Happy December and some BIG happy news we have for you! Check out the post above, but also feel free to check out the article in the latest edition of the Chicago Tribune! South Chicago Dance Theatre was named one of the best dance of 2022 as “local companies bounce back from pandemic”. How exciting!

I will always refer back to it – but Kia Smith (our lovely artistic and executive director) had no “off-time” or slump during the Covid-19 pandemic. In fact, you could say that she used that specific time to grow her company to what it is today. Myself, alongside two of my fellow company members, auditioned in 2020 while Kia kept dance alive. We participated in virtual shows and festivals. While 2021 still felt some of the sting of the pandemic, 2022 truly was our “bounce-back” year. We had our Harris Theater debut and it was a performance with five pieces of repertoire we will never forget.

The best part about reading this article for me was the fact that the buzz around this show still exists. It was one of my favorite shows to perform in to date and I still feel honored that I had the opportunity to perform so many well-know choreographers’ works! As dancers, we spend the majority of our time in studio working on and refining the dance routines that we have. Our shining moment on stage is one we don’t get as often and that we cherish when we do. For the past three weeks specifically, we have been working on new choreography and the day-to-day is creatively and mentally challenging. It was nice that in the midst of this tough everyday work that we received this honor from the Chicago Tribune. It was a great reminder that all the hard work in studio truly pays off.

What a big thank you to the Chicago Tribune, to our loyal audience, and to our donors and supporters that make this all possible for us to live out our dream each day. We loved performing the Harris Theater Show and can’t believe it was named a top moment of Chicago dance for 2022. We hope to do the same in 2023 with our Auditorium Theater debut! We are looking forward to it and hope you are too!