PRESS ROOM
Thank you for your interest in Red Clay Dance Company!
For Press Inquires, please contact Elizabeth Neukirch, Elizabeth Neukirch PR Consulting at elizabeth@elizabethneukirchpr.com.
FEATURED PRESS RELEASE
AUGUST 10, 2026: RED CLAY DANCE COMPANY ANNOUNCES SEASON 18 PROGRAMMING
CHICAGO (August 10, 2026)—Red Clay Dance Company, Chicago’s premier Afro-contemporary dance company, proudly announces its exciting Season 18: Spectrum programming, including Founding Artistic Director and CEO Vershawn Sanders-Ward’s powerful evening-length work Freedom Square: The Black Girlhood Altar at Northwestern University’s Wirtz Center in Evanston in October 2026, and a spring concert featuring work by Sanders-Ward alongside Rena Butler, Beatrice Capote and Bebe Miller at The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago in April 2027.
RECENT PRESS RELEASES
FEATURED NEWS COVERAGE
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AUGUST 19, 2026: The Citizen Newspaper Group - Red Clay Dance Company announces Season 18 programming
AUGUST 11, 2026: Newcity - Today In Culture, Tuesday, August 11, 2026: The Lost John Hughes Movie | Rick Bayless’ Garden Tours | Chicago Humanities’ Fall Festival
AUGUST 10, 2026: Buzz Center Stage - Red Clay Dance Company announces Season 18 programming
AUGUST 10, 2026: Broadway World - Red Clay Dance Company Reveals 18th Season Featuring FREEDOM SQUARE and More
JULY 18, 2026: Chicago Sun-Times -More than just house, Silver Room Block Party returns to showcase Black art: 'It was always about community'
JULY 14, 2026: 107.5 WGCI - Silver Room Sound System Block Party - July 18th
MARCH 27, 2026: Chicago Reader - Power and grace: Women dance leaders emphasize collaboration, community, and empathy.
MARCH 26, 2026: Chicago Tribune - What To Do in Chicago: C2E2, ‘Riverdance’ in Aurora and ‘Raiders’ in concert
MARCH 26, 2026: Cook County Chronicle: La Femme Dance Festival features Chicago artists
MARCH 26, 2026: WBEZ Chicago - Green Room: Black womanhood, in dance
MARCH 25, 2026: Chicago Sun-Times - 19 things to do in Chicago March 26-April 1
MARCH 25, 2026: WBEZ Chicago - In dance, Chicago-born choreographer Rena Butler honors the breadth of Black womanhood
MARCH 25, 2026: Chicago Sun-Times - In dance, Chicago-born choreographer Rena Butler honors the breadth of Black womanhood
MARCH 24, 2026: Notes from Chicago - How Vershawn Sanders-Ward Uses Dance to Ignite Social Change in Chicago
MARCH 24, 2026: NewCity Stage - La Femme Dance Festival Puts Black Women Choreographers Center Stage
MARCH 23, 2026: The TRIIBE - Red Clay Dance Company’s La Femme Festival centers Black women choreographers
MARCH 23, 2026: Daily Herald - Best Bets: Riverdance at Paramount, Shen Yun at Rosemont Theatre
MARCH 22, 2026: ABC7 CHICAGO - Red Clay Dance company celebrates return of La Femme Dance Festival
MARCH 17, 2026: Yahoo News - "La Femme" dance festival celebrating Black women in dance
MARCH 17, 2026: MSN News - La Femme dance festival celebrating Black women in dance
MARCH 17, 2026: CBS Chicago - "La Femme" dance festival celebrating Black women in dance
MARCH 11, 2026: WGN-TV News - Red Clay Dance Company: La Femme Dance Festival
FEBRUARY 25, 2026: Citizen Newspaper - La Femme Dance Festival Set For Late March
FEBRUARY 7, 2026: 1 Minute Critic - Why Chicago is the place to experience dance right now
FEBRUARY 5, 2026: Sheboygan Press - Red Clay Dance Company brings healing ritual to JMKAC Feb. 19
FEBRUARY 4, 2026: Spotlight On Lake - For Women's History Month: Red Clay Dance Company's La Femme Dance Festival returns March 26-28
JANUARY 27, 2026: NewCity - Today In Culture, Tuesday, January 27, 2026: Museums Looking Local | Publican Gets A Refresh | Steppenwolf Previews “Windfall” With Guggenheim
JANUARY 26, 2026: Broadway World - Over $1.76 Million Awarded to Chicago Arts Organizations By Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation
JANUARY 19, 2026: Rebellious Magazine - 26 Ways to put the ‘Sure’ in 2026’s Arts & LeiSure Lineup
JANUARY 7, 2026: Chicago Tribune - Dance for winter 2026: Our top 10 includes Joffrey, Red Clay and a visit from Martha Graham
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DECEMBER 22, 2025: South Side Weekly - Red Clay Dance Company Shares Its Blend of Performance and Activism with Young Dancers
OCTOBER 4, 2025: Daily Herald - Bodies in motion: Chicago dance season filled with anniversaries and milestones
SEPTEMBER 16, 2025: WBEZ Chicago - Red Clay Dance Company brings ‘love letter to Black women and girls’ to the stage in Chicago
SEPTEMBER 16, 2025: Newcity - On Grief and Healing: Chicago Performs Come Back to the MCA
SEPTEMBER 14, 2025: Chicago Tribune - In Chicago Performs at the MCA, choreographers explore memory, grief and what gets left behind
SEPTEMBER 8, 2025: WGN News - Red Clay Dance Company Celebrates Season 17
SEPTEMBER 7, 2025: Patch - Red Clay Dance Company, Freedom Square: The Black Girlhood Altar
SEPTEMBER 3, 2025: Chicago Tribune - Dance for fall 2025: With our top 10, a toast to those who carry on
AUGUST 26, 2025: Picture this Post - MCA Presents RED CLAY DANCE FREEDOM SQUARE
AUGUST 26, 2025: Newcity - Dance Top 5: September 2025
AUGUST 20, 2025: Time Out - Red Clay Dance Company, Freedom Square: The Black Girlhood Altar
JULY 25, 2025: IPM NEWS -Black dance as artivism: Preserving African culture through movement
JULY 16, 2025: The Berkshire Edge - Red Clay Dance Company at Jacob’s Pillow
JULY 16, 2025: The Berkshire Eagle - Chicago-based Red Clay Dance premieres healing work on Mohican homelands at Jacob’s Pillow
JULY 10, 2025: The Citizen Newspaper Group -Red Clay Dance Company Continues To Engage The Community
JUNE 29, 2025: Chicago Defender - With Clarity and Purpose, Vershawn Sanders-Ward Ushers Red Clay Dance Into 17th Season
JUNE 23, 2025: Hyde Park Herald - Red Clay Dance Company, Grand Ballroom awarded $350K in city grants
JUNE 18, 2025: Windy City Times - Red Clay Dance Company’s season 17 features MCA world premiere, return of La Femme Dance Festival
JUNE 18, 2025: The Martha’s Vineyard Times - Creativity for community
JUNE 18, 2025: Newcity - Gensler’s Chicago Fire Stadium | James Beard Winners | Roots & Culture Needs Help
JUNE 16, 2025: Broadway World - Red Clay Dance Company Season 17 to Include World Premiere at MCA and Return of LA FEMME FESTIVAL
JUNE 10, 2025: WBUR - 9 dance events to experience this summer
JUNE 2025: Driehaus Foundation - National Dance Community to Convene in Chicago during Dance Month
MAY 29, 2025: Block Club Chicago - City Awards $20 Million In Community Development Grants: What Did Your Neighborhood Get?
MAY 28, 2025: Newcity Stage - Last Dance: An Elegy for Links Hall
MAY 21, 2025: MassLive - Summer Guide 2025: Jacob’s Pillow Festival celebrates past, present and future of dance
APRIL 18, 2025: Chicago Sun-Times - Red Clay Dance Company celebrates entrancing 'New Ground' in Bebe Miller world premiere
APRIL 18, 2025:Chicago Southsider - On the Ground: Red Clay Dance Company Brings Collective Truth to the Stage
APRIL 17, 2025: Block Club Chicago - 18 Things To Do In Chicago This Weekend: Earth Day Fest, 4/20 Events And More
APRIL 17, 2025: Chicago Magazine - Five Things to Do: April 18-20
APRIL 17, 2025: Chicago Defender - Red Clay Dance Company’s 16 centers perseverance and legacy in Vershawn Sanders-Ward Revival and Bebe Miller Premiere
APRIL 17, 2025: WTTW - From West African Music to Campy Drama, Here Are 5 Arts and Culture Picks for the Weekend
APRIL 16, 2025: Chicago Sun-Times - Things to Do in Chicago April 17-23: The Mix
APRIL 15, 2025: Newcity Stage - In This and Every Moment: A Preview of Red Clay Dance’s “16” at the Dance Center of Columbia CollegeAPRIL 13, 2025: ABC7 Chicago - Red Clay Dance Company presents '16' at Columbia College Chicago
APRIL 10, 2025: See Chicago Dance - Preview: Red Clay Dance Company presents "Spring Concert Series: 16" at Dance Center of Columbia College
APRIL 9, 2025: Fox 32 Chicago - Red Clay Dance Company takes center stage at Columbia College Chicago
APRIL 8, 2025: Daily Herald - Best Bets: C2E2 fetes cosplay, 40 years of ‘Breakfast Club,’ pop culture and more
APRIL 8, 2025: WGN TV - Midday Fix: Live performance from Red Clay Dance Company
APRIL 3, 2025: The Dance Center - Red Clay Dance Company & Bebe Miller: A Homecoming
MARCH 27, 2025: Citizen Newspaper Group - Red Clay Dance Company’s 16 centers perseverance and legacy in Vershawn Sanders-Ward Revival and Bebe Miller Premiere
MARCH 25, 2025: Newcity Stage - Dance Top 5: April 2025
MARCH 20, 2025: Spotlight on Lake - Red Clay Dance Company's April concert centers perseverance and legacy
MARCH 10, 2025: Broadway World - Red Clay Dance Company April Concert Centers Perseverance And Legacy
MARCH 10, 2025: The Boston Globe - Jacob’s Pillow announces Henry J. Leir Outdoor Stage 2025 festival lineup
MARCH 1, 2025: Choose Chicago - Spring Concert Series: 16
FEBRUARY 24, 2025: Chicago Tribune - B-Series hip hop festival opens at a Dance Center fighting for survival
JANUARY 9, 2025: Choose Chicago - Meet Chicago Black-Owned Businesses
JANUARY 1, 2025: Rebellious Magazine - 25 of Chicagoland’s Best Cultural Events of 2025
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DECEMBER 18, 2024: Chicago Tribune - Chicagoan of the Year in Dance: Vershawn Sanders-Ward is still here, doing the thing
OCTOBER 25, 2024: NBC Chicago - Things to do in Chicago area this weekend: Oct. 25-27
OCTOBER 23, 2024: Chicago Sun Times - Things to do in Chicago Oct. 24-30: The Mix
OCTOBER 23, 2024: Newcity Stage - The Whole Person in the Room: An Interview with Red Clay Dance’s Vershawn Sanders-Ward
OCTOBER 22, 2024: Fox 32 Chicago - Red Clay Dance Company to perform 'Turning Points' at the Logan Center
OCTOBER 22, 2024: See Chicago Dance - Red Clay Dance's Vershawn Sanders-Ward about upcoming "Turning Points"
OCTOBER 18, 2024: Chicago Reader -Red Clay Dance Company returns with Turning Points
OCTOBER 14, 2024: Newcity - Today In Culture, Monday, October 14, 2024: Tarantula Cocktails | Black Harvest Film Festival | Day Of The Dead Art Exhibit
OCTOBER 8, 2024: Picture this Post - Red Clay Dance Presents TURNING POINTS – Preview
OCTOBER 8, 2024: Dance Informa - Red Clay Dance Presents “Turning Points”
SEPTEMBER 24, 2024: Daily Herald - From ballet to jazz to folk, Chicago’s fall dance season features all the moves
SEPTEMBER 11, 2024: Citizen Newspaper Group - Red Clay Dance’s “Turning Points” Showcases Company, Guest Choreographers
AUGUST 29, 2024: Broadway World - Red Clay Dance Company Will Perform TURNING POINTS in October
MARCH 14, 2024:WBEZ Chicago - Olivia Rodrigo, Steppenwolf and EXPO headline Chicago’s spring culture season. Here are 21 things to do.
MARCH 14, 2024: Block Club Chicago - La Femme Dance Festival Kicks Off Thursday, Celebrating Black Women In Dance
MARCH 13, 2024: Daily Herald - Best Bets - Beatles and Van Morrison tributes, Brookfield Zoo’s new Ferris wheel and more
MARCH 12, 2024: Chicago Sun-Times - Red Clay Dance celebrates women in dance with return of La Femme Festival
MARCH 12, 2024: Chicago Tribune - Red Clay Dance Company celebrates 15th anniversary with La Femme Dance Fest, choreographer Fatima Robinson
MARCH 11, 2024: The Triibe - Legendary choreographer Fatima Robinson is coming to Chicago for La Femme Dance Festival
MARCH 10, 2024: WLS-AM 890 - Episode 95: Dancing through International Women’s Month
MARCH 9, 2024: Cook County Chronicle - Dance Festival makes its return
MARCH 8, 2024: WGN-TV - Three-Day Celebration of Women In Dance
MARCH 6, 2024: NBC Chicago Today - La Femme Dance Festival celebrates women and dance with spectacular performances
MARCH 6, 2024: CBS Chicago - South Side dance company hosting "La Femme Dance Festival" at Harris Theater
MARCH 6, 2024: Newcity Stage - Dance Top 5: March 2024
MARCH 2, 2024: Classic Chicago Magazine - About The Town in March
FEBRUARY 25, 2024: Eye On Dance - American Dance Guild Festival: Honors Joan Miller, Ronald K. Brown and Celia Ipiotis
FEBRUARY 22, 2024: Citizen Newspaper Group - La Femme Dance Festival Celebrates Black Women Choreographers
FEBRUARY 19, 2024: Day In The Life of Dance - Gloria McLean on the 2024 American Dance Guild Festival and Her Dance History
FEBRUARY 16, 2024: BNN Breaking - Fatima Robinson: A Dance Legend Leads La Femme Dance Festival Masterclass
FEBRUARY 12, 2024: Choose Chicago - How to celebrate Women’s History Month in Chicago
FEBRUARY 1, 2024: Rebellious Magazine - 20 Ways to Celebrate Upcoming Dates & International Holidays
JANUARY 30, 2024: Hyde Park Herald - Red Clay Dance’s 15th Season To Bring Acclaimed Choreographers to Woodlawn In Celebration of Afro-Contemporary Dance
JANUARY 26, 2024: Spotlight on Lake - Legendary pop choreographer Fatima Robinson coming to Chicago
JANUARY 23, 2024: Broadway World - Legendary Choreographer Fatima Robinson Comes To Chicago For Red Clay Dance Company's LA FEMME DANCE FESTIVAL
JANUARY 18, 2024: Broadway World - The International Association Of Blacks In Dance In Partnership With Collage Dance Collective Announces 2024 Performance Presentations
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NOVEMBER 2023: Dance Data Project - 2023 Largest 75 U.S. Contemporary and Modern Dance Companies
NOVEMBER 8, 2023: Windy City Times - Black Excellence Awards winners named, inaugural Chicago Black Arts Hall of Fame inductees honored
SEPTEMBER 6, 2023: Chicago Sun-Times - Celebrating 20 years, Chicago’s Harris Theater for Music and Dance remains a world-class cultural arts hub
SEPTEMBER 2, 2023: Classic Chicago Magazine - Paint the Town Red: Red Clay Dance Company at 15
AUGUST 20, 2023: CHICAGO DEFENDER - Red Clay Dance Company’s 15th Anniversary Gala: ‘Paint the Town Red’ Fundraiser
JUNE 9, 2023: CHICAGO DEFENDER - 11 Fun Things to Do This Weekend in Chicago
JUNE 7, 2023: NBC CHICAGO - Red Clay Dance Company explores transformational power of land cultivation in upcoming performance
JUNE 6, 2023: Block Club Chicago - Red Clay Dance Company Plants Seeds Of Healing With Season Finale At Grant Park Urban Farm
JUNE 5, 2023: WGN News - Red Clay Dance Company performs "Harvest"
JUNE 5, 2023: WGN News - New Work to Close Out the 14th Season of the Red Clay Dance Company
JUNE 2, 2023: Windy City LIVE - Red Clay Dance Company amplifies the voices of the African Diaspora
MAY 24, 2023: Newcity Stage - Dance Top 5: June 2023
MAY 5, 2023: Chicago Defender - Red Clay Dance Company Announces World Premiere of ‘Rest. Rise. Move. Nourish. Heal’
APRIL 17, 2023: Broadway World - Red Clay Dance Presents REST. RISE. MOVE. NOURISH. HEAL.
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SEPTEMBER 6, 2022: WTTW - A Pair of Spirit-Raising Performances Celebrate Chicago’s Dance Scene
AUGUST 24, 2022: WGN People to People - Red Clay Dance Company celebrates 14 years in Chicago
AUGUST 18, 2022: Red Clay Dance Company performs live on WGN News
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SEPTEMBER 30, 2021: Dance Magazine - News of Note: What You Might Have Missed in September 2021
SEPTEMBER 21, 2021: Chicago Reader - Fall Arts Preview | A note from the editors
SEPTEMBER 15, 2021: Chicago Reader - Breathing life into Red Clay Dance Company
SEPTEMBER 1, 2021: NewCity Stage - Cultivating Community: Red Clay Plants a Seed in Woodlawn (Fall Arts Preview 2021)
JULY 31, 2021: Dance Magazine - Ambitious New Dance Facilities Have Been Popping Up All Over—Despite Pandemic Challenges
JULY 14, 2021: IFF - Red Clay Dance Company Brings “Artivism” to Chicago’s Woodlawn Community
MARCH 5, 2021: Heart and Soul - Vershawn Sanders-Ward Artistic Director & CEO of Red Clay Dance Company
FEBRUARY 17, 2021: Chicago Reader - Chicago dance artists figure out their next steps
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OCTOBER 19, 2020: Block Club Chicago - Red Clay Dance Company’s Move To Woodlawn Station Is A Win For Local Art Scene, Leaders Say
JULY 7, 2020: Newcity Stage - Reimagining the Role of Dance: Red Clay Dance Teams with Health Professionals in the Dance Pamoja Challenge
JUNE 2, 2020: Chicago Reader - Pivot Arts Festival switches it up online
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NOVEMBER 6, 2019: Chicago Reader - Staff Pick: Best dance company
OCTOBER 22, 2019: Heart and Soul - Vershawn Sanders-Ward Founding Artistic Director and CEO of Red Clay Dance Company
MAY 18, 2019: See Chicago Dance - At the Roundhouse, Red Clay celebrates 10 years of putting African diaspora stories first
MARCH 13, 2019: Dancer Music - 5 Questions with 5 Choreographers from Red Clay Dance Company’s La Femme Dance Festival
FEBRUARY 19, 2019: Columbia College Chicago - The Dance Center and Red Clay Dance Company Win 2019 NEA Grants
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DECEMBER 17, 2018: Dancer Music - 4PHOTOS: Red Clay Dance Company’s “EKILI MUNDA | What Lies Within” with Vershawn Sanders-Ward
NOVEMBER 17, 2018: Picture this Post - Red Clay Dance and Keiga Dance Company EKILI MUNDA | WHAT LIES WITHIN Review – Dancing Together
NOVEMBER 6, 2018: Columbia College Chicago - Red Clay Dance Collaborates Across Continents
NOVEMBER 2, 2018: Dance Magazine - 6 Can't-Miss Shows This November, Chosen By DM Editors
OCTOBER 30, 2018: See Chicago Dance - November Dance Serves Bountiful Feast
SEPTEMBER 10, 2018: Newcity Stage - Intercontinental Collaboration: Bringing Together Chicago’s Red Clay Dance Company with Uganda’s Keiga Dance Company
JULY 12, 2018: Broadway World - Red Clay Dance Company Announces 10th Anniversary Season
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