Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre Reveals 2025–2026 Season Featuring Inaugural Latinx/e Contemporary Movement Festival
Season includes performances across Chicago, world premieres, and a powerful celebration of identity, empathy, and community.
By: A.A. Cristi Jul. 30, 2025
Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre (CRDT) has announced its 2025–2026 season, a dynamic slate of programming that reflects the company’s mission to explore identity through movement and music. The season will feature free performances across Chicago through Night Out in the Parks and Navy Pier’s Chicago Live!, the return of the interactive Inside/Out series, the debut of the Latinx/e Contemporary Movement Festival, and the 2026 Spring Concert Series featuring three world premieres. Full details and ticket information can be found at CerquaRivera.org.
“This year, audiences will experience even deeper connections through Inside/Out and community engagement, and a larger company that mirrors the beautiful diversity of our hometown,” said Artistic Director and Co-founder Wilfredo Rivera. “CRDT opens new paths for empathy and understanding—whether one is experiencing a story that resonates or one that offers insight into something new.”
The season kicks off August 15 with The Heart of the Story, part of the City of Chicago’s Night Out in the Parks series, and continues through May 2026 with the Spring Concert Series, which will feature premieres by Shannon Alvis, Monique Haley, Wilfredo Rivera, and Joe Cerqua.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 2025–2026 SEASON
Night Out in the Parks: THE HEART OF THE STORY
Aug. 15 – Meyering Park
Sept. 12 – Austin Town Hall
Oct. 10 – Douglass Park
Free performances featuring CRDT dancers and musicians performing works drawn from the company’s repertoire and shaped by the identities of local communities.
Inside/Out: MOVEMENT ON MONTROSE
Thursday, Aug. 21 at 7:30 p.m. – Logan Foundation Studio
An intimate season opener featuring new works-in-progress and introductions to the 2025–2026 company. Seating is limited and available by reservation at CerquaRivera.org/schedule.
Chicago Live!
Saturday, Sept. 20 at 2:30 p.m. – Navy Pier
CRDT joins over 100 local performing arts groups at Chicago’s largest free performing arts festival.
Latinx/e Contemporary Movement Festival
Saturday, Oct. 11 at 7:30 p.m. – The Ruth Page Center for the Arts
Tickets $38
This brand-new initiative features CRDT and some of Chicago’s premier Latinx choreographers in work addressing immigration, identity, and resistance.
Inside/Out: BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER
February 2026 – Old Town School of Folk Music
A new work by Wilfredo Rivera and Joe Cerqua, inspired by the Simon & Garfunkel classic. Tickets: $15–20.
Inside/Out: TROUBLE IN MIND
Sunday, March 22, 2026 at 3 p.m. – Epiphany Center for the Arts
Choreographed by Monique Haley with original music by Joe Cerqua, this Inside/Out session previews a new piece exploring the cyclical nature of racism and sexism.
CERQUA RIVERA DANCE THEATRE 2026 SPRING CONCERT SERIES
April 30–May 2, 2026 – Location TBA
Featuring three world premieres and one audience favorite:
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Immense World by Shannon Alvis and Joe Cerqua
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Trouble in Mind by Monique Haley and Joe Cerqua
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Bridge Over Troubled Water by Wilfredo Rivera and Joe Cerqua
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A Place Between Earth & Sky (2018) by Shannon Alvis and Clarice Assad
CRDT’s season continues its legacy of telling personal, urgent stories through dance and live music. More information and tickets are available at CerquaRivera.org.
Chicago Awards - Live Stats
Best Musical - Top 3
1.
RENT (Highland Park Players)
7% of votes
2.
HAIRSPRAY (Uptown Music Theater of Highland Park)
6.9% of votes
3.
DREAMGIRLS (The Drama Group)
6.4% of votes
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