Winifred Haun & Dancers Unveils 2026-27 Season Featuring World Premieres and More

Contemporary dance company Winifred Haun & Dancers has revealed its 2026–2027 performance season, featuring world premieres, celebrated repertory, new work by Chicago area choreographers, and the next generation of professional dance artists. Throughout the season, WH&D encourages audiences to consider with us how dance offers reflection, resilience, and hope during these uncertain times.

HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN: DANCES FOR THESE TIMES

How the Light Gets In: dances for these times
October 24–25, 2026
Ruth Page Center for the Arts
1016 N. Dearborn Street, Chicago

The Season opens with How the Light Gets In: dances for these times, which presents two world premieres and the return of Trashed, an audience favorite recognized for its innovative fusion of contemporary dance and circus arts. Choreographed by Winifred Haun and renowned Australian Circus Artist Emma Serjeant, Trashed is a MacArthur Foundation Award-winning work that combines athletic contemporary dance with circus-inspired movement to examine environmental responsibility, community action, and renewal.

Trashed returns to the stage with the full Company, plus two accomplished Chicago circus artists, Robert 'Lion' Bershadsky, and Amanda Rodriguez. Its return offers longtime Company fans the opportunity to revisit one of the Company's most popular works, while introducing new audiences to its creative storytelling and dynamic physicality.

Renowned Chicago choreographer, Regina Charly-Beth premieres Traces from Before, a group work that is both a reflection and an urgent meditation on memory, inheritance, and collective responsibility. Rooted in African-derived movement principles, Traces from Before re-centers diasporic physical language as foundational knowledge rather than peripheral influence.

Artistic Director Winifred Haun premieres The Middle of Forever, a new work for eight dancers that explores our longing to perceive what lies just beyond reach. The choreography inhabits the space between knowing and not knowing, reflecting on the human impulse to seek truth even when it is deliberately obscured. Richly physical and quietly profound, the work asks audiences to consider what remains invisible—and what it takes to keep searching.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

Saturday, October 24, 2026 – 7:30 PM
Sunday, October 25, 2026 – 3:00 PM

Tickets:

• General Admission: $39
• Two-Ticket Package: $70 ($35 each)
• Four-Ticket Package: $128 ($32 each)

Tickets are available at: https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/winifredhaun/how-the-light-gets-in

VIP PRE-PERFORMANCE RECEPTION

Saturday, October 24 | 6:00 PM

Audience members are invited to begin the evening with an intimate pre-show gathering featuring wine, refreshments, a special gift, and the opportunity to meet the Company's artists before the performance.

$70 per person

Reservations: https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/winifredhaun/how-the-light-gets-in

CONTEMPORARY DANCE MASTER CLASS

Sunday, October 25 | 1:00 PM
Dancers with prior training are invited to take class with members of Winifred Haun & Dancers before attending the afternoon performance.
$35, includes the master class and performance admission.

Reserve your place: https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/winifredhaun/how-the-light-gets-in

COMMUNITY DANCER PROJECT

For ages 9–18

Young dancers have the unique opportunity to rehearse and perform onstage with Winifred Haun & Dancers as part of Trashed. Participants will learn Company choreography through three rehearsals and a dress rehearsal before joining the professional cast in performance.

Registration & More details: https://forms.gle/aTDmKskBy8ipLJMj6

FIRST DRAFT 2027: NEW WORKS BY CHICAGO AREA DANCEMAKERS

Saturday, March 6, 2027 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 7, 2027 at 3:00 p.m.
Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn, Chicago

Returning for its ninth season, FIRST DRAFT showcases nearly completed new works by twelve diverse Chicago-area choreographers. Selected artists, to be announced in November, present original dances in a professionally produced performance environment.

The program serves as a vital creative springboard, providing choreographers and dancers with the opportunity to create and refine new work, while giving viewers an inside look at the artistic process. FIRST DRAFT has become an important incubator for innovative contemporary dance in Chicago and a beloved community platform for discovering the city's next generation of choreographic voices.

PERSISTENT SPRING 2027

Friday, May 28, 2027 at 7:30 p.m.
Ruth Page Center for the Arts, Chicago

Winifred Haun & Dancers joins the acclaimed Chicago Movement Collective (CMC) for the fourth annual Persistent Spring, celebrating the accomplishments of emerging professional dancers participating in Winifred Haun & Dancers professional training program, 3rd Coast Contemporary Dance, and CMC's Claire Bataille Legacy Scholarship program.

Designed for experienced dancers ages 17–26, these highly respected programs provide affordable professional-level training and mentorship. More than 90 percent of program graduates are now dancing professionally throughout Chicago, New York City, and the Midwest.

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