Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago to Host 2014 Afro-Latin@ Diaspora Summer Dance Intensive, 7/7-18

The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago explores the ways Africanist and Latin@ aesthetics influence each other in its 2014 Afro-Latin@ Diaspora Summer Dance Intensive, running July 7 - 18.

"The term 'Afro-Latin@' refers to 'Latina/o,'" explained Assistant Professor of Dance Raquel Monroe, Ph.D. "The '@'gives the reader/speaker the option to use the masculine or feminine pronunciation."

Classes in Afro-Cuban, Afro-Brazilian, capoeira (Brazilian), Bomba y Plena (Puerto Rican), salsa (Cuban) and samba (Brazilian) dance styles are taught by Dance Center faculty and other special guest artists. Contra-Tiempo Artistic Director Ana Maria Alvarez teaches classes and conducts a workshop in Urban-Latin@ Dance Styles. Other instructors include Victor Alexander, Tosha Alston, Blanca Aviles, Dill Costa and Joshua Grainger,. Classes are open to students for college credit and to the general community.

A symposium, "Roots and Routes: Afro-Latinidad in Motion," takes place Monday, July 14, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sherwood, the Community Music School at Columbia College Chicago, 1312 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago. Guest artists and scholars explore dance and music in the Afro-Latin@ Diaspora. The symposium is free and open to the public. The Intensive concludes with a series of performances, $15 each for the general public: • AfriCaribe Performance Group: Tuesday, July 15, 8 p.m., AfriCaribe Cultural Center, 2547 W. Division St., Chicago • Postmodern Afro-Latinidad: Wednesday and Thursday, July 16 and 17, 8 p.m., The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago, 1306 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago • Latin Rhythms in Performance with Intensive Participants and Guests: Friday, July 18, 8 p.m., Latin Rhythms, 210 N. Racine, Chicago

Community Partners: The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago's Afro-Latin@ Diaspora Summer Dance Intensive is presented in partnership with The Department of Performance Studies at Northwestern University, AfriCaribe and Latin Rhythms.

The Dance Center: The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago is the city's leading presenter of contemporary dance, showcasing artists of regional, national and international significance. The Dance Center has been named "Chicago's Best Dance Theatre" by Chicago magazine and "Best Dance Venue" by the Chicago Reader, and Time Out Chicago cited it as "...consistently offering one of Chicago's strongest lineups of contemporary and experimental touring dance companies." Programs of The Dance Center are supported, in part, by Alphawood Foundation, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, The MacArthur Fund for Arts and Culture at Prince, New England Foundation for the Arts, The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, The Irving Harris Foundation, National Performance Network and the Arts Midwest Touring Fund. Additional funding is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Illinois Arts Council. Special thanks to Friends of The Dance Center. For information, call 312-369-8330 or visit colum.edu/dancecenter.

Registration and performance Admission: The Dance Center's 2014 Afro-Latin@ Diaspora Summer Dance Intensive takes place July 7-18. For a detailed schedule of classes, pricing for classes and workshops or tickets to the public performances, email colum.edu/2014afro-latin, or call 312-369-8330.