Deeply Rooted to Perform New Work Q AFTER DARK at Chicago Park District's Night Out in the Parks

As part of the Chicago Park District's Night Out in the Parks program, Deeply Rooted premieres Q After Dark, celebrating the music of Chicago's own Quincy Jones, performed by Deeply Rooted and a super-ensemble of musicians directed by Sam Thousand.

Creating choreography for the three free public performances is Deeply Rooted's Artistic Team: Artistic Director Nicole Clarke-Springer, Associate Artistic Director Gary Abbott, Rehearsal Director Joshua L. Ishmon, and Creative/Executive Director Kevin Iega Jeff. Songs include "Summer in the City," "You Put a Move on My Heart," and "Birdland."

Q After Dark, part of the Chicago Park District's Night Out in the Parks, takes place Thursday, July 7 at Garfield Park, 100 N. Central Park Ave.; Thursday, July 21 at Palmer Park, 201 E. 111th St.; and Thursday, July 28 at South Shore Cultural Center, 7059 S. South Shore Dr. All performances are free and begin at 7:30 p.m. All programming is subject to change. For more, visit chicagoparkdistrict.com/events/night-out-in-the-parks.

Deeply Rooted's Summer Dance Intensive (SDI), which returns to a completely live format this year, offers four weeks of technical training and artistic development, including classes based in Horton, Graham, ballet, and contemporary movement, from June 20 through July 16. Participants at Youth to Pre-Professional/Professional levels, as well as those in the Mature H.O.T. Women program, experience a rigorous curriculum fostering learning and personal growth, along with opportunities to learn the company's repertory through workshops and performances. The curriculum also features The Continuum, a series of guided conversations on self-awareness and personal growth informed by each participant's creativity and artistic process.

SDI instructors include Gary Abbott, Nicole Clarke-Springer, Joshua L. Ishmon, Kevin Iega Jeff and Dance Education Director Tracey Franklin. Guest instructors include Karen Brown (formerly with Dance Theatre of Harlem), Erica Edwards (formerly with The Joffrey Ballet), and DeShona Pepper-Robertson (formerly with Dayton Contemporary Dance Company).

SDI culminates with in-person performances of classic repertory works, as well as a work developed during the Emerging Choreographers Showcase, an advanced division of SDI directed by Joshua L. Ishmon, that cultivates artistic and technical growth through the choreographic process.

This year's Emerging Choreographer is Dara Meredith, a previous SDI participant, who "wanted to bring my voice to a place that gave me an outlet to grieve and heal through dance when I lost my brother. I hoped to inspire a group of young dancers to use their bodies as a source of healing, celebration, grieving, understanding people, and [a way] to navigate this world." Meredith's work Muddy Waters, in her words, "reflects on the inner workings of how people deal with mental illnesses and the depths of their effects on people's daily lives through the challenges they face and the constant struggle to be brave and remain steadfast in spite of said adversities." Summer Dance Intensive performances take place Saturday, July 16 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, July 17 at 3 p.m. at the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E. 60th St., Chicago. Tickets are $25, $20 for groups of 10+, $15 for individuals 12 and younger, available at deeplyrooteddancetheater.org/performances/2022-sdi. All programming is subject to change.

Premiering in 1996, Deeply Rooted Dance Theater reimagines and diversifies the aesthetics of contemporary dance by uniting modern, classical, American, and African-American traditions in dance and storytelling. Through its uncompromising pursuit of excellence, Deeply Rooted demonstrates the transformative power of art and beauty through dance education, performance, and cultural enrichment in Chicago and on the world stage. Deeply Rooted is rooted in traditions of American and African-American dance, storytelling, and universal themes that spark a visceral experience and ignite an emotional response in diverse audiences worldwide. Deeply Rooted collaborates with nationally renowned choreographers, across the spectrum of modern, ballet, and African dance, to reflect contemporary voices. For information, visit deeplyrooteddancetheater.org.

Deeply Rooted's programs are partially sponsored or supported by 3Arts; Allstate; Alphawood Foundation Chicago; Arts Midwest GIG Fund, a program of Arts Midwest funded by the National Endowment for the Arts; The Arts Work Fund; Blue Cross Blue Shield; Chicago Black Dance Legacy Project funded by Doris Duke Charitable Fund; The Chicago Community Trust; Chicago Park District's Night Out in the Parks Program; Chicago's Cultural Treasures; CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events; Pamela Crutchfield; Faith Based Communications; The Field Foundation of Illinois; Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation; Illinois Arts Council Agency; The International Association of Blacks in Dance; Irving Harris Foundation; John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; John G. Palfrey and Catherine A. Carter Family Fund;The Joyce Foundation; Lester & Hope Abelson Fund for the Performing Arts; Martha Struthers Farley and Donald C. Farley, Jr. Family Foundation; National Endowment for the Arts; PNC; Pritzker Traubert Foundation; The Reva and David Logan Foundation; The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation; The Shubert Foundation; Tito's Handmade Vodka; U.S. Bank; Walder Foundation; Wintrust Bank, and Deeply Rooted Family of Friends.

Special thanks to Athenaeum Theatre; Ballet Chicago; Chicago Black Dance Legacy Project; The Chicago Community Trust; Chicago Dancemakers Forum; Chicago Park District; Lori Dimun and the Harris Theater; Hyde Park School of Dance; Runanko Jahi; Mark Kelly and the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events; Lake Shore Chapter of the Links; Rich Regan, Marisa Santiago, and the Auditorium Theatre; Heidi Renteria and Maywood; Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts; Jackie Robinson; Linda Spriggs; Dennis Springer; St. Benedict the African Church; the University of Chicago Community Accelerator Program; and Lara Ziemba and Millennium Park for their partnership and support.

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