On February 5, 2026 the 13 members of South Chicago Dance Theatre put on a Black History Month series show for over 1500 school students at Governor’s State University in Illinois. To be a part of this was nothing short of amazing and the BEST way to kick off our Black History Month performance series.

Throughout the month of February, we tour to Chicagoland area schools sharing our Black History Month educational show with many school aged children. To be able to start this month with a main-stage version of our show and present it to kids who were field tripped to this gorgeous venue was a dream. Kids watched many dances, learned about the Black National Anthem, learned facts about the Great Migration, and were engaged with professional dancers who made a career in the Arts for themselves.

We begin the show with a demonstration of multiple styles of dance: Ballet, Jazz, Modern, West African, Improvisation, Tap, and Hip-Hop. We then move onto a description of the African American Flag as well as a performance to the Black National Anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing”. We included a piece about the Great Migration, a piece about Rosa Parks, a piece about the rise of Jazz Music during the Civil Rights Era, and even a piece set to the “Still I Rise” poem by Maya Angelou. The performance concluded with a discussion on Martin Luther King Jr.’s importance and a dance set to the “I Have a Dream Speech”.

The whole show was so fun to share, and it was so beautiful getting to engage with the students in a Q&A post-show. Talking with our viewers is so wonderful – especially when they are as curious of kids as these audience members were!

We hope to return to Governor’s State University and are so thankful to have educated through dance. The Arts are such a beautiful means of presenting important information and sparking meaningful conversation.