Our First Rehearsal at KLS!
A very exciting week for us at SCDT because we had our first few days of rehearsal in the Kattan/Landau Studios at The Auditorium Theatre!!
I like to call it "Show Mode", but the closer we get to a performance, the more I zero in and get to focus on preparing for being on the big stage for our home season show! One of the best parts of this time is being in a bigger space. Luckily, on the Roosevelt University campus, there's a giant studio the exact size of the Auditorium Theatre stage. This is helpful so that we can space our dances, hit our marks, and get used to traveling in a big space.
Why is this so important to us as dancers?
We have to be spatially smart. A piece may be choreographed with exactly 4 steps to get to our next formation and you HAVE to do those 4 steps on the exact beat of the music. When you are in a bigger space, those four steps have to be much larger and you have to get a feel of exactly how to move/how to perform those choreographed movements.
More space also allows our Rehearsal Director to view the piece how one would see it on stage. For lack of a better way of explaining it, you can "zoom out" and see the big picture of the performance!
TWO MORE WEEKS until the big stage!! I'll take you along for the journey, but we are surely excited to be so close to such a wonderful show.
Tickets are on sale now!!! Visit https://www.axs.com/events/531338/south-chicago-dance-theatre-tickets?skin=theauditorium&_gl=1*12bmql*_gcl_au*MTMxNTk1NTY0OS4xNzQ1MTgxNTIw*_ga*MTY1ODcwNTU5NS4xNzQ1MTgxNTIw*_ga_HRK2MMXV9R*MTc0NTE4MTUxOS4xLjAuMTc0NTE4MTUxOS42MC4wLjA. to get your tickets!!!
Gearing up for IN/WITHIN!
What a fitting day to be writing this blog - we are exactly one month away from our Auditorium Theatre show!
This year, the show is called "IN/WITHIN" and features 4 works which includes our own Kia S. Smith's half-evening length work of the same title - "IN/WITHIN".
You may be wondering what else you'll see on the stage on Saturday, May 3. Well, audience favorite "Under the Skin" by Tsai Hsi Hung is making a comeback. It was such a hit last season with its dark costuming including hair worn down, intricate and athletic choreography, and compelling score! It's one of my all-time favorite pieces and it's back!
In addition, you will see a new work choreography by Kate Weare that takes you on a journey and introduces the audience to a village of people who all relate to one another in different ways - be that attraction or conflict.
You also won't want to miss SCDT's debut of "Temporal Trance" originally choreographed on and performed by River North Dance Chicago! The piece is choreographed by none other than Frank Chavez, who happens to also be our Cultural Hero award recipient!
It's sure to be a jam-packed night of wonderful dancing and choreography that no one should miss! Tickets are available NOW on auditoriumtheatre.org! Help us sell the place out!! :)
Travel Recap - Spring Break is Near!!
Every year, South Chicago Dance Theatre has a Spring Break! Just like most public schools and Universities, right around the start of Spring it feels like time for a break from the hard work and discipline!
At SCDT, this allows Company dancers to visit their hometowns as many of us are not originally from Chicago. We have dancers from all over - Texas, California, Georgia, Virginia, and many of the Midwest states as well! As our Spring Break begins at the top of next week, I though it'd be fun for me to break down 10 of my favorite travel spots that I've been to with South Chicago Dance Theatre! Some are big, some are small, but all gave me memories I'll hold onto with some of my favorite people!
As for me - my hometown is Milwaukee, Wisconsin! Although I'll be taking a weekend trip north to see family, I do plan on relaxing and enjoying Chicago sans-work for a week! Below, in no particular order, are the places I've loved traveling to while being a part of the Company over the last 5 years!
- A few years ago, but still a favorite - AMSTERDAM! It was so fun to explore the city and immerse ourselves in European dance!
- LAGUNA BEACH! We just went this year for an Opera performance/collaboration, but it was beautiful and so relaxing!
- COLOMBIA, SOUTH AMERICA! I will never forget seeing all of Colombia from one of the highest altitude viewing points while we were there - gorgeous!!
- ST. LOUIS - it was wonderful being in 2 of our company members' hometowns, having an after party with one of their families, and making memories that will last forever. I laughed WAY too much that night after performing in Spring to Dance.
- SOUTH KOREA! With our Seoul-mates! We love Joseph and his dancers so much and having him show us around their city was wonderful.
- VIETNAM - we went for a short time after South Korea, but everything (especially the food) was top-notch!!
- A special place is in my heart for KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN! My alma mater is Western Michigan University and returning there for a week was so nostalgic!
- Jacob's Pillow in BECKETT, MASSACHUSETTS will always and forever be unforgettable. That's all I have to say about it - a pure dream!
- Most recently, DAYTON, OHIO! Our friends at Dayton Contemporary Dance Company were so welcoming and such fierce dancers!
- Lastly, I'll let you guess what's next....we are ALWAYS on the move and Season 9 will only bring more and more travel....
WHERE TO NEXT?
Season 9 Audition!!
Just last Friday it was our annual AUDITION for the following season!
This years' did not disappoint! Jessica (our Rehearsal Director) and Terra (our General Manager) organized such a smooth day. All of us Company Members came to help out, direct auditioners where to go, and to teach our repertoire!
The Audition ran from 9am-4pm and after 400 applications were submitted and reviewed, 200 people were invited to dance with us in studio! People auditioning for the company come from all over and experience multiple rounds of learning dance material. Typically, we start with a general ballet round, and then move forward to some of our repertoire!
If you came out to the audition, here's a GIANT THANK YOU for all of your beautiful energy and talent! We saw so many kind and wonderful people and dancers throughout the day. Auditions can often times feel stressful and nerve-wracking, but we hope you enjoyed the environment that is South Chicago Dance Theatre and felt so welcome into our home at Hyde Park School of Dance!
Until next year!!
DCDC x SCDT
It was a whirlwind of a weekend in Dayton, Ohio as we joined forces with the beautiful dancers of Dayton Contemporary Dance Company in their Winter Show - "Power & Presence".
We love any opportunity that allows us to get to know our dance community - near & far - in a better, more intimate way. Kia is an alumna of Dayton Contemporary Dance Company's Second Company and was invited to show work on their Winter 2025 concert this past weekend!
Nine of us dancers drove to Ohio and had the quickest turnaround - tech rehearsal for lighting and spacing, straight into a dress rehearsal the next day, straight into 2 back-to-back days of shows! We presented our excerpt of "Memoirs of Jazz in the Alley" while DCDC showed three recent works, some choreographed by members of the company!
One of my favorite parts is meeting the new dancers, but I have to admit that my top favorite part of this weekend was being able to sit in the audience and experience DCDC's second act from the audience perspective. As performers, we often live backstage. When we are granted the opportunity to be an audience member and experience the lighting, staging, costuming, and choreography from the viewpoint of the audience, it's one of the most delightful things to watch. Sometimes, I forget how magical dance can be in its full production. The dancers of DCDC were FULL OUT and giving so much power and grace. It was inspiring and surely good energy to take back to the studio with us.
That's truly the most beautiful thing about crossing paths with other dancers - we reignite each others' love for the art form. I'm heading back to rehearsal this week with a full heart and the reminder of how touching and powerful dance is to its audience.
Off to Dayton!
"Where to next?" you may ask us. South Chicago Dance Theatre is always on the move, and although we do have our biggest show of the year on the horizon in the beginning of May, there's no doubt that we are out-and-about dancing all over in the meantime!
As we wrap up our final Black History Month shows, March is right around the corner. In fact, this Friday we leave for Dayton, Ohio for an extra special performance. Our own Kia S. Smith is an alumnus of Dayton Contemporary Dance Company's second company! She performed with them prior to moving to Chicago and starting SCDT. In honor of her successes as of late, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company (DCDC) has invited us to Ohio to perform alongside them!
We've done this type of collaboration in the past - we were a part of Giordano Dance Chicago's 60th season celebration by collaborating with the dancers on a piece choreographed by Kia. This particular performance is a bit different. Since DCDC is out of town, they've invited us to showcase one piece of our repertoire during their performance at the Victorian Theatre in downtown Dayton.
What will we be showing? None other than an excerpt of the fan favorite evening-length work "Memoirs of Jazz in the Alley"! We've done a 15-minute version of this piece multiple times on tour, including at Jacob's Pillow! We are thrilled to be performing it again and to meet so many new and fabulous dancers on DCDC!
Near Dayton? Check out tickets online at "dcdc.org"!
Happy Black History Month from SCDT!
Happy February and Happy Black History month from all of us at SCDT!
For the past six seasons, South Chicago Dance Theatre has been more active than ever during Black History Month. We take members of the Main Company, Associate, and Emerging Artist Programs into various Chicago-area schools to help the students celebrate Black History Month!
Our performance ranges from 30 to 45 minutes in length and is a fun representation of Black culture and it's influence on music, dance, poetry, and socially! We perform a dance to the Black National Anthem ("Lift Every Voice and Sing") that excites the kids and teaches them about the colors on the African American flag. We also expose kids to Black artists' creation of jazz music and dance that became very popular during the Civil Rights Era. Finally, we finish the show with our grand finale - a dance to an upbeat version of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream Speech"! It's truly a fan favorite that gets the whole audience clapping and reminds kids that MLK's speech in 1963 still has a lasting impact today, even in the halls of their school.
At the end of each performance, us dancers get to introduce ourselves and answer questions from the children. These sweet kids always have a plethora of questions ranging from why we starting dancing to how old we are and if we are all friends! Not only do the students get to see a dance show and have exposure to the arts, but they can learn through movement and interaction with our performance!
Black History Month series in February is ALWAYS one of our favorites that we look forward to year after year. Happy Black History Month!!
Kate Weare Residency!
A new month and a new residency to go along with it! Just last week, Kate Weare got in town and immediately began research with SCDT as we start a new work that will premiere at our May 3rd show.
Kate is incredible and we've had the privilege of meeting her before! Kate traveled to us in 2023 to help Kia coach her creation "Memoirs of Jazz in the Alley". Kate serves as Kia's mentor. She's been providing Kia with advice and helping Kia develop her choreography since Season 5. Kate was even Kia's mentor for Kia's Jacob's Pillow Choreographic residency! Some of us have gotten to work with her 1-on-1 as she coached the feeling behind our characters in "Memoirs". She's such a genuine, kind, and grounded person. She's thoughtful with her words, intentional with her notes and corrections, and cares deeply about getting to know the person behind the choreography.
Kate has been working intimately with her cast for the Auditorium premiere. She prefers creating in a small group and intimate environment. I love this as choreography is truly such a vulnerable process for both the creator and the dancer. There must be ultimate trust from both sides.
I'm so excited to see what Kate creates in these two weeks we have her here. She will return later in our season to coach the dancers and make any improvements prior to the piece's premiere.
What a wonderful experience for our 8th season - we are so grateful for such a great first week with Kate Weare!
Latin School Takeover!!
Oh my gosh - we had the MOST fun Wednesday at the Latin School located in Lincoln Park!!
On January 22, 2025 South Chicago Dance Theatre took over the Latin School in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day while expressing the theme that Love is a force for change!!
Over the 7 hour school day, all 17 members of SCDT split up and managed to put on 3 performances and teach 7 classes to children of all ages!
During the performances, students in their respective ages levels experienced many repertoire pieces that we have! We fused pieces of our Black History Month show with Monique Haley's "Soul Power", Kia Smith's "Memoirs of Jazz in the Alley", as well as our well-known "Architect of a Dream", a piece set to the "I Have a Dream" speech! It was a powerful performance that gave a lens to the students that we can communicate our love in many different ways - through speaking, speeches, poems, dance, gestures, etc. In addition, Kia showed a video to the students of our Choreographic Diplomacy experiences to show how dance can transcend words and bring people all around the globe together!
During the informative dance classes, students moved their bodies together, engaged in typical dance warm-ups, and actually created their own dance inspired by the "I Have a Dream" speech! It was a beautiful experience watching the students learn how their gestures and movements can spark emotion and inspire choreography!
Latin School Takeover day was the BEST day and we are so lucky to have worked with the kids at this beautiful school! Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!
Guest Teacher Excitement!
One of my favorite parts of SCDT rehearsal is class! It's where us dancers warm-up, refine our training, and get to perfect our technique in styles such as ballet, contemporary, modern, and jazz!
We often times have our usual faculty consisting of Jessica Miller Tomlinson, Meredith Dincolo, and Ethan Kirschbaum. Sometimes, though, we invite guest instructors to come teach class which only expands our training. These guest instructors don't see us as often as our normal teachers, so they often times bring a fresh perspective on our technique and can offer new ways to think about certain movements.
This past Friday we had the privilege of taking class from.Patti Eylar. Patti is toward the top of our list as favorite guest instructors as we often joke that after a class with Patti you are "on the leg" meaning you are completely balanced. The way she approaches ballet class is so wonderful. She's calm yet informative and cares so much about activating turnout and mind-body connection. There is nothing like Patti's class to get you ready for an intense day of rehearsal.
Just as athletes head to the gym to prepare for a day, we as dancers need class to prepare for the day. It fires off our muscles, prevents us from injury, and gets us in the mindset to work hard and dance all day long.
Thank you, Patti, for a wonderful class on Friday. We look forward to having her again AND updating you on our other guest instructors throughout the season!