SUNDAY, JULY 23, 2023 FROM 12-4 PM
Mardi Gras In July! is a family-friendly event is a kickoff celebration of Red Clay Dance Company's 15FORWARD Anniversary Season! The founder of Red Clay Dance Company, Vershawn Sanders-Ward, was born in and has family ties to Mobile, Alabama, hence the name of the company echoing the red earth that she played in as a child. Not always credited, but Mobile is the birthplace of Mardi Gras. So, in celebration of Red Clay Dance Company’s 15-year investment and commitment to the Southside of Chicago in bringing high-quality arts experience to this community, we are planning a day full of family fun!
“Thinking back to my summers I spent in Mobile, 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 the origin of the company name. It ties the company to my personal lineage in a way that will live on beyond my leadership."
We invite ALL of our village members that have been on this journey with us for the past 15 years to join us for the sidewalk parade down 63rd St. starting from Woodlawn down to our Center and dance with us as we move into the next 15 years!
The event will feature outdoor activities, music, food, and free dance classes inside Red Clay Dance Company’s Center for Excellence.
THE ORIGINS OF MARDI GRAS IN MOBILE
The origins of Mardi Gras can be traced to medieval Europe, passing through Rome and Venice in the 17th and 18th centuries to the French House of the Bourbons. From here, the traditional revelry of “Boeuf Gras,” or fatted calf, followed France to her colonies. On March 2, 1699, French-Canadian explorer Jean Baptiste Le Moyne Sieur de Bienville arrived at a plot of ground 60 miles directly south of New Orleans, and named it “Pointe du Mardi Gras” when his men realized it was the eve of the festive holiday.
Bienville also established “Fort Louis de la Louisiane” (which is now Mobile) in 1702. In 1703, the tiny settlement of Fort Louis de la Mobile celebrated America’s very first Mardi Gras. In 1704, Mobile established a secret society (Masque de la Mobile), similar to those that form our current Mardi Gras krewes. It lasted until 1709. In 1710, the “Boeuf Gras Society” was formed and paraded from 1711 through 1861. The procession was held with a huge bull’s head pushed along on wheels by 16 men. Later, Rex would parade with an actual bull, draped in white and signaling the coming Lenten meat fast. This occurred on Fat Tuesday.
THANK YOU
To our village members, friends, and partners for celebrating 15 years of Red Clay Dance Company!