Chicago Dancemakers Forum

04/02/2026

📢 Announcing the 2026 Dance Project Grant Recipients

Join us in celebrating the ten 2026 Dance Project Grant Recipients:

✨ La Cookout by Amanda Ramirez
✨ TZINELAS by Anniela Huidobro Castro
✨ little fears by Ashwaty Chennat
✨ MATADORA by Camila Rivero Pooley aka INSÉKTA
✨ SWIS)HER by J’Sun Howard
✨ Untitled (Elephant) by Lin Hixson and Every house has a door
✨ Swine Ball by Nora Sharp
✨ Pleasure Power Portal by Meida McNeal and Honey Pot Performance
✨ Chicago Footworkology Week by Mike D Chicago and Creative Netwerk
✨ Untitled by Zachary Nicol with Anna Martine Whitehead and Tara Aisha Willis


Chicago Dancemakers Forum (CDF) is excited to announce the recipients of the inaugural Dance Project Grants Program. Ten dancemakers have been awarded $10,000 USD to produce a dance performance or event between April 2026 and March 2027. A new program for CDF, the Dance Project Grants are specifically designed to stimulate Chicago’s dance ecosystem with ten live performance events, in varying venues and environments across the city. This program responds to the critical precarity of US arts infrastructures and funding, with immediate financial support for Chicago’s dancemakers.

With this program, Chicago Dancemakers Forum explicitly recognizes, values, and uplifts artists who are challenging the status quo and thinking beyond the bounds of singular forms, styles, practices, and presentations. As public funding for the arts continues to be broadly controlled and diminished, Chicago Dancemakers Forum maintains its steadfast support for professional dancemakers whose work takes risks and expands ideas about the political potential of bodies in motion, and affirms community through performance.

CONGRATULATIONS DANCEMAKERS!

12/23/2025

📣 Chicago Dancemakers Forum announces Dance Project Grants in 2026. This new project funding provides ten individual dancemakers with $10,000 to produce a dance performance or event within one year of the grant agreement. In addition to the project funding, Chicago Dancemakers Forum will provide basic marketing support and video documentation of the final project. APPLICATIONS OPEN FRIDAY, JANUARY 2ND. APPLICATIONS DUE MONDAY, FEBRUARY 2ND. Virtual info session on Thursday, January 8 at 12pm. Applicant support will be available during drop-in office hours at the end of January. More information on our website.
https://chicagodancemakers.org/show-item/dance-project-grants/

06/24/2025

Apply!

Illinois Arts Council Announces Fiscal Year 2026 Creative Projects Grant Guidelines

The Illinois Arts Council (IAC) is pleased to announce the release of the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Creative Projects Grant (CPG) guidelines. The goal of CPG is to provide up to $12,000 to support art projects for Illinois artists, eligible not-for-profit organizations, municipal entities, or colleges and universities. CPG projects must culminate with a public release or presentation of the work accomplished during the grant period.

Applications will be available in IAC’s Salesforce grant portal beginning Tuesday, July 1, 2025.

CPG is an open deadline grant program. Applications will be accepted until allotted funds have been expended. Each IAC region has its own allocation of funds. Funds will be expended at varying rates and regions will close to new applications at different times. Please check the IAC website before applying to see if funds are available for your region.

In FY26 CPG replaces the Creative Catalyst Grant and absorbs the Folk Arts Mentorship grant program. Ethnic, Folk, or Traditional artists interested in mentorship or project funding are encouraged to apply through CPG.

Applications must be submitted to the IAC’s Salesforce grant portal a minimum of 8-weeks prior to the start date for the arts project being submitted for IAC funding.

A pre-recorded webinar is available on IAC’s website. The IAC will also host a series of “Drop-In'' sessions to answer any questions you may have. Drop-in sessions are one-hour sessions that have no agenda. Participants may ask questions of the participating Program Staff and get answers in real time. Drop-ins do not require pre-registration. Simply click the link at the time of the meeting to join the call via WebEx.

Visit the Creative Project Grants webpage for details:
https://arts.illinois.gov/granting-opportunities/grants-programs/creative-projects-grant.html

For more information, please contact your Regional Program Director:
https://arts.illinois.gov/about-iac/staff/grant-staff-locator.html

06/12/2025

📣 ICYMI: The June newsletter is out!
https://chicagodancemakersforum.cmail20.com/t/t-e-gyddlly-tdlyhlhjky-hy/

Monthly news, opportunities, and resources from Chicago Dancemakers Forum, plus updates from the following artists:
✨ 2025 Lab Artists kittymahari and and 2023 Lab Artist presenting at
✨ Anniela Huidobro
✨ Silvita Diaz Brown
✨ Vershawn Sanders Ward &
✨Luke Greef &
✨ Lane Alexander
✨ Carrie Hanson &
✨ Julia Antonick & Jonathan Meyer
✨Jan Bartoszek
✨ J'Sun Howard
✨ Litebulb
✨ Rachel Damon .arts

[Image credits and descriptions in comments. Alt Text embedded.]

06/04/2025

Don't miss ✨ 2024 DanceChance artist Jessica-Jess Martin 's new work at Links Hall this weekend!

This Friday through Sunday, join us for EXPLORATION: An Evening of Dance, Discovery, Creativity & Fun!

This year's EXPLORATION, created by Jess Martin, focuses The Human Body and what the Human Experience means to all of us. Through choreographed and improvised movement, EXPLORATION aims to affect the people's perception about disabilities, tell a a story, and inspire the audience to have fun!

EXPLORATION is designed to be inclusive. Large print programs are also available upon request. Please contact Links Hall’s Programs Associate, Dana Pepowski, at [email protected] to make accessibility requests or for more information.

It's going to be a great weekend. Get your ticket now at www.linkshall.org/upcoming-events !

01/28/2025

Transitions ahead for Chicago Dancemakers Forum; read the full letter from executive director Joanna Furnans at this link: https://bit.ly/4aIP5Uw. Join us in celebrating, uplifting, and thanking Shawn Lent and La Mar Brown for their phenomenal work with Chicago Dancemakers Forum. They are remarkable artists, administrators, colleagues, and friends who have helped build and strengthen the Chicago dance ecosystem through their work with CDF and beyond. 👏👏👏

PC Matt Marion

01/09/2025

Jessica-Jess Martin is currently looking for dancers to begin rehearsals for their project 2025 EXPLORATION, hopefully produced at Links Hall in early June. They are looking for dancers of all abilities, genders, and dancers who have experience in the following areas: modern dance, contact improvisation, contemporary, and Laban. Paid opportunity. Contact Jess http://www.facebook.com/exploration17 .exploration for more information.

🎥 Jessica-Jess Martin with Milo Sachse-Hofheimer, Catherine Hepler, Ashaand Simone, and Frances Swain work-in-progress during DanceChance March 2024 at in partnership with . Video by Janice Cho .

🎵: “Spooky Toy" by Aidan Kane Munn and "Grande Salto 2" by Divan Gattamorta. Music editing by Benjamin Brimer

01/08/2025

Lucky Plush Productions is proud to present the premiere performance of Knockout, created by Erin Kilmurray (2020 Lab Artist) and Kara Brody, at Steppenwolf 1700 LookOut Series from January 24-25 + 27 (industry night), January 31-February 2.

>>> luckyplush.com/knockout

Tickets are going fast -> stay tuned to for in-progress updates, artist spotlights and more!

📸 PC: Sarah Elizabeth Larson, Kara Brody (left) + Erin Kilmurray (right)

12/20/2024

Chicago Dancemakers Forum will be on winter break from Dec 23, 2024 to Jan 1, 2025.

We wish all who celebrate a Happy Winter Solstice! Merry Christmas! Hanukkah sameach! Heri za Kwanzaa! Happy New Year! May the season bring peace, care, joy, and dance.

12/18/2024

2019 Lab Artist Vershawn Sanders-Ward is the 2024 Chicagoan of the Year in Dance

Vershawn Sanders-Ward is laser-focused on leaving the dance world a better place than she found it.