OUR ARTIVISM

An Artivist is more than just an artist. At Red Clay Dance Company, an Artivist is someone who uses their art as a catalyst for community transformation and social justice.

This TEDx performance captures Red Clay Dance Company’s Artivism In Motion — Afro-contemporary dance of the African Diaspora as a catalyst for social change and collective healing.

An Artivist:

  • Believes art facilitates social change

  • Actively connects, engages and builds community

  • Practices self-assessment and re-assessment of their work

  • Dedicates their practice to intentionally addressing social inequities

  • Decenters themselves in Artivism work

  • Has evidence or fruit of their impact

THE HERSTORY

Founded in Brooklyn, NY on July 23, 2008 and now based in Chicago, IL, Red Clay Dance Company is the brainchild of Vershawn Sanders-Ward, the institutions’ Founding Artistic Director & CEO. Red Clay Dance is Chicago’s premier Afro-contemporary dance company, voted Best Dance Organization by the Chicago Reader in 2019. The touring company is a versatile and dynamic ensemble of dance artivist that tours and performs locally, nationally and internationally the choreographic work of its founder. The organization also houses its signature Making the Artivist apprenticeship program and provides dance education programming to schools and community partners.

Envisioned during her first trip to Africa in the summer of 2007, Sanders-Ward had just finished grad school at New York University and was spending her summer traveling, performing, and preparing for the next step in her artistic journey. It was at L’Ecole De Sables, a dance school in Toubab Dialaw, Senegal founded by legendary choreographer Germaine Acogny that Sanders-Ward first witnessed the spiritual interconnectedness of dance and daily life. At that moment, she decided this “embodied knowing” had to be the foundation for her dance company. She recognized the impact of Acogny’s gift to that small fishing village- a dance school that 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. Red Clay Dance Company is rooted in African Diaspora movement practices and serves as a platform for Artivism (art + activism). It creates dance work that aspires to have a “glocal” impact and help to erase the cultural and socio-economic inequities in our city, nation, and world. Upon founding the company, she quickly began to gather like-minded dance artists who might help her actualize her dream. The name Red Clay Dance comes from her childhood memories. Although raised in the Chicago area, she was born in Mobile, Alabama, where she spent every summer, until the age of 12, with her grandparents learning about the land and the history of her birthplace of Plateau, also known as “Africatown”. This small community was formed by a group of 32 West Africans from the Kindgom of Dahomey, who in 1860, were included in the last known illegal shipment of slaves to the United States on a slave ship called Clotilda.

“Thinking back, the red earth was a playground for me as a kid, and I would use it to make all sorts of crazy things,” recalls Sanders-Ward. “Mix it with a little water, and it was like clay, something I could take with my hands and mold into something spectacular! It was unique because I made it, I dreamt it and designed it with my own hands.”

This is how Sanders-Ward views her choreographic work, a shaping and molding of our shared humanity expressed through dance, creating a visceral experience that lays bare our embodied memories. She choreographed her first work, Red Clay Child to honor this family history. Red Clay Dance Company is a thriving 501c3 charitable organization that houses a professional touring company, and a robust Community Engagement & Education (CEE) program that offers culturally rich dance education and artivism training to schools and community spaces.

Jailen Ellis Jailen Ellis

TEDxChicago Reflection: Artivism on a Global Stage

At TEDxChicago 2025, Red Clay Dance Company carried the energy of our sold‑out world premiere of Freedom Square: The Black Girlhood Altar to a new audience. Performing at the Harris Theater for Music & Dance under the theme “The Future is Human,” we shared an excerpt of the piece—a living altar honoring Black girls and women. Vershawn Sanders‑Ward reflects on the power of bringing our Artivism to this prestigious platform and expanding our reach to global changemakers

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Jailen Ellis Jailen Ellis

Chicago Performs Reflection: Making Space at the MCA

Our Chicago Performs debut at the Museum of Contemporary Art was more than a performance—it was a homecoming and an act of visibility. We premiered Freedom Square: The Black Girlhood Altar, a love letter to Black girlhood and womanhood that sold out both nights and transformed the MCA stage into a living altar of memory, power, and community.

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Jailen Ellis Jailen Ellis

Summer Tour Reflections, Part 3: A Full-Circle Homecoming

This summer, Red Clay Dance Company took our Artivism from Chicago to the East Coast, performing at Jacob’s Pillow and The Yard for the very first time. For Founder & Artistic Director Vershawn Sanders-Ward, it was more than a debut—it was a full-circle journey back to the place where Red Clay’s story began. From legendary stages to historic communities, her reflection captures the milestones, emotions, and unforgettable moments that shaped our 2025 Summer Tour.

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Jailen Ellis Jailen Ellis

Summer Tour Reflections, Part 2: Roots and Return at The Yard

Part 2 of our Summer Tour series takes us to Martha’s Vineyard, where Red Clay Dance Company returned to The Yard for a two-week residency. For Founder & Artistic Director Vershawn Sanders-Ward, it was a full-circle moment nearly 20 years in the making. Through rehearsals, performances, and powerful community exchanges, our time at The Yard deepened our roots and expanded our vision for the future.

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Jailen Ellis Jailen Ellis

Summer Tour Reflections, Part 1: Dancing Legacy at Jacob’s Pillow

Red Clay Dance Company made its historic debut at Jacob’s Pillow this summer, bringing Artivism to one of the most iconic stages in the world. Hear directly from our Touring Company members as they reflect on the power, presence, and purpose behind this unforgettable performance.

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