The work is very fittingly called the beginning.– speaking to the notion that as one door closes, another more magnificent door opens if we have the courage to enter.
We are all born into this world with a purpose. Sometimes people have to live a lot of life to find out what that is; some others have known since childhood. Once we think we know what that is, there is the question then of how do we act to actualize this purpose? If we are lucky, maybe there is the right support and guidance in our lives to show us that path. More often than not though, the answer to this question comes with some hardship – it takes over coming great challenges and under going great changes before those signs come into view and we are courageous enough to follow them.
In early 2019, Kaytee Cox and Ally Sanov founded a brand new Chicago based contemporary dance company, forward. the movement. Both women experienced significant challenges and changes in 2018, but as best friends they found the support they needed in each other to enter this year stronger than ever. They share an equal passion for dance which made their friendship bloom years earlier. These were the driving factors that led these young artists to take action on their individual purposes, but they decided they would do it together. Kaytee has a passion for dance choreography and administration, while Ally’s passion is dance education and outreach. They realized they were the perfect partners to spearhead this new endeavor to create something beautiful for themselves, for the five other dancers they would bring into the company, and for the entire dance community. They were confident in the knowledge that they would never be alone in their efforts.
They share an equal passion for dance which made their friendship bloom years earlier. They realized they were the perfect partners to spearhead this new endeavor to create something beautiful for themselves, for the five other dancers they would bring into the company, and for the entire dance community.
forward. the movement will debut their first evening length work on April 25 and 26, 2019 at Hamlin Park Field House Theater at 7:30pm. The work is very fittingly called the beginning.– speaking to the notion that as one door closes, another more magnificent door opens if we have the courage to enter. forward. the movement is building the foundation to become a strong pillar of support for the dancers in our community, sending a message of empowerment, purpose, love, growth, and friendship. The fill the void for truly uplifting work in our contemporary dance scene and are creating a judgement free performance space where all are welcome.
DancerMusic Writer Crystal Gurrola was able to chat with Kaytee and Ally about the excitement of launching a new company and about the debut performance. Here is what they told us:
The seven women of forward. the movement are completely individual, but have the same heart for the dance community. We believe that better days are ahead of us than what’s behind us.
Crystal Gurrola: You are a brand new company of fearless women who are passionate about making a positive impact on the dance community. What is that mission and purpose that drives the work you do? How does purpose-driven dance show up differently on stage and in the community?
Ally Sanov: The mission and heartbeat of forward. the movement is to empower the individual by cultivating their unique purpose. Through movement exploration and dance education, our goal is to move humanity forward into a vision of hope. Through our performances, we aim to donate the money we raise to fund an underprivileged child in the Chicago dance community. We believe in giving back to a community that has given us so much, not only though providing quality dance education, but also making work that is purpose driven and relatable to all audiences.
The seven women of forward. the movement are completely individual, but have the same heart for the dance community. We believe that the work we are presenting in our show, the beginning. is important because it not only shows our individual talents, but our hearts. It shows what we have been through to get to where we are, and also where we want to go in the future. We believe that better days are ahead of us than what’s behind us. We think this shows up differently onstage because it’s something everyone needs. We all need healing. We all need to know that we have a specific call on our lives. We all need to know that we are valued and that our stories have importance. We want the audience to walk away with a sense of knowing that they never have to walk alone.
By creating a welcoming and supportive environment, every choreographer felt free to create but also wanted to make something of substance because of the mutual respect we all have for each other. The fact that we all have put so much into this show is honestly my favorite part about it.
Crystal Gurrola: In a debut performance, there can certainly be pressure involved in showing audiences who you are for the first time – a very vulnerable moment which you’ve accepted so whole-heartedly by sharing individual stories that comprise the whole. This gives audiences what I believe will be a vivid and accurately embodied depiction of who you are. Who are the choreographers of the beginning.? How did that come to be and what themes and processes did these choreographers work with?
Kaytee Cox: In the early stages of creating the show, Ally and I both knew that we wanted this show to be about the idea of change. We both had been through so much change in the past two years and realized that a lot of times change may be hard, but it also means the beginning of something new. When we came up with this concept, we knew we wanted to use a piece that I had choreographed a few years ago centered around change. In our very first rehearsal, we started working on that piece but also had a discussion with our dancers about the meaning of our work and what that meant to them. When we talked about it, it was clear that everyone had been through this (or is going through something similar currently) and we realized how powerful it would be to share all of our stories – not just mine and Ally’s.
That rehearsal we offered our dancers an opportunity to choreograph, and almost everyone expressed interest. It was an interesting collaboration because we wanted the show to fit seamlessly together around the common theme, but we wanted to give the dancers the freedom to have a voice in their art as choreographers. We started by creating a doodle board and seeing when people were available. We then assigned choreographers groups based on availability and the way we wanted it to move from the piece I had created. Once we started piecing the choreography together, it all just fit perfectly. I think by creating a welcoming and supportive environment, every choreographer felt free to create, but also wanted to make something of substance because of the mutual respect we all have for each other. The fact that we all have put so much into this show is honestly my favorite part about it. You’re not just seeing my story or Ally’s story – you’re seeing seven diverse and honest stories woven together in a way that I think every single person can relate to.
We all need healing. We all need to know that we have a specific call on our lives. We all need to know that we are valued and that our stories have importance. We want the audience to walk away with a sense of knowing that they never have to walk alone.
forward. the movement presents the beginning. at on Thursday April 25, 2019 and Friday April 26, 2019 at Hamlin Park Theater (3035 N Hoyne Ave. Chicago, IL) at 7:30pm. Tickets are available here or at the door for $20.00.
All proceeds will support the dance education of a local child.
PHOTOS: All photos by KT Miller Photography
DANCER IDS (from top): (left to right) Founders Kaytee Cox and Ally Sanov | All Company Dancers (left to right) Sarah Glover, Natalie Kirk, Mandie Evans, Ally Sanov, Kaytee Cox, Taylor Craver, Courtney Krachtus | Natalie Kirk | Sarah Glover |
