Celebrating Movement and Expression: The Chicago Black Dance Legacy Project
The Chicago Black Dance Legacy Project (CBDLP) will take the stage at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance at the end of the month. This event will showcase ten dance companies in a single night performance.
Participating artists represent leading Black dance organizations in Chicago. These include the Chicago Multicultural Dance Center, Deeply Rooted Dance Theater, The Era Footwork Collective, and others.
The theme, “Dancing the Archive: Embodied Histories, Collective Power”, highlights the storytelling role of dance. The archive is not pieces of paper that sit. It is a living, breathing thing; we are the archive and we’re dancing the archive because we’re dancing our living, breathing stories,
stated Mashaune Hardy, executive director of CBDLP.
Honoring Legacy
The show will unfold in chapters. Each company will present a work spotlighting a legacy bearer whose life and contributions embody that chapter’s theme.
- Carol Adams: Record Keeper
- Chance the Rapper: Stewardship
- Ida B. Wells, via Dan Duster: Wordsmith
- James and Pauline Montgomery: Moral Courage
- Curtis Mayfield and Lupe Fiasco: Sound
- Runako Jahi: Voice
- Jackie Taylor: Space Maker
- Pamela Crutchfield: Cultural Ally
- NAJWA: Cultural Memory Continuum
- Anthony Brown: Transmission
A Collaborative Community
This year’s theme reflects current cultural challenges. We wanted to assert that we are still here and we are still making the work,
Hardy emphasized.
William Gill, artistic director at Joel Hall Dancers & Center, explained how the annual gathering fosters community. Coming together once a year, every year, it’s like a family reunion,
he shared. The CBDLP started in 2019 to address funding disparities in Black dance. It initially launched in partnership with the Logan Center for the Arts.
Building and Sustaining the Legacy
Kevin Iega Jeff, artistic director of CBDLP, underscored the importance of legacy. We uphold the traditions of Black dance in Chicago and pass them on,
he said. CBDLP support focuses on sustainability, visibility, and collaboration among dance companies.
Academic and professional development, organizational capacity-building, and resource access are central activities. For example, amplified dance floors have provided both a production enhancement and revenue source.
Veteran artists also mentor upcoming ones, imparting wisdom and insight. Artists like Camille A. Brown and Joan Myers Brown contribute deeply to this exchange of ideas.
The Work Continues
Gill emphasized the enduring commitment to dance. The work still has to get done,
he stated, noting the role of public performances in making an impact.
Hardy highlighted dance’s broader benefits. Dance is about human development,
she said, describing dance’s role as a healer, character builder, and source of wellness.
Event Details:
The Chicago Black Dance Legacy Project will occur at 7 p.m. on Aug. 28 at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph St. Tickets begin at $35 and can be purchased at harristheaterchicago.org.