10 Things I'm Thankful For: Year 2
I’m back for year two of my favorite time of the year: THANKSGIVING! There’s something about the closing out of the Fall season, feeling the togetherness of family (whether that be by blood, dance, or friendship), and the act of giving thanks that makes me the happiest! I still practice this each day – I sit down in the morning and list 10 things I’m thankful for. It has a way of starting my day right and allowing me to see the good in the day right off the bat!
Last year, this was my favorite blog I wrote! I managed to easily book through ten things I loved and was thankful for with SCDT and it lifted my spirits greatly. I am so excited to do it again this year, but with a bit of a twist! Instead of 10 things I’m grateful for overall (which you can see in last years’ blog, not much has changed!!), I’ve decided to do 10 things that I’m grateful for so far this season. As we move towards more in person performances, I have quite a few things that have brought me an overwhelming sense of gratitude in the past couple of months. Season 5…you’ve already outdone yourself! Here are a few of the best things so far:
- DANCE FOR LIFE 2021! So many things I could say about this event, but I felt nothing but love for my people after performing on that stage in front of hundreds of people. One of the best memories I’ll hold for quite some time.
- Our new guest artists and Emerging Artists! Y’all…you have NO clue how well everyone jumped right into being a family this season. I could right a whole other gratitude list for each new member of our SCDT family. They push me to be better each day and make me laugh when I’m at my deepest point of exhaustion. All in all – everyone keeps me going!!
- Our dance circle with Giordano Dance Chicago! The energy in the room the day we took class from Nan Giordano was AMAZING! Reminded me exactly why I do what I do!
- Performing at Navy Pier – what a gorgeous backdrop we had to perform our two pieces by Kia S. Smith. I’m also a little bias about this performance – my family came and saw me perform live for the first time since college…the best memory FOR SURE!
- Our added Friday contemporary company classes with Ethan Kirschbaum! Most people look at Friday as a day to get through, but let me tell you – if you were to kick off your morning with a class from Ethan, you’d look forward to Friday’s at work, too! We are so thankful for Ethan’s guidance and amazing instruction. Plus, we LOVE having contemporary as a part of our class training this year!
- Harvest Festival Chicago! What a great opportunity to be in this show next to so many talented companies! We also got to bring back Crystal Michelle Perkins’ “Lit-Anies” which was a joy in itself.
- Our South Korean friends from Choomna Art Center visiting and joining us in such a good time! Everything from the choreographic process, to dancing and improvising together, to hanging out as a group was such an amazing time. We can hardly wait to see them all again!
- Our Korean Traditional Dance master classes. We were introduced to a new style of dance which of course presented its own challenges, but was such an honor and cool opportunity to learn!
- Getting to participate in school shows as a part of South Chicago Dance Festival! Sharing dance with kids in local high schools was so much fun and allowed us an intimate performance setting that we haven’t experienced in quite some time!
- Lastly, I’m thankful for our most recent residency with Wade Schaaf (stay tuned for more on this!). Their piece was such a privilege to learn and be a part of! It’s so different from our other repertoire and I already know it’ll be a great addition to our show at the Harris in May!!
Y’all, that was the easiest list to make. Ten things may seem like a lot for four months, but so much has happened so quickly and we are forever thankful! I hope you’ve enjoyed a wonderful holiday surrounded by whomever you consider family. Much love always and Happy Thanksgiving from South Chicago Dance Theatre!
Our Seoul-mates are Here!
No doubt, it has been a whirlwind of a month so far! We are well into November and the SCDT has been working tirelessly and performing more than we have since pre-pandemic! It has been such a blessing overall and we are so thankful.
On November 1, our friends from Choomna Art Center in Seoul. South Korea arrived in Chicago!! If you haven’t heard about our cultural diplomacy program, look no further than our Choreographic Diplomacy tab on the website. We used the first four days of rehearsal to recreate the piece that Artistic Director of Choomna Art Center, Joseph Kim, and Artistic Director of SCDT, Kia S. Smith, began creating in Seoul in 2019. The piece is around thirty minutes in length and includes two duets, a trio, two solos as well as group interactions. The artistic directors split up to create separate chunks of choreography at the top of the week with us dancers and on the third day of rehearsal, we strung together the entire piece.
Joseph works deeply with connection and improvisational work. Each day we were led in improvisational exercises with Joseph to fuel our connection with the group, center our breathing, and foster each artist’s creativity in their natural movement. Using these improv techniques, Joseph crafted two brand new duets that occur during the piece and were specific to the dancers he worked with now in 2021. Working with Joseph led me to trust my instincts, be confident in my choices as a mover, and ultimately made me feel very calm and connected to my movement and my duet partner. One would assume that learning an entire 30 minute piece over four days would be a cause for stress, but for me it was just the opposite. I felt strangely at peace the entire week. Joseph didn’t rush the process, he sat with each decision, and made sure to breathe alongside his dancers. It made me feel comfortable with him from day one. He trusted me, I trusted him, and this allowed for magic to happen choreographically. Being a part of his process definitely encouraged my growth as a dancer. It’s always so fun and a great learning experience to work with new choreographers.
Kia worked with the trio while Joseph was crafting the duets. Her process was slightly different as she stuck with her original intricate choreography from 2019, cleaning and teaching it to three new trio dancers. The trio is extremely forward moving, quirky, and specific. It’s one of the most personality-driven sections of the piece for sure.
After two days of working on this choreographic material, all seven dancers joined together in the studio and we pieced the choreography together in chronological order. We figured out spacing, new group sections, transitions, etc.
Come week two of our South Korean friends being in town, we were already performing the full-length work! It began with an open rehearsal showing on Monday, November 8 and continued throughout the week with dance exchanges at Kenwood Academy High School and with Dyett Dance. We were thrilled to share our dance with high school students in the area as they shared their own choreography and dance routines as well. It is always such a pleasure to look at the young talent and potential around us. To know that the arts are alive and bring joy to kids throughout their school day is always amazing.
Just today we said a “see you later” to our South Korean Seoul-mates! We are counting down the days until we get to see them and dance with them again in February when South Chicago Dance Theatre goes international! Stay tuned for all of our fun adventures then!!
Spooks & Spirit Week
We have fun, yes we do! We have fun, how ’bout you??
South Chicago Dance Theatre – we work hard but we also know how to have a good time! One of my favorite things about our company is the environment we’ve created in rehearsal. We are each other’s family. Dance is difficult in so many ways…not only is it physically exhausting and strenuous on our bodies, but it also requires an abundance of mental effort to retain and perfect choreography and can tend to be emotionally draining at times. Our passion drives us through these hardships, but sometimes it’s the bonds and friendships that hold you together and keep you going as well. We’ve had a lot going on recently – between Harvest Festival performances, working on Kia S. Smith’s new piece for the Harris Theatre, prepping for South Chicago Dance Festival and reviewing repertoire…we were ready for a boost of extra energy.
Which brings us to….SPIRIT WEEK! Yes, we created it ourselves and forced the idea upon Kia, but we had a week full of spooky fun. Tuesday was orange & black, Wednesday was “black tie affair” (we had a photoshoot with Michelle Reid, stay tuned for some fabulous pictures!!) and we finished the week with our Halloween costumes and some trick-or-treat candy from Kia!! I love that our company finds ways to keep it exciting, keep up the moral and the energy, and of course – just have fun! We are 100% ourselves 100% of the time and let me tell you, I know some of the best personalities in the world because they are on this company!!
We hope you celebrated Halloween in your own special way this week and got to engage in your own spooky fun! Always a good time to feel like a kid again, and I thought we’d share a bit of the fun with you on the blog! Hope it made you smile. Lots to catch you all up on in the coming month – it’s going to be BIG! Between the Festival, our first residency for the 5th anniversary season, and some outreach with Chicago schools…you’re about to be hit with a lot of fun content!
As always STAY TUNED! And I suppose you can STAY SPOOKY as well! Happy Halloween, y’all!
It's FESTIVAL Season!
Do you know what time it is? Well if you don't - now you do! November is quickly approaching and we have so much coming up (check up on our social media...HINT HINT!) that we simply cannot wait to share with an audience! Our annual South Chicago Dance Festival commences in November and we are excited to kick it off with the arrival of Choomna Art Center coming to join us all the way from Seoul, South Korea.
If you are unaware of our Choreographic Diplomacy program, check it out! It truly is one of the things that got me so excited about Kia and working with the company. We are GLOBALLY engaged, people!! Kia is a big time dreamer and that dream includes collaborating and working with dance organizations throughout the entire world. Our first Choreographic Diplomacy was a three-year partnership with Choomna in South Korea, though our timeline got a little thrown off due to Covid. But if dancers are anything, we are resilient, and we know how to make it work (just as much as Tim Gunn, I might say). Our three year partnership with Joseph Kim (Artistic Director of Choomna Art Center) finishes off this season with a 2-week visit from the South Korean company and later, a 2-week trip to Seoul for SCDT in February of 2022!
To say we are thrilled is an understatement. As dancers, an experience to work with other professionals in the industry is exciting as it is. But on top of this, to work with a company oceans away and collaborate to form a piece of choreography that transcends language barriers and cultural differences to focus on the art of dance and it's innate way of speaking through movement...that's something REAL special. Personally, I can't wait to have new energy grace our space and to be inspired by the artists in the promotional photo above. It's bound to be a learning, growing, and exciting experience.
Are you interested in seeing our collaborative work? We are hosting an open showing of the work after a Korean Traditional Dance Class on Monday, November 8 from 6-8pm. Come see the work, meet the artists, and enjoy a night of dance with SCDT! The link to register for this free event is as follows: SCDTchoreographicdiplomacy.eventbrite.com
Help us start our South Chicago Dance Festival right!!! We can't wait to see you there!
Where we've been & where you can see us Next!
South Chicago Dance Theatre is in SESSION! It's been two quick months of rehearsal already, but we have done quite a bit in the short time we've been back. I feel like it's about time I update you on what we've done and what's coming up. Compared to last season, our audience has many opportunities to see us live as we are frequently around the Chicago area performing!
Where we've been:
- Did you see us at Dance for Life? What an amazing honor it was to participate in this years' annual Dance for Life event put on by Chicago Dancers United. On August 26, 2021 the event was held outdoors and the audience turnout was amazing. SCDT performed an excerpt of Kia S. Smith's "Architect of a Dream" and the crowd was on their feet at the end. It was a performance to remember!
- Maybe you enjoyed a night out at Navy Pier and recognized us performing at Chicago Live Again's event on September 25, 2021! Our beautiful backdrop for this outdoor performance was one you did not want to miss. We performed Kia's excerpt of "Architect of a Dream" again as well as "I Too Sing America" which was also a part of our 2020 Black History Month performance series. Our first time performing this piece live was exhilarating and so fun. Our group had a blast and felt so supported by fellow dancers and performers who stuck around to watch our performance!
Where you can see us next:
- What are you up to this weekend? If nothing, check out Harvest Chicago Contemporary Dance Festival! SCDT is performing both October 8 & 9 at Ruth Page Center for Dance. The show includes multiple companies and performers from all around Chicago. We cannot wait to perform Crystal Michelle Perkins' (ahem - Princess Grace Award winner woo woo!!) piece titled "Lit-Anies". We've been hard at work in studio piecing together the work that we learned over Zoom last season. This will be our first live performance of the choreography and it is athletic and powerful. Come on out to see it - you won't regret it!
- Coming up in November we have many events that contribute to our annual South Chicago Dance Festival. We have school shows, master classes, a concert of dance films to be premiered virtually, and so much more. Stay up to date with us on social media (@southchicagodancetheatre on Instagram and South Chicago Dance Theatre on Facebook) to find out more in real time! What we are most excited for is the arrival of our South Korean dance company partnership friends! We are so lucky to have the honor to collaborate with them again and are looking forward to our in-studio experience with the dancers!
More to come of course! This year is jam-packed and bound to be a good way. I'll be here updating you every step of the way, per usual!!
Let us know where you'll be seeing us next or if you enjoyed a past performance on our social media. We love connecting with our audience and look forward to seeing you at one of our upcoming events!!
A Week in our Life
I get asked it far too often..."what's it like being a professional dancer?" Our job is one of the most physically, emotionally, and mentally challenging careers, yet many people are inquisitive about what it really entails. I LOVE answering this question because, personally, I feel that others can only truly understand how and why we do what we do if we take the time to explain it AND if those who are listening can feel the passion with which we explain it. Dancers don't do what they do because of the compensation or the status. We are driven by the pure love of the art and the challenge and growth it brings to our everyday life.
Every professional dance career looks a bit different - some are gig based, some dancers are part-time around another career in an unrelated industry, some are company contracted with different schedules than ours. But here you are at southchicagodancetheatre.com, so I'm going to write what I know and give you a full glimpse into a week in our life, most particularly what we've been up to this month!
Alarms go off at a different time for each of us...I'm an early riser and require a lot of coffee to function, so I'm usually up around 6:15am to prepare for my day and allot myself enough time for traffic along my commute to Hyde Park School of Dance where we rehearse Tuesday through Friday each week. Arrival time at the studio is around 9am in which we prepare for Pilates warm-up from 9:15-9:30am. The wonderful Sam Dauer has created a 15 minute Pilates warm-up routine to prepare us and activate certain essential muscle groups for us as dancers. Next up from 9:30-10:45am is Company Class (to those of you dancers - our company classes are open classes! Come check them out, you won't regret it!) Tuesday we have Modern with our Artistic & Executive Director, Kia S. Smith, Wednesday is Ballet with Sarah Schaefer, Thursday is Ballet with Kia, and Friday is Contemporary with Ethan Kirschbaum. We are privileged to have such wonderful teachers and I can't tell you how important it is for us to train in a variety of styles with the repertoire we have!
After class is complete, we typically take a short break and return to the studio around 11am to begin rehearsal. Rehearsal can include a multitude of things. Recently, we were preparing for our upcoming shows, so we would find ourselves doing full runs of pieces we are familiar with while also reviewing or teaching previous repertoire to our emerging and guest artists. Rehearsal runs until 2pm and if there's one thing I can guarantee you, it's that it is SWEATY and a lot of hard work - but us SCDT dancers love to make it an upbeat environment and never fail to have a good time. Later this season, rehearsal may include residencies from our 5 new commissioned works this season in which we would learn new pieces created on our company by outside choreographers. Regardless of what we do with our three hour rehearsal chunk, it is productive and challenging.
Post-rehearsal, we have jobs outside of the studio. Many of us, myself included, teach at local dance studios for children. It's exciting to share our love and passion for dance with the next generation as I know I gained my love for the art form from my inspiring teachers growing up! Others work at local gyms, restaurants, reception desks, coffee shops, etc. We even have a few dancers who are in school working towards more/prestigious degrees. If there's one thing to know about dancers, it's that we are not lazy humans! A body in motion stays in motion, and rest assured...we are ALWAYS moving!
Hopefully you have more of an idea as to what we do on a daily basis - our career is anything but ordinary, but it's our "normal". We've all grown up with hectic schedules and are used to managing our time well and giving our all to whatever we do. We're all out here just living the dream!!
Continued success for one of our Favorites!
We have a lot to celebrate!! We are incredibly proud to announce that one of our five commissioned choreographers for the season has received a Princess Grace Award!! Crystal Michelle Perkins (choreographer of Lit-Anies, premiered in 2020 on SCDT) was awarded an honoraria in choreography. This accomplishment is huge and we feel so very lucky to have worked with Crystal. We await her return in 2021 as she intends to expand her work on our company and officially work with us in person!
The Princess Grace Award is an award of high esteem that is given to those in the realm of theatre, dance, and film in order to fund and advance their career with an awarded grant. These artists are emerging in their chosen field and are dedicated to continued education in their craft. More than 800 Princess Grace Awards have been given out since the foundation's inception and can be awarded to performing artists as well as creative generators. Crystal is a bold, dedicated, and passionate choreographer and we are proud to see her name listed next to other prestigious award recipients such as Kyle Abraham and Robert Battle. This is a wonderful accomplishment on the upward path of her career and we are thankful to be a part of her journey in any way we can be!
As a dancer, working with Crystal was such a rewarding experience. We participated in a residency with Crystal in 2020 solely over Zoom. To watch Crystal teach choreography, organize the choreography in a space she wasn't physically in, and attach it to sound after constructing the framework was something else. She is a proven mastermind in beautifully stringing together intentional stillness with powerful and athletic movement. The contrast in her work is clear and creates intrigue as a viewer. Crystal's ability to impact an audience through movement is the reason why she's received this high honor. Crystal - we are proud, we can't wait to work with you more, and we applaud you on your many successes!
Season 5's Whirlwind of a Start
I’m back, y’all!! Kelly Anderson – Season 4 and 5 Company Member here to dish everything your way through our SCDT blog! Welcome to Season 5!!
Our season started a bit earlier this year – we came together in the beginning of August to dive into three rigorous weeks of rehearsal with Kia S. Smith’s choreography and Jessica Miller Tomlinson’s incredible rehearsal directing. Our purpose for starting so early? We were selected to be a part of Chicago Dancer’s United’s Dance For Life annual performance! This is such an amazing honor for Kia as a choreographer, for us as a young company, and for each of us dancers as young members of the Chicago dance community. All in all, it was an experience we did not want to miss out on!
We came back with the six returning members from the previous season and welcomed a full slew of guest artists and new emerging artists to be a part of this performance. We reconstructed a 5-minute excerpt of Kia’s “Architect of a Dream” which was part of our Black History Month show, set to the powerful words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Bringing this piece back to life was a privilege and to be quite honest, I forgot how much I loved performing it! I wrote about it last year, but this piece gave me actual CHILLS in rehearsal last season. There’s something so difficult to explain but so special to feel about experiencing dance that provokes thought, means something, and demands change in our world.
One of the most exciting parts about our preparation for Dance for Life was that it would be our first live performance since I joined the company! The state of our world has made it so difficult to truly see dance the way it was meant to be seen – live, in person, and fully and viscerally experienced. To have the opportunity to once again perform for people in a safe way at the beautiful Pritzker Pavilion was nothing short of amazing. It brought true joy to stand at the end of the piece with my fellow dancers, take in the applause, and soak up the dream of performing for so many people that we’ve all desired from the start of our training. This is what we train for!! Obviously we were thankful to still be dancing – even if it was simply for a screen – last year, but there is no comparison to dancing for a live audience.
Dance for Life 2021 was just what we needed to jump-start what is bound to be an incredible season. We have SO much in store, I am already struggling to catch my breath! I’ll be here all year updating you on our adventures, so don’t worry – you’ll get your SCDT behind the scenes fill as always!
For now, I just leave you with a giant THANK YOU for your continued support. We are all ready to make this season the best one yet!
Season 4 - Tied up in a Bow!
Blog Family! This is my final blog to you from season 4! (Have no fear - season 5 is about to be a BLAST and I'll still be here throughout it all to update you!) You've been with us through virtual shows, choreographic residencies, meeting our team, and supporting us in every way! As always, we are so thankful and can't wait to bring more dance to you in our 2021-2022 season!
Here's a brief recap of each month with SCDT so you (and I) can remember what an impactful season it was, even amidst a global pandemic!
September: Our season starts! We welcomed new board members, new company members, new administrators, and new emerging artists! We were thrilled to be able to spend time in the studio together learning Monique Haley and August Tye's repetoire.
October: We continued to prepared for South Chicago Dance Theatre while we also had our very first virtual residency with Crystal Perkins! We loved having her and can't wait to meet her in person soon!!
November: South Chicago Dance Festival VIRTUAL EDITION 2020. What an adventure. Our annual festival turned virtual and we rolled with the punches! Our first filming and lots of virtual panels and community classes. What a time to remember!
December: We got straight to work with our Quad City Arts partnership! We filmed a demonstration video that was formed into a documentary of all the styles we train in as professional dancers. Then...we celebrated with a big holiday rehearsal party!!
January: 2021, a fresh start to the year AND a fresh start on two brand new pieces choreographed by Kia for Black History Month. It was a ton of work, but we really made it happen! (P.s. we were in DANCE MAGAZINE!)
February: The filming of our Black History show proved to be tiring but SO worth it. We were thrilled with the hundreds of viewers who turned in and gave us such positive feedback!!
March: A short break after a big show and then, you guessed it, right back to it!! We started rehearsals and the creative process for our evening length work for the home season - "Cartography of Peace". March was a lot of experimentation and creation.
April: Rehearsal after rehearsal!! April was an intense month of stringing together our newest work.
May: Rehearsal, but also a LIVE performance for Christine Porter's Homegoing Celebration! It was pure talent in one room and such a special thing to be a part of!
June: Filming week! We filmed AND premiered "Cartography of Peace" by Kia Smith with our lovely collaborators Alexandria Hill (violinist) and Joelle Lamarre (soprano). We also performed live at a Juneteenth event at Athleta on Weed St! Such a fun month overall.
This summer, you can catch us at Dance for Life as well as Night Out in the Parks events!! Stay tuned friends, season 5 is just around the corner!
Thanks for following us along through this crazy year!
Dancer Spotlight: Kelly Anderson
Meet our amazing dancers and get to know more about them in our Dancer Spotlight Series! This month we are highlighting our own Kelly Anderson - Company Member, Blog Manager, and Social Media Manager!
Name: Kelly Anderson
Age: 23
Hometown: Milwaukee, WI
Favorite Color: YELLOW - the happiest of the colors!
Favorite Style of Dance: Contemporary
Favorite Choreographer: I'm always blown away by the creative and theatrical work of Crystal Pite, but I also love the intricate, quick, and detailed work of Aszure Barton. The female choreographers in our industry inspire me!
When did you start dancing?: I started taking dance recreationally when I was 4 - my mom said I never stopped dancing or moving. I didn't take my training more seriously until middle school when I began competing at local dance competitions. I never expected to become a professional dancer, I was nowhere near a "natural" but I loved it so much and always gave it my all!
College: Western Michigan University! A proud Bronco. I graduated with a BFA in dance and a minor in Social Psychology.
Siblings: I have two older brothers who are both married. My oldest brother has 3 sons and I am the most proud Aunt of those sweet little boys!
Why do you feel passionate about dance?: Oh, for so many reasons it's such a challenge to narrow it down. It's fascinating to me how much dance can form confidence in people of all ages. Dance has truly shaped me into who I am today. Dance has made me more confident, responsible and prompt, disciplined in my craft, and passionate about sharing dance with others. It's given me an endless amount of energy and allowed me to shine bright in all that I do. I always aim to not let dance define who I am, but rather recognize that dance has helped me to love who I am as a person. I am forever grateful for that.
If you weren’t a dancer, what career would you choose?: SO tough. Part of me feels like I would love to own my own business, but I also know I would have to be active in whatever I do (I literally cannot sit still for more than 10 minutes straight!!). I also love fashion and shopping and could definitely see myself diving into that world if dance wasn't involved. BUT - I love kids too and would want them to be a part of my career as well. I guess the answer is I DON'T KNOW. There are a lot of options, but nothing ever truly outweighed my passion for dance.
If you could do a duet with one person, who would it be?: ANYONE. I love partnering and think it's so interesting to watch. Honestly, though, I'd probably go back in time and do a duet with my college friend Alyssa Brutlag. We were always so silly together and had a few iconic moments in college improvisation classes. We really trusted each other, took risks, and didn't shy away from being ridiculous and carefree.
Favorite place you’ve traveled: I loved traveling to Panama with a student organization called Movement Exchange. We taught dance to underserved children in the area AND I got to brush up on my Spanish while there! When I was younger, though, I traveled to Alaska and that was so beautiful and different from anywhere else I've ever been!
Favorite food: I love taco dip as a snack and my BIGGEST weakness is ice cream!
One word to describe yourself: Efficient
If you had a dance move that described you, what would it be?: The deepest grand plie in a parallel second position :)
Fun Facts: My family makes fun of my gross dancer feet constantly, I snort when I laugh too hard, my all time favorite movie is Princess Diaries 2: The Royal Engagement with Pride & Prejudice as a close 2nd, I wish I could sing, I own way too many clothes for my own good, I was on Nickelodeon's Kid's Pick the President when I was 10 years old, and both my brothers are 6'4" when I'm only 5'3" :)
Thanks for getting to know Kelly & check back for more blogs to come!!