Deeply Rooted Dance Theater: Company and Company Apprentice Members in Madonna Anno Domini by Nicole Clarke-Springer. Photo by Todd Rosenberg.
Deeply Rooted Dance Theater—“setting the bar for modern dance in Chicago,” according to the Chicago Tribune’s Best Dance in Chicago for 2023—begins 2024 with local and regional performances; a national audition tour for its Summer Dance Intensive; and the continuation of its Dance Education Master Class Series.
“As the organization enters the new year, I am truly excited for what 2024 holds,” said Artistic Director Nicole Clarke-Springer. “We were fortunate to end 2023 on a high note with our performance at the Auditorium Theatre and community classes. I am excited to continue offering opportunities to experience the company and our dance education program through performances, master classes, and the Summer Dance Intensive audition tour locally and nationally.”
Deeply Rooted Dance Theater: Company and Company Apprentice Members in Vespers by Ulysses Dove. Photo by Todd Rosenberg.
Performances
January 27: Deeply Rooted participates in the 34th Annual International Conference and Festival of Blacks in Dance, presented by the International Association of Blacks in Dance in partnership with Collage Dance Collective in Memphis, Tennessee. Deeply Rooted performs Artistic Director Nicole Clarke-Springer’s Madonna Anno Domini, which had its world premiere November 3 at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago. Information and tickets: conference.iabdassociation.org.
February 3: Deeply Rooted joins Chicago’s Muntu Dance Theatre to showcase authentic and progressive interpretations of contemporary and ancient African and African-American dance, music, and storytelling at Governors State University in University Park, Illinois. Deeply Rooted’s program includes Artistic Director Nicole Clarke-Springer’s Madonna Anno Domini, Co-Founder Gary Abbott’s 53 Inhale, and Co-Founder Kevin Iega Jeff’s Juntos. Tickets: govst.edu/MuntuDeeplyRooted.
February 24: The Black Movement Festival features Deeply Rooted performing Co-Founder Gary Abbott’s Bach’d and Resident Choreographer Joshua L. Ishmon’s When Men… . The performance takes place at the Dairy Arts Center.
April 4: Deeply Rooted presents an evening-length performance at The Lincoln Theatre in Columbus, Ohio. The program includes Vespers by Ulysses Dove, Mama Rose by Keith Lee, Artistic Director Nicole Clarke-Springer’s Madonna Anno Domini, Co-Founder Gary Abbott’s 53 Inhale, and Co-Founder Kevin Iega Jeff’s Juntos. Information will be available at lincolntheatrecolumbus.com.
Nina Outlaw in Deeply Rooted’s Summer Dance Intensive. Photo by Ken Carl.
Dance Education
January–April: Auditions are underway on specific dates around the country for Deeply Rooted’s Summer Dance Intensive, which offers technical training and artistic development through a rigorous curriculum fostering learning and personal growth, along with opportunities to learn the company’s repertory through workshops and performances. SDI takes place in Chicago in June and July. Information and audition registration: deeplyrooteddancetheater.org/summer-dance-intensive.
Ongoing: Deeply Rooted’s 2023–24 Master Class Series continue. Youth sessions, designed for dancers ages 12–18, take place at Ballet Chicago; information and registration: deeplyrooteddancetheater.org/youth-ensemble.
Combined Mature H.O.T. Women (for women who are Health-conscious, Optimistic, and Triumphant) and Men Moving (for men seeking a healthy, generative, and supportive movement environment) sessions take place at the Mayfair Arts Center (MAC); information and registration: deeplyrooteddancetheater.org/mhw-mm.
All programming is subject to change.
For information, visit deeplyrooteddancetheater.org.
Premiering in 1996, Deeply Rooted Dance Theater reimagines and diversifies the aesthetics of contemporary dance by uniting modern, classical, American, and African-American traditions in dance and storytelling. Through its uncompromising pursuit of excellence, Deeply Rooted demonstrates the transformative power of art and beauty through performance, dance education, and cultural enrichment in Chicago and on the world stage. Deeply Rooted is rooted in traditions of American and African-American dance, storytelling, and universal themes that spark a visceral experience and ignite an emotional response in diverse audiences worldwide. Deeply Rooted collaborates with nationally renowned choreographers, across the spectrum of modern, ballet, and African dance, to reflect contemporary voices. For information, visit deeplyrooteddancetheater.org.
Deeply Rooted’s programs are partially sponsored or supported by Allstate, Alphawood Foundation Chicago, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, The Arts Work Fund Thrive Grant of the Chicago Community Trust, Builder’s Initiative Foundation, Building Collective Power – Voice program of the Chicago Community Trust, Chicago Black Dance Legacy Project funded by Doris Duke Charitable Fund and The Mellon Foundation and The Walder Foundation, Chicago Community Trust, Chicago Park District’s Night Out in the Parks Program, Chicago’s Cultural Treasures, CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, Crown Family Philanthropies, Pamela Crutchfield, The Field Foundation of Illinois, Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, Ginger Farley Charitable Fund at the Chicago Community Foundation, Illinois Arts Council Agency, The International Association of Blacks in Dance, Irving Harris Foundation, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, John G. Palfrey and Catherine A. Carter Family Fund, Lloyd A. Fry Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, The Polk Bros. Foundation, The Reva and David Logan Foundation, The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, U.S. Bank, Walder Foundation, Wayfarer Foundation, The Weasel Fund, US Bank, and Deeply Rooted Family of Friends.
Special thanks to the following for their partnership and support: Auditorium Theatre, Ballet Chicago, Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, Chicago Park District, Maywood Fine Arts, Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, St. Benedict the African Church, University of Chicago Community Accelerator Program, and Lara Ziemba/Millennium Park.
