SCDT x WMU Dance
We are back from Kalamazoo, Michigan and our lovely week-long residency with Western Michigan University's Department of Dance! What an amazing week jam-packed with dance, seminars, learning, and choreographing it was! While at the school's dance department, we committed ourselves to a number of opportunities for and with the students. A big thank you to Kelsey Paschich, the faculty advisor who brought us to WMU and scheduled the week for us!
WESTERN DANCE PROJECT NEW PIECE
Kia S. Smith worked with 13 dancers of the department's own company, Western Dance Project, and choreographed a twenty-minute piece in just 4 short days of rehearsal. It was incredible to see how Kia worked with the dancers and utilized her short time so wisely to make such a brilliant piece. This dance will be performed as a piece of repertoire for WDP as they tour throughout Michigan next fall and will premiere at WMU Dance's Winter Gala 2024.
MEMOIRS OF JAZZ IN THE ALLEY OPPORTUNITY
At the beginning of our week in Michigan, Kia auditioned a large amount of dancers and selected 4 of them to be a part of SCDT's show at the Auditorium Theater in June of 2023. These 4 dancers will travel to Chicago later in the year to rehearse with our full company and are given the opportunity to perform professionally with us and have this piece as one to put on their professional resume! Trey, Sophia, Hayley, Elijah, and Kim worked with these four students all week long, teaching them our current repertoire and rehearsing the sections of the piece they will be a part of on June 10!
MASTER CLASSES WITH THE COMPANY AND KIA
All six of us dancers and Kia all taught class throughout the week for the students of WMU's dance department. In addition to giving class, a lot of us also jumped into each others' classes and got to take with the students and be inspired alongside inspiring them. It is such a good experience for us to take class with new people!
SENIOR SEMINAR
All of us also enjoyed the opportunity to discuss our careers in dance and give advice on auditioning and living a life in the dance world with the Seniors of the department. We were in their shoes not too long ago and it was so fun to offer any thoughts and tips we have for the next wave of dancers coming through graduation and into the real world!
Overall, our time at Western Michigan University was busy, but so much fun. We were privileged to be there for a full week and really get to know some of these wonderful students. Thanks for the best week and we hope to see you again soon!
Meet our Associate Artist: Mya Bryant
Back with more of our "Meet the team" series we've done in the past! This time, we are introducing you to one of our Associate Artists, Mya Bryant!! Learn all about her, her dance background, and some fun facts!
Name: Mya Bryant
Age: 22
Hometown: Hurst, Texas
Favorite Color: Light Blue
Favorite Style of Dance: Contemporary
Favorite Choreographer: Juliano Nunez
When did you start dancing?: 7 years old
College: Sam Houston State University
Siblings: 2 Younger Brothers
Why do you feel passionate about dance?: I love how I can inspire others through movement and how movement inspires me!
If you weren’t a dancer, what career would you choose?: Physical Therapy
If you could do a duet with one person, who would it be?: My best friend Madelynn back home <3
Favorite place you’ve traveled: Italy
Favorite food: Caesar Salad
One word to describe yourself: Unique!
If you had a dance move that described you, what would it be?: Russian
Fun Facts: I can sing like Shakira
Thanks for meeting Mya and stay tuned to learn more about our other 2023 Associate Artists!
Black History Month Series
Happy February AND Happy Black History Month! Here at South Chicago Dance Theatre, we celebrate and honor Black History throughout the entire month by performing in Chicago Public Schools. We present a program of dances and narration that includes education elements for the children as well as performative elements to entertain and provide an artistic view for the kids.
For a lot of these children, this is one of the first times they've seen professional dance live and in-person. The way we are able to inspire these kids is the most rewarding part. At one school, we received thank-you letters from the kids post-performance and it was the sweetest things! At others, we've received praise from the kids who will come up to us so excited about what they just saw and asking how they can get involved in dance or where they can take dance classes in the area! We've performed for pre-K kids all the way up to sophomores in high school. It's been a real treat to share our love for dance while celebrating such an important month!
Our program includes a break down of the styles of dance we use throughout the show. It's our preview of the types of dance the students will see. Following this, the kids get to learn about the Black National Anthem, "Lift Every Voice and Sing" and see a dance choreographed to this piece of music. We then inform students on the Great Migration, the Civil Rights Era, and the fight for freedom of African Americans. Dances are integrated throughout these informative speeches. Following this, we look into the creation of jazz music, influential Black artists such as Maya Angelou and her poetry, and finish out the program with an uplifting dance to Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. Following the program, kids are able to ask questions about Black History month, dance, our lives, etc.
This month has been so fun between the 12 schools we've presented to. Thank you to the schools and teachers for having us...we love watching your kids light up! Happy Black History Month to all!
Community Class with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago
Since the world has been (somewhat) returning to normal, we have been thrilled to dive back into the community that is Chicago Dance! There are so many companies in this wonderful city that we look up to and love to support in any way we can. Many of us dancers enjoy going to other companies’ shows to see their repertoire and many of us have friends in the dance community as well. One of the best ways for us to connect, though, is on the dance floor. Our January closed with a wonderful combined class with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago!
Our Executive Artistic Director, Kia S. Smith, taught a contemporary/Horton class. The dancers of South Chicago Dance Theatre, the dancers of Hubbard Street, and their Artistic Director, Linda-Denise Fisher-Harrell, took class all together! The energy in the space was high and being able to see the space that such a wonderful and high-level Chicago company rehearses in was incredible. After the class, we were able to mingle, meet the dancers, and connect with one another. Dance has this undeniable quality to bring people together and I love that we can easily meet new people and feel comfortable to connect after a one hour dance class.
We were so thankful for HSDC to reach out to us and make this community class happen. We cannot wait to connect more in the future and continue this relationship! What a wonderful Monday morning for us all!
Post-Auditon Update!
Full disclaimer: Our audition has come and gone...if you missed it - we would LOVE to see you next year!
YOU ALL! We had the most exciting weekend this past weekend. It was our audition for our 2023-2024 season (which may be even more jam-packed than this one!!!) It was the most amazing thing seeing so many people in the studio ready to audition for South Chicago Dance Theatre's next season. Each year, we've grown in numbers and we are proud to announce that this year we had a grand total of THREE HUNDRED people audition in-person and virtually! How we even managed to do that is still a giant question to us, but it took a village. A huge thank you to our company members, guest artists, and rehearsal director who all helped to teach class and repertoire to the incoming group.
Before we break down what our audition typically looks like, we'd love to extend a big thank you to everyone who took the time and effort to travel to us and audition with our company. To see the growth and the desire of other dancers to be in our space is insanely gratifying and always lifts me up. Everyone's energy is inspiring and we can only hope that we provided you with a welcoming and supportive audition space. Dance is such a special career path and it's insane that we get to experience it together!
What does our audition look like, you may ask! Well, we do not yet have the ability to contain hundreds of people in one space so we split auditioners into multiple groups! These groups take a short ballet center class followed by a round of cuts. Afterwards, we ask that dancers learn some of our repertoire so that we can see how they move to the pieces that all of us company members do on a daily basis. Dancers are then either called back to the next day of auditions, or kindly thanked for their energy! On day two, dancers continue to learn a variety of our repertoire and also interview with our Artistic Director, Kia S. Smith! Every part of this process is important and essential and it makes it a fun way to get to know each candidate!
Once again, thank you to all of the dancers who came out. We love meeting new people and sharing the space with everyone. Hope to see you soon!
SCDT X Giordano
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!
Elijah Richardson: 25 to Watch
You know him, you love him, we love him...it's our amazing Guest Artist, Elijah Richardson! He's in DANCE MAGAZINE, one of our country's top publications for all things dance! AND he's featured as one of 2023's 25 to watch.
Each year, Dance Magazine comes out with a list of 25 dancers to watch and for as long as I can remember, I've been looking at this list to see which companies I should look out for, which artists are excelling, the new talent on the rise, etc. As I've gotten older, I have started to look out for people I know or who I have danced with at intensives around Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, and so on. This list is full of prestigious names that really go on to great things and now I feel like Buddy the Elf in the Christmas movie "Elf" because guess what..."I KNOW HIM!!!!!!!"
Elijah is an insanely hard worker and a beautiful natural mover. The way he can effortlessly glide across the floor, turn 10 straight times in a row without stopping, and simply move from his heart's own rhythm is a joy to watch. It feels so special that I get to watch him and learn from him each day in rehearsal. That's exactly what we do as a company - learn from one another and inspire each other. I always joke that if we took the "best" part of each of us on SCDT, we'd have the perfect dancer. Some of us have a beautiful memory, some are insanely flexible, some have impeccable timing, and some (especially Elijah) have artistry that is unmatched. Dance Magazine speaks of his infectious smile and I think that so perfectly describes Elijah's spirit - he's a joy to be around and I'm proud that I get to learn from him.
Dance Magazine, too, mentions Elijah's stand-out work in our 5th Anniversary show. Elijah was featured in Wade Schaaf's trio as well as a duet in Ron De Jesus' piece. His strength alongside his comfort in partnering was truly worth a mention. He has such a quiet brilliance and we are thankful that Dance Magazine recognized our star!
Elijah, CONGRATULATIONS! This honor is huge and we are so happy for you!
Check us out in the Chicago Tribune!
Happy December and some BIG happy news we have for you! Check out the post above, but also feel free to check out the article in the latest edition of the Chicago Tribune! South Chicago Dance Theatre was named one of the best dance of 2022 as "local companies bounce back from pandemic". How exciting!
I will always refer back to it - but Kia Smith (our lovely artistic and executive director) had no "off-time" or slump during the Covid-19 pandemic. In fact, you could say that she used that specific time to grow her company to what it is today. Myself, alongside two of my fellow company members, auditioned in 2020 while Kia kept dance alive. We participated in virtual shows and festivals. While 2021 still felt some of the sting of the pandemic, 2022 truly was our "bounce-back" year. We had our Harris Theater debut and it was a performance with five pieces of repertoire we will never forget.
The best part about reading this article for me was the fact that the buzz around this show still exists. It was one of my favorite shows to perform in to date and I still feel honored that I had the opportunity to perform so many well-know choreographers' works! As dancers, we spend the majority of our time in studio working on and refining the dance routines that we have. Our shining moment on stage is one we don't get as often and that we cherish when we do. For the past three weeks specifically, we have been working on new choreography and the day-to-day is creatively and mentally challenging. It was nice that in the midst of this tough everyday work that we received this honor from the Chicago Tribune. It was a great reminder that all the hard work in studio truly pays off.
What a big thank you to the Chicago Tribune, to our loyal audience, and to our donors and supporters that make this all possible for us to live out our dream each day. We loved performing the Harris Theater Show and can't believe it was named a top moment of Chicago dance for 2022. We hope to do the same in 2023 with our Auditorium Theater debut! We are looking forward to it and hope you are too!
10 things we are Giving Thanks for this Holiday!
A yearly classic - and we are back for year three's edition of what we are thankful for as a company. South Chicago Dance Theatre is more than grateful for the opportunities we've had, for those to come, and everything in between. Here's our 2022 edition of 10 things we are thankful for!
- Daily company class. Between Jessica Miller Tomlinson, Sarah Schaefer, Kim Davis, and Ethan Kirschbaum, we are well-trained and begin each day of rehearsal with a LOT of sweat!
- Our 3ARTS Chicago Artist support and grant. We are so thankful to feel supported in our own community!
- The partnership we've gained through Music of the Baroque. Declan, Patrick, and the whole orchestra was nothing but kind to us this Fall and we can't wait to collaborate further!
- Our residency with Grand Valley State University. We loved sharing our repertoire with you and felt so welcomed and loved by the department!
- Our new company members, emerging artists, and associate artists! Each year our team grows and we love adding on to our family of SCDT dancers!
- Erin Harner - our brand new General Manager is organized, detail-oriented, on top of everything she does, and all-around amazing. We are so thankful to add her to the team.
- The addition of our Rehearsal Director, Jessica Miller Tomlinson. We appreciate your hard work with us and enjoy having you around!
- Our upcoming residency with Western Michigan University come 2023. We can't wait to spend time teaching the students and staying in the beautiful Kalamazoo, Michigan!
- 2023's evening length jazz piece by Kia S. Smith that we are thrilled to present at the Auditorium Theatre! It's our debut there and every single one of us is so excited to perform on this beautiful stage.
- Every single year we are continuously thankful and in awe of the hard work Kia Smith puts into our company. Without you, there is no SCDT. We are beyond grateful for your dedication to us as humans, dancers, and your employees!
That's the list, y'all! Enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday surrounded by the one's you love. We, too, are taking a much needed break in preparation for new material and new dances! See you back in the studio in a week!
SCDT on Tour - Grand Valley State University Edition!
Our first tour of season six was quite the success! We are insanely thankful to have performed four of our repertory pieces with the students, faculty, and community in Allendale, Michigan at the Louis Armstrong Theatre of Grand Valley State University.
To give you all a snapshot of our quick tour to Michigan, here's a day-by-day recap:
Saturday, November 5: All twelve members of our touring group arrived at Union Station by 5:30pm. We boarded the train, ready, excited, laughing, and the largest group on board for sure. Grand Rapids, Michigan - we were coming for you! Upon arrival at 11:30pm, all of us got on a shuttle to our hotel in downtown Grand Rapids. Straight to bed for all of us!
Sunday, November 6: A morning of breakfast on your own and a call time of 10am in the hotel lobby. We took a giant van over to the GVSU campus and were welcomed into their dance department's beautiful studios. The largest one that we were able to be in was absolutely beautiful - high ceilings, a large sprung Marley floor - we were in heaven! All of us took a 90-minute ballet class given by our rehearsal director, Jessica Miller Tomlinson, and were quickly escorted to our dressing rooms where we prepared for tech rehearsal. Each dance got 60-minutes on stage to rehearse, space, and try out the dance with it's corresponding lighting (shout out to our favorite lighting designer EVER, Julie E. Ballard!). It was a LONG day on stage and afterwards we all couldn't wait to enjoy a big family dinner out together. Directly after dinner, we all rested and went to bed for the big day ahead!
Monday, November 7: A morning off!! All of us chose to do separate things. I'm an early riser, so I was up by 7am and got my body moving. Others rested, walked around the city, grabbed lunch together, explored downtown Grand Rapids, hit up the hotel hot tub, and so forth. By 4pm, we all met up and ventured back to Grand Valley State University. Company class on stage for an hour, followed by hair and makeup, and we were all in costume ready to roll by 7pm! The show went by so quickly and was thrilling as always. We love sharing our company and our repertoire and felt so welcomed and well-received by our new audience. We are all very thankful to have worked with GVSU! Post-show, all of us dancers and artistic team went over to Main St. Pub for a late night dinner. We were delirious, tired, silly, loud...everything we always are. To be honest, I think my legs are STILL recovering from the show...it's a tough one!
Tuesday, November 8: Happy Election Day and happy 5am call time to the hotel lobby! Our train left at 6am, we all slept the whole way home and returned to Chicago by 9am. What a wonderful trip!
A big shout-out and THANK YOU to everyone at GVSU for having us - it was a privilege to share our art with you and we hope to see you again soon!