Red Clay Dance

Vershawn Sanders (Chicago, IL) founded Red Clay Dance Company in 2008 with the expressed purpose of using dance as a vehicle for change and to give a voice to those rarely heard. Comprising the company are: Red Clay Dance, a professional touring ensemble of seven women; the Red Clay Dance Youth Ensemble, who train and perform in preparation to pursue careers in dance; and a dance development extension, which hosts residencies, workshops, lectures and demonstrations to increase exposure to dance for residents of Chicago-- specifically the Greater Grand Crossings, Woodlawn, Hyde Park and Bronzeville neighborhoods of Chicago's South Side.

In November 2010, Vershawn Sanders' 2009 Harlem Stage Choreography Award winning solo piece "New World Afrikan" premiered at Keiga Dance Company's inaugural Dance Transitions Festival in Kampala, Uganda. Since that auspicious introduction, founder and Artistic Director of Keiga Dance Company, Jonas Byaruhanga, has worked collaboratively with Red Clay Dance founder and Artistic Director Vershawn Sanders to create choreographic projects and dance residencies in the USA and Uganda to expand opportunities and resources for African and African Diaspora artists.

In its two-year history, the company has received support from Harlem Stage New York, 651 Arts and the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs. www.redclaydance.com