RED CLAY DANCE COMPANY CELEBRATES 14th YEAR ANNIVERSARY

On August 4, 2022 The Red Clay Dance Company will celebrate its 14^th year anniversary with the “Paint The Town Red” fundraiser Soiree! This end of summer event will also celebrate Black Philanthropy Month and kick off Red Clay Dance Company’s 14th Dance Season.   Since its creation in 2008, the organization’s mission has been to amplify the voices of the African Diaspora through innovative, contemporary choreography which is used to confront injustice and achieve social change.

Located in the Woodlawn community, Red Clay Dance Company is Chicago’s premier professional Afro-contemporary dance company which tours nationally and internationally sharing their stories and “Artivism” (art + activism). In its 14 year history, Red Clay Dance has created and produced award-winning original works that have appeared around the World and has become the home for professional and pre-professional dancers, dance-lovers, and other artists to convene, create, and collaborate together.

 The organization houses The Red Clay School of Dance and The Red Clay Dance Youth Ensemble which serves as a pipeline for youth in Chicago communities to become thriving professional artists by providing creative and safe spaces of liberation and inspiration. Red Clay Dance Company also provides resources by way of their Community Engagement, Education, and Partnerships (CEEP) program which offers culturally rich dance education, programming and training to schools and community spaces on Chicago’s South Side.

The brainchild of the organization is Vershawn Sanders-Ward, the institutions’ Founding Artistic Director & CEO.
Sanders-Ward envisioned this concept during her first trip to Africa in the summer of 2007, with a visit to L’Ecole De Sables, a dance school in Toubab Dialaw, Senegal , which brought economic development and entrepreneurial opportunities to it’s neighbors. Sanders-Ward desired to build an organization that would have this same impact in marginalized communities on the South Side of Chicago.

Sanders-Ward views her choreographic work as a shaping and molding of shared humanity expressed through dance, creating a visceral experience that lays bare embodied memories.

Red Clay Dance Company will host its “Paint The Town Red” 14th Anniversary Fundraiser on August 4, 2022 from 6pm – 10pm at Ivy Room located (12 East Ohio Street; Chicago, Il.)  The event will present the ‘Culture Creator’ Award to Erica S. Hubbard, a nationally recognized advisor on fine and contemporary art, culture and race who is known for opening the art world to new audiences and driving conversations about equity and inclusion in arts and cultural spaces.

The anniversary fundraiser is a dance party featuring a live DJ, a performance by powerhouse singer/songwriter Meagan McNeal, and will also include cocktails, exquisite bites, an immersive photo experience and much more!   Red Clay Dance Company encourages those who supports arts, culture and dance to purchase tickets and/or donate to this organization which will assist in the continuation of dance programming servicing Chicago’s neighborhoods.

Tickets and more information can be found at www.redclaydance.com

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