© Michele Reid
THE COMPANY
Red Clay Dance, Chicago’s premier Afro-contemporary dance company, is the brainchild of Vershawn Sanders-Ward, the institutions’ Founding Artistic Director & CEO. The touring company is an award-winning ensemble of versatile and dynamic dance Artivists that tour and perform locally, nationally, and internationally. In it’s 16-year history the company and toured and performed in venues such as the Harris Theater for Music & Dance, Dance Center of Columbia College, the DuSable Museum Roundhouse, the Museum of Contemporary Art, ODC Theater, Dance Mission Theater, The Painted Bride, Joyce Soho, and the National Theater of Uganda. Committed to taking their signature Artivism in Motion from the stage into learning environments, its’ community engagement work is a vital part of the company’s creative process and village building work!
LEADERSHIP
Vershawn Sanders-Ward
Artistic Director & CEO
Chaniece Holmes
Rehearsal Director
THE COMPANY
-
![]()
Melina Bezanis
-
![]()
Celeste Brace
-
![]()
Kylea Canada
-
![]()
Chantal' Hill
-
![Headshot]()
Alexandria Kinard
-
![]()
Janiya Pearson
-
![Headshot]()
Chanelle Turnbull
-
![]()
Zipporah Wilson
-
![]()
Amaya Arroyo
REVIEWS
OCTOBER 27, 2024: Splash Magazines - Red Clay Dance Company – Full of Flavor
JUNE 6, 2023: Block Club Chicago - Red Clay Dance Company Plants Seeds Of Healing With Season Finale At Grant Park Urban Farm
SEPTEMBER 21, 2023: Newcity Stage - Cultivating Community: Red Clay Plants a Seed in Woodlawn (Fall Arts Preview 2021)
MARCH 14, 2019: Chicago Suntimes - La Femme Dance Festival celebrates black choreographers in ‘dancestry’ program
MARCH 12, 2019: Chicago Tribune - La Femme Dance is (just) for women with work about their African-diasporic heritage. And the stronger for it.
MARCH 1, 2019: Newcity Stage - A Glocal Celebration: Red Clay Dance Company presents La Femme Dance Festival at the Green Line Performing Arts Center
U.S Performance History
Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts - Chicago, IL
Joyce Soho - New York, NY
Museum of Contemporary Art - Chicago, IL
Harold Washington Cultural Center - Chicago, IL
Dance Center of Columbia College - Chicago, IL
Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts - Chicago, IL
THE YARD - Martha's Vineyard
Joan W. and Irving B. Harris Theater for Music and Dance - Chicago, IL
Ruth Page Dance Center - Chicago, IL
Chicago Cultural Cente r - Chicago, IL
Pritzker Pavillion/Millenium Park - Chicago, IL
Dance Mission Theater - San Francisco, CA
ODC - San Francisco, CA
Judson Memorial Church - New York, NY
DuSable Museum - Chicago, IL
DuSable Museum Roundhouse - Chicago, IL
Painted Bride - Philadelphia, PA
Links Hall - Chicago, IL
Harold Washington Library - Chicago, IL
Epic Center - Kalamazoo, MI
International Performance History
Ecole De Sables - Toubab Dialaw, Senegal
National Theater of Uganda - Kampala, Uganda
Colleges and University Residencies
Loyola University - Chicago, IL
College of DuPage - Glen Ellyn, IL
University of Chicago - Chicago, IL
University of Wisconsin Milwaukee - Milwaukee, WI
Columbia College Chicago - Chicago, IL
Illinois State University - Bloomington/Normal, IL
Knox College - Galesburg, IL
Presenter Conferences
Associate of Presenting Arts Partners - New York, NY
International Association of Blacks in Dance - Memphis, TX
Midwest Arts Expo - Indianapolis, IN