CHICAGO – See Chicago Dance, the dance industry's nonprofit service organization, held its annual Awards Presentation & Community Celebration, Tuesday, Oct. 11 at Venue West, 221 N. Paulina Street. The event co-chairs were 3Arts’s Executive Director Esther Grisham Grimm and Chicago Black Dance Legacy Project’s Director Princess Mhoon and the 2022 Host Committee included Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities Commissioner Rachel Arfa, Pam Crutchfield, Turiya Gray, Judie Moore Green, Sheilah Rae Gross, Giordano Dance Chicago’s Executive Director Michael McStraw and Joffrey Ballet’s Chief Advancement Officer Brian Smith. The evening’s proceeds support See Chicago Dance’s mission to be an advocate for the dance field and strengthen a diverse range of dance organizations and artists through services and programs that build and engage audiences.
The annual Community Celebration gathered 250 dance supporters and artists to honor Chicago’s dynamic dance community with performances, toasts, an online auction that included a week’s stay in Breckenridge, Colorado, a dance passport with Harris Theatre productions, a theatre experience from Broadway in Chicago and a destination golf outing to The Lido in central Wisconsin and to honor two very special people with the See Chicago Dance Legacy Award and the Distinguished Service to the Dance Field Award. The evening began with a performance of “The Rosies,” choreographed by the 2022 Distinguished Service to the Dance Field Award recipient Ginger Lane and commissioned by MOMENTA Dance Company and then a welcome from See Chicago Dance’s Board President Meghan McNamara, the vice president of programming and audience at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance. McNamara said, “We all know the last few years have not been easy, and the way that artists, administrators, funders, audiences continue to show up for one another is incredible. See Chicago Dance is proud to be part of this ever-growing community.”
After the welcome, the 2022 Distinguished Service to the Dance Field Award was presented to Ginger Lane in recognition of her groundbreaking artistry and advocacy, establishing Chicago as a city at the forefront of dance and disability.
The Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities Commissioner Rachel Arfa said of Lane, “Rosie the Riveter [the image that was the inspiration for Lane’s “The Rosies”] was a symbol that urged opportunity and change for women. Ginger Lane shares that, as a trail blazer and hero, and a role model who has inspired us all.” Lane accepted the award saying she was grateful to See Chicago Dance for the award and added, “To me this award represents progress towards society accepting us as equals and understanding that dancers and choreographers with disabilities are vital contributors to the arts. When I look back I do see myself as a change agent in my own way: as part of the disability arts dance movement, and as a fighter for disability rights..”
See Chicago Dance Board Vice-President Jorge Perez, executive and associate artistic director of Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater, encouraged the enthusiastic crowd of 250 to support the work of See Chicago Dance.
In the second half of the program, the See Chicago Dance Legacy Award was then presented to Joan Gray, long-time executive director of Muntu Dance Theatre and a leader and mentor in the dance community for decades. The 2022 Event Co-Chair Princess Mhoon, director of the Chicago Black Dance Legacy Project said, “Joan forged alliances that highlighted a theme of Muntu’s legacy: That there is merit in all cultures. She went on to build a company where [Muntu’s dancers are] world citizens and seek to appreciate our differences so we can amplify our similarities.”
Gray’s daughter, Turiya Gray accepted the Award on behalf of her mother and then Amaniyea Payne, former artistic director of Muntu and Gray’s partner in building the company throughout the 1980s and 90s and Babu Atiba Walker, a founding member of Muntu, shared memories of Gray, who was unable to attend the event.
The See Chicago Dance Executive Director Julia Mayer closed the evening by thanking the attendees for supporting See Chicago Dance and reminded the crowd that “while the city has proclaimed 2022 the Year of Chicago Dance, all of us in this room know that every year is the year of Chicago dance.” The final performance by Muntu Dance Theatre, was “DJEIYA” choreographed by Regina Perry-Carr.
ABOUT JOAN GRAY, 2022 LEGACY AWARD RECIPIENT
Joan Gray (she/her/hers) was born in Chicago in1949. Gray is most known for her role as a member and president of Muntu Dance Theatre. She began studying African dance in the late 1970s and first joined Muntu in 1984. Joan became President of Muntu in 1987 and led Muntu’s evolution to becoming one of the premier African dance companies in the country. After 30 plus years of service, Gray retired from Muntu in 2016.
In addition to her work with Muntu, she has made significant contributions to the broader local and national arts community. Gray was active as a board member of the International Association of Blacks in Dance for more than a decade and served on the African American Arts Alliance and the Chicago Dance Coalition. She also served on the Board of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) for many years and took great pride in her role of influencing Federal funding decisions for artists and arts organizations across the country.
Gray’s success and accomplishments have been recognized over the years through many awards and accolades. She received an honorary doctorate from North Central College in Naperville and was also awarded a Graduate Fellowship from Stanford University. In 2017, Gray was featured in a 132-foot mural by artist Kerry James Marshall, as one of 20 women who changed the artistic and cultural landscape of Chicago. The mural is prominently featured at the Chicago Cultural Center in downtown Chicago.
Outside of her professional accomplishments, Gray is a loving mother of two, grandmother of three, and great-grandmother of one.
ABOUT GINGER LANE, 2022 DISTINGUISHED SERVICE TO THE DANCE COMMUNITY RECIPIENT
Ginger Lane (she/her/hers) is a dancer, choreographer and teacher working in physically integrated dance. She trained in Chicago with nationally-renowned instructors including Edna McRae and Stone-Camryn. Lane received a dance scholarship to the prestigious Interlochen Center for the Arts and went on to graduate from the acclaimed theater program at Northwestern University. Lane was an original member of Dance>Detour, the first physically integrated professional dance company in the tri-state area. She has been named one of “100 Women Making a Difference” in Today’s Chicago Woman magazine, received a 3Arts Award for her work as a choreographer and was grand marshal of Chicago’s 2019 Disability Pride Parade. She has also served as a dance panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts, and currently is on the Board of Directors for both ReinventAbility and the Chicago Cultural Advisory Council.
In 1984, Lane became a wheelchair user following recovery from a skiing accident. She then embarked on a career of disability rights advocacy and became a leader of the integrated/inclusive dance movement. She performed with the Joffrey Ballet and was featured in “Dance From the Heart,” an Emmy award-winning film for PBS. As coordinator of the Arts & Culture project at Access Living, Lane curated and produced artistic and cultural events and festivals for 11 years. During that time, she also choreographed and performed in many inclusive danceworks as a member of the MOMENTA Dance Company (2003-2021). In 2008, she conceived of and founded CounterBalance: The Power of Integrated Dance. She served as artistic director of this annual showcase, that is not only inclusive of but features work by disabled dance artists, until her retirement in 2020. Lane continues to work as an independent artist, mentoring emerging artists and experimenting with new technology in this digital age, consulting with Ballet Chicago and was recently honored by Mayor Lori Lightfoot as a Chicago Leader for Women’s History Month. She is also currently on the Summer Dance Advisory Council.
Lane discovered the transformative power of dance as a refugee to the United States. She and her siblings had to be hidden from the Nazis after their mother was murdered in Auschwitz. The story of her life in Germany, living through and surviving the Holocaust, is the subject of a new documentary, “Would You Hide Me?” set to be released later this year.
YEAR OF CHICAGO DANCE
In deep partnership with the local dance community, Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot and the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) have designated 2022 as the Year of Chicago Dance. This citywide, year-long focus on dance is the first of its kind in the U.S. The collaborative initiative will activate Chicago’s dance industry to address critical issues facing dancers and the field of dance including funding, space, and capacity building — and to consider the sustainability of this work. The Year of Chicago Dance will, of course, also include dance performances, social dancing, and special events for the public in dozens of venues throughout the city.
ABOUT SEE CHICAGO DANCE
See Chicago Dance is a nonprofit service organization with the mission to advocate for the dance field and strengthen a diverse range of dance organizations and artists through services and programs that build and engage audiences. Its vision is to fearlessly inspire an ever-growing inclusive community to share in and spread the power of dance in Chicago.
See Chicago Dance is the source for all things dance with the city’s most comprehensive resource for dance information and one of the largest websites in the United States dedicated to the art form. Its two-pronged approach focuses on building audiences while developing a more cohesive dance community.
For audience members, See Chicago Dance offers a dynamic calendar of dance performances and experiences, Hot Deal ticket discounts, professionally written reviews and previews, and listings for more than 200 dance organizations.
For dance artists and organizations, See Chicago Dance provides a full range of Programs and Industry Resources to help build audiences, improve skills and foster appreciation of dance.
See Chicago Dance’s Board of Directors includes Amanda Banks (secretary), Debra Bernstein-Siegel, Patti Eylar, Colleen Flanigan, Michael Foster, Ladonna Freidheim, Sarah Lombardi, Meghan McNamara (president), Jorge Perez (vice president), Melissa Platt, Dawn Stanislaw (treasurer), Shiwali Tenner and Sarah Venuti-Yates.
Babu Atiba Walker at the See Chicago Dance 2022 Awards Presentation & Community Celebration, October 11 at Venue West. Photo by MReid Photography
(L to R) Members of the 2022 Host Committee Brian Smith of the Joffrey Ballet, Meghan McNamara of the Harris Theater, Judie Moore Green of The Auditorium Theater and Michael McStraw of Giordano Dance Chicago at the See Chicago Dance 2022 Awards Presentation & Community Celebration, October 11 at Venue West. Photo by MReid Photography
(L to R) Event Co-chair Princess Mhoon with the 2022 Distinguished Service to the Dance Field recipient Ginger Lane and the daughter of Joan Gray, the 2022 See Chicago Dance Legacy Award recipient, Turya Gray at the See Chicago Dance 2022 Awards Presentation & Community Celebration, October 11 at Venue West. Photo by MReid Photography
Event Co-chair Princess Mhoon of the Chicago Black Dance Legacy Project at the See Chicago Dance 2022 Awards Presentation & Community Celebration, October 11 at Venue West. Photo by MReid Photography
The 2022 Distinguished Service to the Dance Field recipient Ginger Lane and ASL Interpreter Veramarie Baldoza at the See Chicago Dance 2022 Awards Presentation & Community Celebration, October 11 at Venue West. Photo by MReid Photography
Ladonna Freidheim, Stefanie Piakiewicz, Linda Mastandrea and Mia Coulter of MOMENTA Dance Company perform THE ROSIES, choreographed by the 2022 Distinguished Service to the Dance Field recipient Ginger Lane at the See Chicago Dance 2022 Awards Presentation & Community Celebration, October 11 at Venue West. Photo by MReid Photography
Mashaune Hardy, Emily Lansana Hooper, D'onminique Boyd, Event Co-chair Princess Mhoon and See Chicago Dance Executive Director Julia Mayer at the See Chicago Dance 2022 Awards Presentation & Community Celebration, October 11 at Venue West. Photo by MReid Photography
Muntu Dance Theatre perform at the See Chicago Dance 2022 Awards Presentation & Community Celebration, October 11 at Venue West. Photo by MReid Photography
Naomi Kinslow of Muntu Dance Theatre performs at the See Chicago Dance 2022 Awards Presentation & Community Celebration, October 11 at Venue West. Photo by MReid Photography
(L to R) See Chicago Dance Board President Meghan McNamara of the Harris Theater of Music And Dance and ASL Interpreter Veraamarie Baldoza at the See Chicago Dance 2022 Awards Presentation & Community Celebration, October 11 at Venue West. Photo by MReid Photography
See Chicago Dance Board Vice President Jorge Perez of Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater at the See Chicago Dance 2022 Awards Presentation & Community Celebration, October 11 at Venue West. Photo by MReid Photography
(L to R) Muntu Dance Theatre Executive Director Sekou Conde, Former Muntu Dance Theatre Artistic Director Amaniyea Payne, Leana Flowers, Current Muntu Dance Theatre Artistic Director Regina Perry-Carr, and Neffer-Oduntunde A. Kerr at the See Chicago Dance 2022 Awards Presentation & Community Celebration, October 11 at Venue West. Photo by MReid Photography
The See Chicago Dance Board of Directors at See Chicago Dance 2022 Awards Presentation & Community Celebration, October 11 at Venue West. Photo by MReid Photography