Choreographer Conversations: Vershawn Sanders-Ward
A Chicago native, Vershawn Sanders-Ward holds an MFA in dance from New York University and is the first recipient of a BFA I dance from Columbia College Chicago (Gates Millennium Scholar). She is the founding artistic director and CEO of Red Clay Dance Company and is currently a candidate for Dunham Technique Certification. Sanders-Ward is a 2019 Chicago Dancemakers Forum awardee, a 2019 Harvard Business School Club of Chicago Scholar, a 2018 Dance/USA Leadership Fellow, a 2013 3Arts awardee and recipient of a 2009 Choreography Award from Harlem Stage NYC. In 2015 and 2018, Newcity magazine selected her as one of the “Fifty People Who Really Perform for Chicago.” Her work has been presented in Chicago, New York, San Francisco, The Yard at Martha’s Vineyard and internationally in Toronto, Dakar and Kampala. Sanders-Ward has served as an adjunct faculty member and received choreographic commissions from Columbia College Chicago, Northwestern University, Knox College, City Colleges of Chicago, AS220 and the National Theatre in Uganda. She is a board member of Enrich Chicago and the African American Arts Alliance and was selected to attend the inaugural Obama Foundation Summit for Emerging Global Leaders.For Red Clay Dance Company’s “Visions & Voices” program, Sanders-Ward has created FAKE NEWS! in response to the 2016 “election,” which re-examines ideals of capitalism, democracy, immigration and our dangerous obsession with power and media. Sanders-Ward’s second work on the program is Harvester, a solo she is developing as a 2019 Chicago Dancemakers Forum Lab Artist, that breaks open the spirit of “womynhood” and reveals the fullness of her existence, unbound by the projections of others.
What inspires you to make new work? When did that first happen for you?
I am inspired by:
Moments in history, usually how they are connected to the African Diaspora—I read A LOT! I love excavating for TRUTH. I enjoy research both in a traditional sense and this new idea I have been exploring around excavating using embodied research.
I am inspired to find ways to bring attention to the challenges of oppressed people and the responsibility of all people to fight for liberation.
I am inspired by music.
I am inspired by visual art.
I was a dance maker from an early age—not sure how old but in my childhood. Just creating dances with my cousins and friends to perform for our families. I started to take it more seriously in high school.
When you are creating a new work, do you come to rehearsal with your work already choreographed, or do you come with ideas that evolve with the dancers?
I come with ideas, some sketches of the how the movement might feel and sometimes some ideas about sound but not always. I specifically look for dance artists who are not only technically proficient in many different movement modalities, but are aware of their specific lived experiences and are curious how that interacts with others. They are also generous in sharing those experiences to enrich the work and process. My process is generally:
Research—which I explain in written text, the body and personal interviews
Investigation—time in the studio and solo practice getting into the meat of the work; content, other artistic elements, context; time for play, pushing the boundaries of what is possible; what am I missing or not exploring? What am I staying away from and why?
Refinement—editing, making decisions about what stays and what goes; clarify, clarify, clarify; ensuring my intentions and those of the dancers are pure, clear and aligned; if those things are in place them you have the potential to make MAGIC!!
How does it feel when you see a new work of yours performed for the first time?
Ahhh…exciting, nerve-wracking, and I am usually on the edge of my seat every time. My work can be very charged and deals with real-life issues, sometimes based on the stories of real people. So I am always aware of the responsibility of my voice, of the platform artists have to shape people’s viewpoints. I recently performed my solo #SayHerName at a conference around prison reform. The work is about the lives of Assata Shakur, Angela Davis and Sandra Bland. A woman that knew Sandra’s family was in the audience. She came up to me after the performance and shared how happy she was and moved to tears to know that someone, especially a black woman, was keeping Sandra’s story alive. She actually called Sandra’s sister while we were standing there and we spoke briefly. Those kinds of moments are what keep me on my toes and making sure the work I create is rooted in respect, love, truth and integrity. Ultimately, it is always exciting to see something that was just a little mustard seed idea inside your mind, that is not out in the world for other humans to experience, and to know that experiencing my work will forever be a part of their life experience. That is so humbling.
What’s next for you after the “Visions & Voices” performances?
I will be completing my solo work Harvester during the next few months, with the possibility of premiering it late summer 2020. I am also working on a project that will take me to the Houston area a few times this year, helping to develop a curriculum for the school district there around entrepreneurship, bringing the artistic process into the curriculum. The company will be headlining the Pivot Arts Festival in June at the Edge Theater. Then it is time to put the finishing touches on our 12th season, which kicks off in July! The company will continue to work with choreographer Du’Bois A’Keen on the second section of the evening-length work he is creating for the company; INCARNATION 1 is just one section. Hopefully we will spend time in the early fall in another creative residency with him and do a work-in-progress showing of the new section in late fall 2020. Lastly, I am focused on building a home for Red Clay Dance in Bronzeville, thinking about the legacy of our work.
Don’t miss the world premiere of Vershawn Sanders-Ward’s FAKE NEWS! and her developing work Harvester on Red Clay Dance Company’s “Visions & Voices” at the Harold Washington Cultural Center, 4701 S. King Dr., Chicago.
New dates announced soon!