Chicago Dancemakers Forum Announces The 2019 Lab Artists

Chicago Dancemakers Forum announces the six recipients of the 2019 Lab Artist Awards. Anjal Chande, Jane Jerardi, Mitsu Salmon, Vershawn Sanders-Ward, Darling Shear, and Nejla Yatkin will each receive a cash grant of $15,000 combined with mentorship and collegial exchange throughout a year of artistic exploration. The Chicago Dancemakers Forum staff and consortium leadership support the artists as they research, develop, and present new dance works.

Chicago Dancemakers Forum fuels the field of dance by stimulating and nourishing the artistic and professional development of Chicago's individual dancemakers. Since its inception in 2003, Chicago Dancemakers Forum has granted over $1 million to artists and is the single largest, local source of support for the city's dancemakers which has an open call for applications.

Chicago Dancemakers' Lab Artists program is unique in its emphasis on an extended period of creative research. The Lab Artists are selected for the quality of their work, the distinctness of their vision, and their potential for artistic growth. Each of them has identified a unique path of artistic inquiry for the year which will lead to the creation of a new dance. By engaging leaders in the field in dialogue with the artists, the Lab Artists program fosters excellence, innovation, and connectivity in the field of dance. Past Chicago Dancemakers Forum Lab awardees vary in age, gender, race, and dance discipline. They work in tap, bharatanatyam, butoh, burlesque, Chicago Footwork, dance for the camera, voguing, classical Japanese, West African, contemporary, and more.

Executive Director Ginger Farley shares, "We are thrilled to announce these six Lab Artists. Each has a unique and distinctive choreographic voice and together provide a rich array of dance disciplines and human perspectives reflective of the city and the time that we live in."

The 2019 Lab Artists will be recognized during the 2019 Awards Celebration and Benefit on Thursday, July 11, 5:30-8:30 PM at The Arts Club of Chicago, 201 E. Ontario, Chicago, IL 60611.