeks into the season and we are already on to our first tour of the season! It amazes me how fast our new dancers have learned the repertoire & are ready to go to Germany after just eight rehearsal days focusing on the piece we are bringing!
Today, on August 24, eight of us Main Company Artists are traveling to Berlin, Germany to participate in LAKE studio’s Submerge Festival. We have a few rehearsal days followed by a performance on Saturday, August 29. I am so looking forward to being back in Germany with some returning and some new Company Members.
I’m ready to explore, meet new dancers, see the sights, and enjoy our return to Berlin.
I will of course update you throughout our stay and give a recap after, but for now we have an hour before takeoff and we are settling in four our long 12 hour travel day!
Get to know our new Artists: Sanaa Fairley
Season 10 brings SO much excitement - including 5 brand new artists! Throughout the season, I'm excited to introduce you to each of them and give you a little background on who they are.
First up - one of our Associate Artists, Sanaa Fairley!
Age: 22 years old
Hometown: Dallas, TX
Favorite Color: Purple all the way!
Favorite style of dance: Contemporary ballet
Favorite Choreographer: Amy Hall Garner
When I started dancing: 3 years old
College/training: George Mason University School of Dance
Siblings: I have one pretty awesome older brother!
Why do you feel passionate about dance?: I believe I was called to dance in order to enlighten other people's lives beyond my own satisfaction or reward.
If you weren’t a dancer, what career would you choose?: A counseling psychologist, though I actually hope to do that too!
If you could do a duet with one person, who would it be?: Francesca Forcella
Favorite place you’ve traveled: Honestly, Chicago, and now I get to live here!
Favorite food: Salmon
One word to describe yourself: Considerate
If you had a dance move that described you, what would it be?: I would say an Italian pas de chat because they are precise but unique!
Fun facts: I have never had a pet in my life thus far. I don't prefer when there is too much dip on my chips. Prior to pursuing dance full-time, I did cheer, soccer, track, and softball. I love chocolate.
Season 10 Kickoff!
I'm not sure HOW we are here, but we are HERE! SEASON 10! Ten incredible years of dancing, community, collaborations, domestic and international tours, and most of all meeting and entertaining audience members like you all!
On August 4, 2026 eleven company dancers (plus Terra, Kia, and Noelle - our administrative staff) met together at Hyde Park School of Dance to kickoff this monumental season. Just following, we all traveled nearby to Promontory Point for a picnic in the sunshine.
It's always so fun to meet the new members, reconnect with the returning (two of whom are ENGAGED to be married just this summer!), and delight in the community of dancers.
If we haven't met yet, I'm Kelly Anderson. I've been a Main Company Artist for the past 6 seasons making this one my seventh season - WILD! In addition to dancing, I serve as the Repertoire and Staging Director as well as managing the Blog. Within this blog I'll share the triumphs of our season - where we travel, what we are involved in, the dance pieces we are working on, and the people we work with.
It's such a special thing to essentially have a diary of my past 7 years here for you online!
Let's jump in - Happy Season 10 y'all! It's a BIG one and I can't wait to share with you all that we have in store!!
-Kelly :)
Spotlight on our Costumes: Resident Costume Designer Trey Alexander
The image above essentially says it all - we have the most talented Resident Costume Designer and Wardrobe Manager in Trey Alexander.
Pictured above you'll see a compilation of many designs that Trey has curated for our past few shows. Most predominately, they have designed and produced all four pieces in our Season 9 Home Season show.
Obviously, when creating a dance, there are many important elements. Choreographers have distinct thoughts about their movement, the music that it goes to, perhaps set design and what the stage looks like, but the FINAL piece of the puzzle that adds to the show-quality of a dance piece is the costuming. It alters the mood of the piece and brings everything together. For example, you can see that the lower right-hand corner of the image above includes vibrant black-and-white patterned clothing with many layers. That piece, choreographed by David Dorfman, has many layers to it and has a whimsical and individual feel to it. Hence why each performer is in their individual look.
A piece like Kia S. Smith's contains multiple duets, which is why Trey utilized a color palette that is cohesive, yet paired with each performers partner in dance (featured on the upper left hand corner of the image).
Not only does Trey design these looks, but they fit them precisely to each of our bodies while maintaining the ability to move and dance in the clothing. It's a challenging job and it truly puts the cherry on top of all of the elements of a dance piece.
Come see Trey's designs alongside some brilliant choreography THIS Friday, May 1 at the Harris Theater in Chicago! We are thrilled to share our Season 9 Home Season with you all.
Season 9's Biggest Show!
Guess what's just around the corner?? South Chicago Dance Theatre's Home Season show. PLUS - this year we have an Inaugural Legacy Builders Benefit After Party. What a big show every year and we are thrilled to be sharing our art form at the legendary Harris Theater in Millennium Park!
Our Home Season show takes place on May 1, 2026 and includes four beautiful pieces from four different choreographers. We have 3 World Premieres alongside bringing back one of our favorite pieces from 2024 - Donald Byrd's "It Begins". The brand new pieces are choreographed by our own Kia S. Smith, Natasha Adorlee, and David Dorfman. Engaging in residencies with these three choreographers throughout this season has been such a highlight. To learn from new perspectives and move in new and exciting ways is such a privilege of being a part of a repertory company.
Join us as we share in a beautiful evening and celebrate after with our Legacy Builders. One of the best things about South Chicago Dance Theatre is that we are a young company (only 9 seasons old!) but our fire and passion for sharing the art of dance is strong. The growth and hunger of not only the dancers, but the administration, our community programs, and all of our supporters deserves to be a celebrated. It's sure to be the biggest night of Season 9 and we simply cannot wait!
La Femme Dance Festival 2026
Spring Break ended with a bang as our ensemble performed at Red Clay's "La Femme" Dance Festival. We were privileged to share the stage with Syncopated Ladies, choreography by Rena Butler, and the beautiful dancers of Red Clay!
As a dancer, you work so hard towards your own performances - it's a very special thing to actually SHARE the stage and that same performance energy with other dancers. After performing our excerpts from Kia Smith's "Memoirs of Jazz in the Alley", us dancers remained backstage and got to watch the other dances. Not only that, but we were a part of the "congratulations" as the dancers exited the stage. There's something so special about cheering each other through the adrenaline rushed and sharing our love for the art of dance. There's nothing that can compare to that synergistic energy.
We were so thankful that Red Clay had us join this festival centered on and focused around elevating female voices in the dance industry. We left feeling inspired, happy to be a part of this supportive community, and thankful for the opportunity to be on the Harris Theater stage.
Join us for our return to the Harris Stage on May 1, 2026 at 6pm. Tickets are on sale NOW! Don't miss out!
Dance Across Generations Program Overview
Did you know….South Chicago Dance Theatre is MUCH more than just a Professional Dance Company? We are an organization with many programs including Choreographic Diplomacy, our in-school and after-school dance and theatre programs, and our newest and very exciting program called “Dance Across Generations”.
Fellow Company Member, Marissa Thomas, oversees the planning and processes of Dance Across Generations and I had the privilege to ask her a few questions about it! Tune in below if you’re curious about this amazing program!
What is the program?
Dance Across Generations brings together seniors from Southeast Atlas Regional Senior Center and students from Columbia College Chicago in weekly dance workshops to share family histories, create choreography, and foster intergenerational connections. We began our second iteration of the program in early March. We will have 10 classes in total, culminating in a performance on May 14th at 2:30 PM at Southeast Atlas Regional Senior Center in celebration of Older Americans Month.
Who is involved?
We partner with Southeast Atlas Regional Senior Center, the Dance Program at Columbia College Chicago, and are supported by Innovation 80 as a CoGen Program.
Why does this program feel important to you?
I feel so grateful for the impact that dance has had on my life – not just in the career that I have, but in the skills that I’ve learned and the community that I’ve gained through it. I am so happy to be able to see dance used as a tool to build intergenerational connections and be a part of something that is intentional in building communities.
What impact have you seen from the classes?
We have heard such great feedback from the seniors and students about this program, and we are so happy that we have been able to continue it this year. Reflecting on last year, it was incredible to see the community that was built and what was created in just a short period of 10 weekly classes. I loved being able to see seniors gain confidence in moving across the floor, in seeing the students show great leadership when co—teaching a class, and smile at everyone’s joy when presenting the final performance.
Top 5 Dancer Spring Break Essentials
Just like any other sport or physical art - dancers need rest. We at South Chicago Dance Theatre rehearse 4 or 5 days each week for 6.5 hour periods. The weekends are often rejuvenating, but our bodies need rest, care, and downtime away from our craft.
Each year, we are provided with a one-week Spring Break. Some dancers stay in the city and continue to work their outside jobs, some relax in their hometown, and some use this as vacation time. Either way, we all can agree that we take this week off as a time to take care of our bodies and rest them to get ready for our Home Season show each year. Below are our person Top 5 Essentials during spring break.
1. Nights with a FULL 8 hours of sleep! Whether it's going to bed early or sleeping in, our bodies recover during sleep. Us dancers strive for a perfect 8 hours, but during the season it gets tough with outside gigs, jobs, and social lives. Now is our official time to rest!
2. Any sort of massage - be it an appointment, a loooong roll out session with a foam roller and/or tennis ball, or a massage from a loved one...it's time for our muscles to relax!
3. Downtime for our hobbies! When dance gets busy, it's hard to sit down to a good book, watch a movie, crochet, go on walks, play pickleball, or invest in our hobbies outside the studio. Now's the perfect time to enjoy them with more time off.
4. Cross-train in our favorite workout. Yes, it's rest time, but we also have to keep up our stamina and remain physically ready for our upcoming shows! We have Chicago Athletic Club memberships that help us stay active, I also love to go to group fitness classes, and sometimes even just a long walk hits the spot!
5. Socializing with friends and family. This extended time off allows me to see my parents, my siblings, catch up with friends I haven't seen in ages, and just catch up with the people I love! Nothing gets us ready to be back in the studio like filling our own personal cup!
David Dorfman Residency
This past week we began our second and final residency with an outside choreographer for Season 9! We welcomed David Dorfman and his assistant, Dorchel Haqq, to the studio on Monday, March 9 and have had the privilege of working with them all of this week and continuing into next week to complete a 10-person piece.
Every time we begin a new residency, it is difficult to know how it is going to go. Each choreographer possesses a different style of not only movement, but of how they work, collaborate, and bring energy to the room. For one, David is so personable. He remembered all of our names so quickly, brings appreciative energy to the space, and is extremely thoughtful and wants to know how we are feeling in the work.
David and Dorchel are very open to suggestions, ideas, collaboration, and are just lovely to work with. We, as an ensemble, have been experimenting with a few phrases of movement to many different types of music. We've also been exploring text in our own "jingles" and songs as well as reciting parts of poems. David's process feels like an exploration more than a final destination with clear parameters. Nothing is "wrong" and he welcomes "happy accidents". It's inviting knowing that the space is safe and I feel comfortable to make mistakes and try new things.
I'm excited to see what David continues to make over the next 6 days that we have left with him. It's been a pleasure thus far and a wonderful last residency prior to our Harris Theater show!