Tuesday, January 22, 2019

Red Clay Dance Company: Choreography by Black Women in Festival March 14–16


CHOREOGRAPHERS SELECTED!
RED CLAY DANCE COMPANY CELEBRATES
CHOREOGRAPHY BY BLACK WOMEN

IN THIRD BIENNIAL LA FEMME DANCE FESTIVAL MARCH 14–16


Red Clay Dance Company (RCDC), which creates and performs a diverse repertoire of Afro-contemporary dance, announces the third edition of La Femme Dance Festival, celebrating choreographic work by women of Black/African Diaspora/African descent. Performances are March 15 and 16 at the new Green Line Performing Arts Center, 329 E. Garfield Blvd. in Chicago’s Washington Park neighborhood.
 
Open to women artists from around the world, La Femme is curated by RCDC (Chicago) Founder and Artistic Director Vershawn Sanders-Ward, Flyground (Philadelphia) Founder and Director Lela Aisha Jones and Catalyst Movmnt (Chicago) Founder and Curator Aaliyah Christina. The curators have selected five choreographers, whose work will be performed in this year's festival, and each will receive an artist fee, publicity, technical support and documentation (video and photos). Participating choreographers are:




Lindsay Renea Benton is a dancer, choreographer and educator from Youngstown, Ohio. She earned her BFA in dance at Howard University and upon graduating performed as a principal dancer with Garth Fagan Dance Company. Benton has dedicated much of her career to giving back to her hometown through the Lindsay Renea Dance Theatre. She earned her M.F.A. in choreography at Jacksonville University and is an Assistant Professor of Dance at Alabama State University.

L. Graciella Maiolatesi is a dance M.F.A. student at Temple University. She received her B.A. in dance and black studies from Denison University. Much of her work uses movement and narrative to create dialogue on issues of race, gender and sexuality. Maiolatesi believes that dance has the power to promote change as long as we are brave enough to tell our stories.


Marceia L. Scruggs is a mover and creator highly driven by her research in women’s/gender studies. As an artist and movement researcher, she values writing, performance and storytelling from her Black Womxn's lens. She is a company member of Red Clay Dance Company and Ground Rhythm Dance Project. Her mentors include, but are not limited to, dance makers such as Kevin Iega Jeff, Gary Abbott, Darrell Jones and Jawole Willa Jo Zollar. 

Jasmin Williams is a multilingual native Chicagoan who has trained, worked and lived in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and throughout Western Europe. She has attended Dance Theater of Harlem and Dance Italia and performed Memoria with the renowned Alvin Ailey Company. Williams is a dancer for Winifred Haun and Dancers and rehearsal director/dance collaborator for Motion Pictures Dance Project. She is presenting her first evening-length work as a part of Links Halls' 40th season. All of her work aims to encourage true vulnerability and interdependence, which promote unity within diversity and respect in all communities.

  
Brittany Chanel Winters is a
Chicago-based dance artist.
Her hopes are to always be
in spaces that foster and
value growth,
authenticity, cultural
exploration, compassion and
journeying. And when she
can't find those spaces, she
wishes to create and share
them.
Festival activities 
include evening 
performances Friday and 
Saturday, March 15 and 16. 
There is a post-show 
discussion on Friday and a 
pre-show talk and a post-
show reception on 
Saturday. A free community 
dance class led by one 
of the festival 
choreographers takes place 
Thursday, March 14, 
followed by a learning 
circle session in 
partnership with High 
Concept Labs.

10th anniversary season
RCDC’s season continues 
with the world premiere of 
Sanders-Ward’s Art of 
Resilience 2.0, a co-
presentation with the 
DuSable Museum of African 
American History, May 16–
18, 2019 at the DuSable 
Museum of African 
American History’s 
 Roundhouse, 740 E. 56th 
Place. RCDC’s Paint the 
Town Red, a post-show 
fundraiser, takes place 
May 18 on the 
Roundhouse’s outdoor 
patio. Concluding the 
season is RCDC’s “Dance4
Peace Youth Concert & 
Community Hug Awards” 
June 1 at 5 p.m. at Benito 
Juarez Community 
Academy, 1450 W. Cermak 
Rd.
 
La Femme Dance Festival 
performances take place 
Friday and Saturday, 
March 15 and 16 at 7 p.m. 
at the Green Line 
Performing Arts Center, 
329 E. Garfield Blvd., 
Chicago.
Admission is a suggested 
donation of $10, available 
beginning February 1 at 
A free master class and 
learning circle take place 
Thursday, March 14 at 6 
p.m. at High Concept Labs, 
2233 S. Throop St., 
Chicago.
Registration opens February 

For more information about
RCDC and the 10th
anniversary season, visit
redclaydance.com.

Top to bottom:
RCDC dancer Ysaye McKeever
by Raymond Jerome
Photography.
Lindsay Renea Benton by
Shoccara Marcus.
L. Graciella Maiolatesi by
Rohan Unvala.
Marceia Scruggs by Tori Rice
OR William Frederking???
Jasmin Williams by Ron Himes.
Brittany Chanel Winters
courtesy of Brittany Chanel
Winters.

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