Thursday, May 2, 2019

Red Clay Dance Presents Dance4Peace Concert June 1



To conclude Red Clay Dance 
Company’s 10th anniversary 
season, Red Clay Dance 
Academy presents the 7th 
Annual 
Dance4Peace Youth 
Concert and Community Hug 
Award Saturday, June 1 at 
Benito Juarez Community 
Academy, 1450 W. Cermak 
Rd., Chicago.
 
This year’s theme is 
“Building Bridges” and 
features performances by 
the Red Clay Dance Academy 
students, the Red Clay Dance 
Youth Ensemble, and guest 
companies Dyett High School 
Dance Department (Chicago, 
Ill.), DancExcel (Gary, 
Indiana), and DLD Dance 
Center (Downers Grove, Ill.).
 
As a highlight of this event, 
Red Clay Dance presents the 
2019 Community Hug Award 
to Jahmal Cole, founder and 
CEO of My Block, My Hood, 
My City, which provides 
underprivileged youth with 
an awareness of the world 
and opportunities beyond 
their neighborhoods. 
Explorations 
focus on STEM, arts and 
culture, citizenry and 
volunteerism, health, 
community development, 
culinary arts and 
entrepreneurism. Previous 
recipients include Soul 
Children of Chicago Founder 
Walt Whitman, former 
dancer and “hiplet” creator 
Homer Hans Bryant, hip-hop 
artist Che “Rhymefest” Smith, 
Muntu Dance Theatre Artistic 
Director Amaniyea Payne, 
and Little Black Pearl Founder 
and Executive Director 
Monica Halsip.
 
The Red Clay Dance 
Academy, the official school 
of Red Clay Dance Company, 
is committed to offering 
world-class dance training 
for youth, teens, and adults. 
Classes are open to age one 
and older from beginners to 
advanced dancers.
 
Red Clay Dance Academy 
presents Dance4Peace
Youth Concert and 
Community Hug Award
Saturday, June 1 at 5 
p.m. at Benito Juarez 
Community Academy,
1450 W. Cermak Rd., 
Chicago.
Tickets are $7–15 and 
are available at 
All programming is 
subject to change.

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

Red Clay Dance Company 
lives to awaken “glocal” 
change through creating, 
performing, and teaching 
dances of the African 
Diaspora—change that 
transforms cultural and 
socioeconomic inequities 
in our local and global 
community. Founder 
Vershawn Sanders-Ward 
conceived the idea of 
RCDC while on her first 
trip to Senegal, West 
Africa, when she became 
fascinated by the 
interconnectedness of 
dance and everyday life. 
The name Red Clay 
comes from her childhood 
memories of playing in 
red earth during her 
summers in Mobile, 
Alabama.
 
RCDC’s 10th anniversary 
season is supported by 
the Chicago Community 
Trust, the Field 
Foundation, the 
MacArthur Fund for Arts 
and Culture at the Richard 
H Driehaus Foundation, 
the Gaylord and Dorothy 
Donnelley Foundation, the 
Springboard Foundation, 
the Polk Bros. Foundation, 
the Illinois Arts Council 
Agency, and the Chicago 
Department of Cultural 
Affairs and Special Events. 
Corporate Sponsors 
include PNC Bank, The 
Silver Room, EAmbrose 
Photography, and A Social 
Life.

The 10th Anniversary 
Season Host Committee 
includes Ebony Ambrose, 
Jessica Bell, Amy Clark*, 
Leslie Guy, Catrina 
Franklin*, Tam Herbert*, 
Jada Russell, Brea Sanders, 
Marilyn A. Sanders, and 
Ira Staples (* denotes 
 RCDC board member).
Photo of Dance4Peace
2016 by Raymond
Jerome.

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