TEDxChicago Reflection: Artivism on a Global Stage
When we stepped onto the stage at TEDxChicago 2025 inside the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, we carried with us the love, energy, and purpose that define everything we do. This year’s TEDx theme, The Future is Human, invited speakers and performers to celebrate compassion, justice, and human connection. After two sold‑out performances of Freedom Square: The Black Girlhood Altar at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (MCA), we were honored to share an excerpt of this groundbreaking work with a global audience. It wasn’t just another performance—it was an affirmation that our stories belong on the world’s most prestigious stages.
Honoring Black Girlhood on a Prestigious Stage
TEDxChicago invited us to join a lineup of changemakers who, like us, believe that art and ideas can transform the future. Our participation was highlighted by TEDxChicago and the Harris Theater as one of three live performances that complemented nine talks and a global idea search session. The Harris Theater described us as Chicago’s premier Afro‑contemporary dance company—an award‑winning ensemble of versatile and dynamic dance artivists committed to taking our signature Artivism in Motion from the stage into community learning environments. Being presented alongside multidisciplinary artist Nikki Lynette and world‑class musicians underlined just how far Red Clay Dance’s work has travelled since our start seventeen years ago.
A Moment of Reflection from Our Founder
“What an extraordinary opportunity it has been to share my newest work, Freedom Square: The Black Girlhood Altar, on the TEDx Chicago stage—and now, to know that it lives on the TEDx YouTube channel for the world to experience. To witness the stories and narratives of Black women and girls held on a global platform of this magnitude is both humbling and exhilarating. TEDx is known for amplifying the voices of world thought leaders, and to be included among them—representing my artistic leadership and storytelling through dance choreography—is a profound honor.
I am deeply grateful to every artist and collaborator who poured their creativity, care, and brilliance into bringing this work to life. I am especially excited for audiences everywhere to experience the magnificence of the dancers of Red Clay Dance Company, with their genius on full display. This moment is a tremendous win—not only for me as an artist and for the dancers who performed, but for Red Clay Dance as a whole, positioned as the global brand we have intentionally built over the past 17 years. This is a milestone, a celebration, and a call forward. Onward!”
Vershawn’s reflection captures exactly how we felt that evening. TEDxChicago gave us the chance to plant the seeds of Freedom Square in fresh soil—reaching people who may never have experienced our work otherwise. We introduced our distinct blend of dance, storytelling, and activism to a room filled with innovators eager to imagine a more compassionate future.
What We Shared: Freedom Square: The Black Girlhood Altar
The excerpt we performed comes from Freedom Square: The Black Girlhood Altar, an evening‑length work that honors missing and murdered Black girls and women. The piece is inspired by the original Blackgirlhood Altar created by A Long Walk Home artists Scheherazade Tillet and Robert Narciso, which transforms public spaces from trauma sites into places of collective remembrance and power. Our interpretation blends dance, song, digital media and built environment to create a sanctuary for the stories of the women and girls depicted on the altar.
The living altar honors eight Black women and girls—Rekia Boyd, Latasha Harlins, Ma’Khia Bryant, “Hope,” “Harmony,” Marcie Gerald, Lyniah Bell and Breonna Taylor—whose lives were taken too soon. When we bring these names into our choreography, we are building a multisensory love letter that combines dance, audio soundscapes, original poetry and dazzling visualswbez.org. Performing even a portion of this work on the TEDx stage signaled our commitment to elevate stories of Black girlhood in spaces that have historically overlooked them.
Keeping the Momentum Going
Our invitation to TEDxChicago came just days after we premiered Freedom Square at the MCA. We posted on social media that we were “coming off two sold‑out performances at MCA Chicago” and ready to keep the momentum goinginstagram.com. The Harris Theater echoed this excitement, framing the event as a chance for audiences who missed the world premiere to experience the work on another powerful stagefacebook.com. The TEDxChicago caption celebrated us as “Chicago’s premier Afro‑contemporary dance company” and emphasized our 17‑year history of touring locally, nationally and internationally. Seeing our mission articulated by others reminded us that our Artivism is resonating far beyond our immediate community.
Looking Forward
The energy we felt on the TEDxChicago stage continues to reverberate through our company. The event timeline placed our performance during Session 2, amid talks about human connection, technology and social justice, and we could feel the audience leaning in. We know that Freedom Square is a work the world needs to see—not only for the beauty and power it holds but for the communities it honors. As we expand our reach, we remain rooted in our mission: to awaken “glocal” Artivism through dances of the African Diaspora and to create spaces where Black girls and women are centered, celebrated and protected.
We are grateful to TEDxChicago for inviting us to share our Artivism on such a prestigious platform and to everyone who attended, cheered, and connected with us. This is just the beginning of a new chapter, and we’re eager to see where this moment leads. Stay tuned—the future is human, and our Artivism is just getting started.
