March is Women’s History Month, and the Red Clay Dance Company is back, uplifting women at its La Femme Dance Festival. The two-day biennial festival is a celebration of women in dance, bringing choreographic works created by Black women to the forefront.
The Woodlawn-based dance company will host its 5th edition of this biennial dance festival on March 27 and 28, with performances at two separate locations. On March 27, the festival kicks off with a dance masterclass, led by Chicago-born and internationally celebrated choreographer Rena Butler at The Red Clay Dance Center in Woodlawn, 808 E 63rd Street.
The class will start at 11:00 a.m., and Butler will teach a 90-minute session for pre-professional and professional dancers, a class limited to 28 participants. The festival’s final event will take place on March 28 at the Harris Theater near Millennium Park, with a pre-show talk with the choreographers at 7:00 p.m. The audience will have an intimate conversation with the artists about their work, creative process, and what inspires them.
The festival’s final event will begin at 7:30 p.m., starting with the world premiere of Her Table, choreographed by Rena Butler and performed by the Red Clay Dance Company. Then, the Red Clay Dance Company will perform Unconditional Conditions and Love Letters to Chi-IL, two pieces choreographed by Vershawn Sanders-Ward, the company’s founder.
After that, the festival will feature two guest performances: one by Chloé Arnold’s Syncopated Ladies tap ensemble, and the other by the South Chicago Dance Theatre, who will perform an excerpt from choreographer Kia Smith’s Memoirs of Jazz in the Alley, celebrating the rich cultural legacy of Chicago’s South Side.
CEO Sanders-Ward founded the Red Clay Dance Company in 2008. The 53-year-old South Side native is an award-winning choreographer, arts leader, scholar, and educator. The LaFemme Dance Festival was first launched in 2013.
“We started it as a way to celebrate Women’s History Month and black female choreographers,” Sanders-Ward said to The TRiiBE. “I wanted to create a space where these artists felt cared for, where their voices were centered, and where their contributions are again acknowledged in the way that they deserve.”
According to the most recent Dance Data Project research across 116 performing arts centers, only 31.4% of more than 2,200 dance works presented were choreographed by women. When looking at larger dance venues such as the Harris, just 22.2% of works presented were choreographed by women.
“It speaks to the power dynamic when it comes to those that are creating, making, performing the art. But then also, who’s in the decision-making seats, in terms of bringing what work is brought to that stage.”
Sanders-Ward said the disparity is even more pronounced for Black women, who have historically been overlooked in major dance spaces despite their influence on the art form. Through La Femme, she hopes to challenge that imbalance by creating a platform where Black women choreographers can present their work to new audiences and receive the recognition they deserve.
“Black women create the standard. We are creating that standard. Even though it is like show-stopping, phenomenal, entertaining, there’s a message to it. And, you know, red clay, we’re all about artivism, so we’re looking for artists that have something to say in their work, about community, about social change,” Sanders-Ward said.
For Sanders-Ward, the festival is about more than performance; it is about storytelling, community, and using dance as a vehicle for social reflection. She said the artists selected for the festival bring work that not only entertains but also speaks to issues affecting their communities.
“I hope they walk away with some joy. Art should bring joy to your life… I want them to leave inspired and more so than anything, I want them to leave with the understanding that these artists deserve their support, even beyond this festival.”
Tickets for the March 27th masterclass are limited but still available, as are tickets for the March 28 performance at the Harris Theater. To get yours, click here.
