Navy Pier: Our First Full Company Show!
Just yesterday, Saturday, September 21, on a BEAUTIFUL first day of fall, we had one of our favorite shows of the year - Chicago Live! at Navy Pier. We typically kick off each season with this show. It's a full company affair, we all travel down to the pier together and tend to spend the whole night hanging out together as a company.
With 5 brand new members this year (amongst all of our programs such as Main Company, Associate Artist, and Emerging Artists) we were eager to have everyone perform together! This year we presented two works you may have seen before - "On A Lark" by Stephanie Martinez choreographed in 2022, and "Soul Power" by Monique Haley, choreographed and restaged in 2024. These two pieces represented our company in an upbeat, entertaining way, which is exactly what we need for a community-based show on the furthest end of Navy Pier. Tourists will pass by and stop to watch in addition to members of other companies that perform throughout the day. It's so fun to get the whole Chicago dance community together and watch each other at Chicago Live!
This free event is such a fun way for us to invite local friends, families, and supporters of South Chicago Dance Theatre. For one, I love our beautiful outdoor stage and the backdrop of the lake behind us! We also had a prime time to perform - 6:30-7:00pm right around sunset! Golden hour was good to us and another successful Chicago Live! show is in the books. Thanks for having us, Navy Pier!!
Frank Chavez Residency!!
We’ve spent the last two weeks oh so thankful as we’ve been learning and restaging River North’s iconic piece by Frank Chavez, “Temporal Trance”. It’s been an insane couple of weeks learning the piece as it’s highly physical, athletic, detailed, and involves a ton of flexibility and partnering.
As a company, we are generally used to new works being created for us, though this year we have the privilege of working virtually with Frank Chavez and in person with Jessica Wolfrum who is staging this existing piece on SCDT! River North as a dance company was an integral part of the Chicago Dance scene. Since the end of the company in 2015, dancers and choreographers alike have referenced and talked about the sheer talent and beauty of the company. Personally, I’ve had countless instructors, mentors, and people who I look up to in the dance world come from River North.
One of the best parts of this process has truly been learning from Jessica and Frank. The history runs deep. We’ve heard stories of the past dancers that are in the archival video of “Temporal Trance”. We’ve learned steps that many former dancers in Chicago DREAMED of performing onstage. It’s such a special few weeks to dive deep in Chicago dance’s history and to be a part of carrying it on. We are so thankful to Frank Chavez for trusting us with this piece and allowing us to dive deeper into some of the choreography that made Chicago dance what it is today.
We can’t wait for you to see this piece in May at the Auditorium Theatre. Season 8 has started, and we just know it’s going to be great!
Awards Shows & a beautiful Performance!
South Chicago Dance Theatre does it all! Yes - we've dove head-first into the month of September and I'm so excited to share with you all that we have in store and have been working on, but I'm wrapping up August by giving you the inside scoop on the show we did for the National Council of State Boards of Nursing's award banquet!
Like I said - we do it all! From shows at the Harris and Auditorium Theatre's, performances for school age children in their gymnasiums, tours internationally, and NOW...corporate events! It's unlike anything else we really get to do in the fact that it's all for pure entertainment value.
When first studying dance, we were told that dance is made for multiple reasons - to inform or educate, to inspire or evoke emotion, to make a statement (whether that be socially, politically, psychologically, etc.), and to entertain! As a group, SCDT's bigger shows often times evoke a lot of emotion, while our school shows aim to educate students on Black History. This particular awards show held at the Swissotel in downtown Chicago was solely to entertain the attendants of this beautiful event!
We had 30 minutes to WOW the audience while they enjoyed dessert & a show! We performed a couple upbeat pieces of our repertoire mixed in with new creations solely for this event that had the theme "Every Moment Matters".
SCDT had a wonderful time performing at this gorgeous event and it was a fun show to close our first month back in season with! Where would you like to see us next? Let your corporate dreams fly...
10 things we're looking forward To!
We just finished the first tour and first big performance of Season 8 and we are already looking forward to some big things that are upcoming for us! If you haven't looked into our social media (@southchicagodancetheatre) to see our season announcement, allow me to give you a bit of an overview. Not only are we looking forward to performances, but also in-studio opportunities, guest teachers, and all the dancing to come!
It's hard to single out 10, but I tried my best! It's going to be a BUSY and rewarding season, and we can't wait to share it with you all!
- Participating in our first corporate performance in quite some time! We love spreading our love for dance with others and are so thankful to be performing at the Swiss Hotel in just a few short days!
- Being in the studio for our first residency of the year - Temporal Trance! This iconic piece will be so fun to learn and have on our concert this Spring.
- CHICAGO LIVE! We've been performing here since the beginning and it's one of our most fun and beautiful events of the year, right on the water of Navy Pier.
- Our Emerging Artists performing at Harvest Festival! This was a festival our Main Company has done in the past, and we are so thrilled for our Emerging and Associate artists to perform at it this Fall.
- Our tour to South Korea to see our favorite Seoul-mates that we collaborate with quite frequently!
- Our connecting tour to Vietnam shortly following!
- Thursday classes with various Company Artists! The main company has the option to teach warm-up classes on Thursday and I'm so excited to learn from all of my friends!
- Heading to Laguna Beach for our participation in another Opera! It was so much fun to dance in an opera last year, I can't wait for another opportunity this year!
- Our famous and oh-so-fun Holiday Party at the end of the year - SCDT knows how to celebrate and it's the most rewarding thing at the end of a rigorous year!
- Starting 2025 with my favorite people back in rehearsal :)
WOW! I only got through December which means there's another list awaiting your future come 2025. SCDT always has something new and exciting to come! I'm so proud to be a part of this company and share in the events we have going on!
Our Jacob's Pillow Debut!!!
Our past week was quite the exciting one! 11 company dancers plus Kia traveled to Becket, Massachusetts for our Jacob's Pillow premiere! For those of you unfamiliar with Jacob's Pillow, it's the biggest honor to be a part of their festival. Each season, this historic place for dance hosts excellent companies from around the country. It's considered one of the highest honors to be invited to perform. SCDT had a one-night only performance on the Henry J. Leir stage and the footage of our performance will be held alongside so many other world-famous companies in Jacob's Pillow's archives.
To be on the same grounds as many historic dance icons was amazing. You can literally FEEL the history as soon as you walk on campus. Jacob's Pillow is a school that trains dancers, hosts performances, provides guidance and support for emerging choreographers, and preserves dance history. As dancers, we got to take class, walk around the campus, view historic footage, see pictures from the archives, and perform on the outdoor stage. It was an unforgettable experience that all of us were so lucky to be a part of. A week we will never forget for sure.
My personal favorite part was signing the walls backstage in the dressing room. It's a tradition that the companies who have performed at the Pillow have done for years and it's incredible that we got to do it together as a company. Many memories were made - it was the first tour of the season - and I'm so excited to add more memories to our Season 8 collection. What a great way to kick off the year!
We are BACK!
Happy Season 8, everyone!!
Wow - we are officially back! It feels like just yesterday that we were soaking up the bright lights of the Auditorium Theatre stage and now we are back in the studios of Hyde Park School of Dance preparing for another jam-packed season!
We had a beautiful day on Monday orienting ourselves with the new season's schedule and handbook followed by a fun picnic down by the water! It's such a fun tradition to start each year this way - to meet all the new people and to reminisce on when we first met the returning members in the same fashion in years' past.
All fun and smiles continue on day 2 when we immediately jumped into class and preparing for our Jacob's Pillow premiere which you will OF COURSE hear so much more about soon! Learning 3 pieces of lengthy repertoire in four days is no easy feat, but who else to do it but South Chicago Dance Theatre?
It's foam rolling, massages, and epsom salt baths for all of us as we recover from a strenuous and full first week of rehearsal. Through it all, we keep it light-hearted, fun, and enjoyable. I love this company that I consider close friends. They make the hard work fun!
More to come from me on my FIFTH season with you all on the blog. I can't believe it's been so long, but it is my biggest pleasure sharing and reflecting on some of our biggest moments together!! Here's to SEASON 8!
-Kelly Anderson
A Farewell to Season 7
What a beautiful season we had, and we are sad to see it go! We are just feeling lucky for what's ahead and looking forward to a wonderful Season 8!!
Personally, one of the biggest things I'll miss is dancing with our amazing Kim Davis (pictured front & center). Kim is moving back to Virginia for awhile and pursuing commercial dance endeavors and I could not be more proud of her. Like I've said before, we are a giant dance family here at SCDT and over the past four seasons of dancing with Kim, we've all become so close to her. We predict each other's jokes, laugh our faces off in rehearsal and on tour, enjoy being around one another, and can practically read Kia's mind at this point. To my partner-in-crime, we love you and you will be so missed. I'll forever remember all of our amazing times together!!
Aside from that, Season 7 was surely one to save in the books! From traveling to Colombia, another home season show at the Auditorium Theatre, SIX world premieres, and even a Chicago Opera Theatre collaboration - we are tired but THANKFUL!
In just a few short months, I'll be back giving you the low down on all things Season 8 and I promise you, it's something to get REALLY excited about. Big news ahead...but for now THANK YOU for following us along our Season 7 journey. We love dancing and sharing our journey with you!!
Signing off for the season,
Kelly Anderson
Our first Spring to Dance STL!
Our amazing 30-hours in St. Louis! Yes, I said it...30 hours!
Why go there and head straight back on a quick tour? Because it was our first ever Spring to Dance in St. Louis! Each year, St. Louis hosts this festival and features a weekend of amazing performances that the dance community SHOWS UP for. We were lucky and honored to be a part of this years' show! We were able to bring our recent world premiere, "Under the Skin" choreographed by Tsai Hsi Hung. This is quick to become one of our favorite pieces to perform and such a crowd pleaser. The quick-paced movement along with the intensity and dramatic score makes it a piece unlike any other on a program.
Aside from the dancing itself, which went so well, we love traveling as a group. It bonds us together, makes us closer, and helps us to enjoy each other's company outside of rehearsal! A lot of people have asked me "do you all get along?" answer - YES! Kia might even say too well! We are all friends, we love and care for one another, and we make tour a whole lot of fun. The best part of this tour was that both Jack and Trey (company members) are from the St. Louis area! Their families came to the show and Jack's family even hosted an 'after party' for all of us dancers at his family's home. It was so wonderful and such a fun way for us to continue to hang out.
So would we do it again? In a heartbeat. I love nothing more than dancing with and being around the people of SCDT. Bring on next years' tours! We can't wait!
Guest Class with Kelsey Paschich
Back in rehearsal and back to the grind! After a week off after the April 27th show at the Auditorium Theatre, we got right back to it! For the next three weeks, we are in residency at the Dance Center at Colombia College. It's inspiring and a nice change of pace to be in a new space!
In addition to being in a new space, we had the privilege of working with a new guest teacher, Kelsey Paschich, this past Tuesday. Kelsey is a professor of Dance at Western Michigan University - my personal alma mater! Kelsey is a certified teacher of counter technique which is such a beneficial way of movement for us at SCDT!
A lot of our repertoire is hard-hitting, athletic, and powerful. Countertechnique allows us to tap into our bodies in a deeper way, investigating how we can make more space in our bones, reach further, and use our energy in a more efficient way. It was a beautiful morning of class with Kelsey as she really focused with us and what we needed as a company. She's seen both of our shows and how much energy we give to dance and she challenged us to calm down, be soft, and explore our breath and lightness.
Personally, I'm looking forward to more classes with Kelsey in the future. It was so helpful and refreshing to take her class. We love having guest teachers at SCDT and Kelsey was no exception!
The Show has Come & Gone!
This week is a case for celebration and for rest and recovery! We are so pleased to say that our season 7 home season show "New Horizons" was performed on Saturday, April 27 with so much joy and love!
We felt the support from the audience during and after the show. So many people showed up - loved ones, friends, the Chicago dance community, and supporters near & far - and let me tell you, WE APPRECIATE YOU! In all seriousness, we couldn't do it without the support of all of you.
Post-show, all of us gathered for a beautiful after party thrown by Kia. The room was filled with smiles, laughs, and our favorite people. What a night for dance! Our home season repertoire this year was nothing short of athletic, powerful, and intense. We pushed each other on the sides of the stage and yelled out encouraging cheers to one another in passing. We needed that extra push from one another to make it through and give all the energy we did on stage.
What's next you may ask? A week of rest, away from rehearsal. We celebrated the success and now we take some time to recover before returning to rehearsal a week from now.
Thank you for everything, SCDT supporters. We love you and we are so thankful for your attendance at our show!
Until next year - May 3 at the Auditorium Theatre once again :)