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In honor of Chicago Dance Month, Rebellious Magazine asked performers, choreographers and other dance pros what makes them rebellious.
“I am a woman creating pieces that challenge, question, and evolve the principles of classical Japanese dance. I am not petite, I am not submissive, I am not docile. My works are meant to provoke mental strife; scrutinize the safety of conformity and confirm my belief that the pliability of the art will champion women.”
Rika Lin (Yoshinojo Fujima)
Program Director of Shubukai at Asian Improv aRts Midwest
“My rebellious nature appears when I want others to see the beauty of movement as I see it, and although my job as choreographer has its challenges, I refuse to let them keep me from bringing my visions to fruition.”
– Irma Suarez Ruiz
Artistic Director at Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater; Chicago/Spanish Dance Instructor in Residence at Northeastern Illinois University
“[As] an immigrant from India, I was influenced by the space and time of the USA, which I adopted as my new home. I broke free from the traditional practice of Bharata Natyam to create a new vocabulary of dance. This was cited as a radical act by many. My intention was to express my personal journey settling in a new country, breaking free from the shackles of ancient laws that governed a dance form that was not relevant anymore. Many others chose to follow me in my artistic journey of deconstructing Bharata Natyam, and I was able to support them. I took the high classical arts of India, which only a few could afford, to the community of Devon Avenue, where the first waves of immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers from South Asia found a home.”
– Pranita Nayar
Artistic Director at Mandala South Asian Performing Arts, who performed at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City and choreographed Shakira’s performance at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2006
“Thinking outside the box in order to create unique pieces makes me rebellious. Also not doing dances the way I’ve always done them!”
– Amber Buchanan
Apprentice at Chicago Tap Theatre
“As the manager of a burlesque/drag/pole dance/fringe theater, we book artists that have often struggled to find a home. We try to offer the care, respect, and support required to present their art forms in all their glory. As a theater, we rebel against the idea that you can’t make money off doing the art you love to make.”
– Megan Hartmann (Eva la Feva)
Artistic Director/Performer at The Newport Theater
“I ditched the traditional path and ran away from home to chase my dream of becoming a dancer. Since then, I’ve been pirouetting and pas-de-deuxing my way around the globe, teaching, creating, and causing a ruckus with diverse communities…I fearlessly blend styles, techniques, and cultural influences like a mad scientist, cooking up performances that leave audiences bewildered, inspired, and itching to dance. And as for boundaries? Ha! I treat them like a dance partner — constantly pushing, pulling, and twirling them around.”
– Nejla Yatkin
Dancer and Guggenheim Fellow in Choreography
“Choosing to be an artist is essentially being rebellious, it goes against the normality imposed on us, and what society expects from us. Aside from genuine joy, dancing gives me a sense of belonging. Not only belonging to my flesh and physical body, but also to something bigger. My vocation in life is quite literal; there’s always a voice in my head when I’m dancing that says I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be at this very moment. Some call this voice intuition; I call it rebellion, and I listen to it wholeheartedly.”
– Laura Mendes
Dancer (Pantene commercial and NK/COLLAB) and performing artist at Visceral Dance Chicago
“I’ve never been willing to be the quiet Asian daughter…In a society that tells us it’s dangerous for a woman to walk alone, I’ve visited 27 countries, usually solo. But in the end, all of these things aren’t about rebellion for its own sake. They’re about creative freedom and being true to who I am — and also about being principled and doing the right thing.”
– Dawn Xiana Moon
Founder/Director of Raks Geek and Raks Inferno; named Chicago Reader’s Best Stage Performer (twice), “Best Dancer (twice) and Best Choreographer
“Always standing up for what I believe in no matter how others may feel about it. I’ll especially always be vocal about my beliefs on social media because that’s the best way to reach a larger audience. Pushback sometimes fuels my want to go even harder.”
– Starinah Dixon
Choreographer/Instructor/Performer/
Assistant Director at M.A.D.D. Rhythms
“I do not seek rebellion in more obvious or immediate forms of resistance or advocacy, but with an attentiveness to a late style of working arrived at through a long career of focused application and commitment. For me, age represents a type of radicality, a way to transform the grammar of dance so viewers understand this is the body that needs to be performing the work. This approach can be characterized by a resistance to narrative closure, using complexity and ambiguity to slow down perception and invite a closer inspection of the work. To push the art of dance forward by rigorously, and unsentimentally, investigating what the aging body can do. It does not impose the same type of physicality that is so often associated with a younger body, thereby relegating to the aging body a misplaced sense of heroism or patronizing sympathy but acknowledges a formal change in the conventions of dance to integrate decreasing capacity and modify the general definition of who performs dance.
– Michelle Kranicke
Founder/Artistic Director of Zephyr Dance, and Co-director of SITE/less Performance Gallery
“In our culture we’re taught that dance is for the young, the agile and the physically gifted. I firmly believe that is just not true..There are numerous benefits of dance as we age. It’s been shown to slow the need for physical care and speed recovery, but also offers so much more.”
– Dr. Lynne Belsky
Co-founder of Time to Dance
“Dance is not just about perfect turn out, multiple pirouettes or a 180-degree ponche. It’s about the combination of movement and music and the way it feeds your soul. While the role of dance in my life has changed from time to time, my passion for dance continues to be strong. Every opportunity I have to share it with another person, be they 8 or 80, is something I always treasure.”
– Lisa Gold
Co-founder of Time to Dance and Director of North Shore School of Dance
“Once, when I was a teen dancer and my teacher was really sick of our rebellious attitude, she sat us all down and explained that when we were in her space, we were to obey her rules and her methods. She said, ‘Dancers, if there are things you do not like, please write them in your notebook, and when you have your own dance studio, you can do as you like.’ I am ever so grateful to my dance teacher for teaching us much more than dance steps. We learned about etiquette, discipline, dedication, how to choreograph, how to sew, how to make budgets for production, how to answer the phone professionally, how to make the class schedules, and much more…She wanted us to be able to survive in the world of dance with as many tools as possible. Without her I would not be where I am today…I pride myself on taking all the good my teacher had to offer and adding inclusivity to ballet and all forms of dance that we offer at Hyde Park School of Dance. I also remind my students to keep a notebook and hope to see the next generation make even more improvements to the art form!”
– August Tye
Artistic Director at Hyde Park School of Dance and Ballet Mistress at Lyric Opera of Chicago
“Aesthetically, I push back against the societal norms/standard of beauty with my beautiful, dark skin, locked tresses, and colorful style as a female executive director navigating the corporate universe. Using the art of dance as a vehicle of healing pushes against Western thinking. As a non-profit arts organization leader, I rebel against the status quo in the systems and processes designed for seeking grant funding. I’m partnering with other rebellious minds to dream about the possibilities that the future could hold.”
– Makeda Crayton
Executive Director at Deeply Rooted Dance Theater/Deeply Rooted Productions and soloist with Cirque du Soleil’s Humanity (2013-2020)
“Nicole means ‘Victory of the people.’ In order to be victorious there must be a fight. I come from a long line of powerful women who challenge me to fight to push the envelope for myself and for those I encounter. I am black. I am a woman. I am a wife and a mother. These natural iterations of myself are rebellious unto themselves. I fight to break stereotypes and refuse to engage with those who refuse to see me and acknowledge the power in the roles I encompass. I know my power. I stand in my power. I refuse to relinquish my power. It’s evident in my art. I know who I am. I. AM. A. REBEL.”
– Nicole Clarke-Springer
Artistic Director/Choreographer at Deeply Rooted Dance Theater and former faculty member at Northwestern University, Chicago State University and Western Kentucky University
“I see the world differently due to my life experiences and being a survivor. I use my art as a platform for social change and share stories of people whose voices have been silenced. I believe art can change the world…”
– Ellyzabeth Adler
Executive Artistic Director at Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble
“As the first female, black artistic director of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, my rebellion lies in shattering glass ceilings and redefining norms. I challenge the status quo by amplifying voices that have been silenced, creating spaces where diversity thrives, and using art as a tool for social change. My rebellion is rooted in the belief that dance is a powerful medium for revolution, and I refuse to be confined by limitations imposed by society. I lead with defiance, embracing the freedom to express my truth and pave the way for those who will follow.”
– Linda-Denise Fisher-Harrell
Artistic Director/Dancer at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago; Principal Dancer at Alvin Ailey; Professor of Dance at Towson University
“When many dance companies are creating work to make people think, I’m creating dances to make them forget. I also bring together dancers of different styles, ages, races and religions. I just want people to be happy.”
– Melissa Metro
Founder of the MetDown and choreographer
“I am not sure I would say my life has been rebellious as much as motivated and disciplined. This is how I am still able to work as a professional dance artist and musician while maintaining a 40-hour job on the exchange floor. These two very dichotomous worlds help balance me out and keep me grounded. I think the most rebellious part of this journey happened early in my life: having the courage as a young one to pursue the less popular choices, the road less traveled…that is rebellion. That is resistance.”
– Phaedra Darwish
Founder of Bellydance by Phaedra
“If someone were to ask me if I was a rebellious person? I would answer empathically, No! But as I reflect, and having the opportunity of dancing with a historic black ballet company that broke the conventional rules of ballet, and working for a man who was the first black principal male dancer at New York City Ballet. I AM A REBEL! Maybe not in the traditional sense as described in Merriam-Webster dictionary but rebellious in a quieter sense. Now that I am on the other side of the stage footlights, my rebellious spirit is focused on another direction: students having access to dance programs with opportunities in their neighborhood schools or community centers. There is a large community of people that are rebellious in nature and I’m proud to be part of that community…”
– Linda Swayze
Director of Community Engagement at Joffrey Ballet
“I have never been the one to call myself a rebel. Yet I have never been the one to take the road most traveled. I have asked for advice, and mostly ignored it. I have never played it safe. I have never been anything but myself. Unapologetically. Being an artist and helping artists has always be seen as an act of rebellion. So let’s all be rebels.”
– Surinder Martignetti (Miss Mittens)
Community Engagement Manager at See Chicago Dance