Knox College partnered with Aerial Dance Chicago to host a dance residency from April 10-15, 2023. Professional dancers on the Aerial Dance Chicago team spent the week working alongside Knox students in workshops and artist talks. The team also guided Knox dancers in using silk climbing ropes, a stage apparatus used during Aerial Dance Chicago’s live performances.

Six Knox students, five dancers and one lighting designer, were selected to participate in the final residency performance held at the Orpheum Theatre on Saturday, April 15. These students auditioned for the professional troupe at the start of spring term and were hand-selected to participate in the public performance. 

Aicha Chehmani ’24 was selected as a dancer and spent three hours practicing each day of the residency to learn the routine. Though the week was physically exhausting, they felt every practice session was energized by the movement of the art and the enthusiasm displayed by Aerial Dance Chicago Choreographer Lauren Reed.

“I think this will be one of the highlights of my Knox career,” Chehmani said. “It was such a unique opportunity. I didn’t know I wanted to dance when I came to Knox, and now it’s taken over my whole life.” 

The Knox student performance, titled "What You Got," was one of 10 pieces performed at the show. The student dancers held long wooden poles called free barrés to prop themselves up in skillful postures, while moving to a choreographed rhythm to tell a story. 

In the other pieces, Aerial Dance performers utilized a number of on-stage peripherals, including free barrés, hanging silks, and swinging apparatuses to enhance the performance. 

Marina Hope ’24 says this was her first chance to perform at the Orpheum. To do so for a sold-out audience was an unforgettable moment for her. “I learned so much about what it means to dance in a professional company and how many possibilities I have in the dance world after I graduate from Knox. It was also amazing to experiment with new dance techniques such as the free barrés and silks,” Hope said. “I feel very affirmed as a dancer after this experience and inspired to keep growing and learning.”

Madelyn Pellegrino ’26, who danced alongside Hope, shared that the residency helped her fall further in love with the art form and grow as a dancer. “I realized that it is okay to be seen and that dance is such a big part of my life. Being able to learn a dance, develop a skill, and perform in five days, I feel like I can do anything,” Pellegrino said. 

Tristan Blus ’23 worked as a lighting designer. He says the challenges of designing the show were numerous, and he learned an incredible amount while working alongside Aerial Dance Chicago Production Director Kip Conwell ’98 and Artistic Director Chole Jensen, as well as Orpheum Theatre Technical Director and Facility Manager Ross McIntire.

“Working in an unfamiliar space is always a unique challenge as a designer. However, Ross, Kip, and Chloe made it a very relaxed and fun environment to work in,” Blus said. 

For Director Conwell, the opportunity to bring the dance company he cofounded with Jensen in 1999 back to his alma mater was exciting. He says he’s proud of Aerial Dance Chicago's work over the last two decades. He was especially impressed with the excitement he saw from the Knox community during the week. 

“Knox taught me how to be determined and how to work through my problems,” Conwell said. “It gave me the confidence to get things done. Coming back, I really do love seeing people on that same journey. I can see their enthusiasm. It’s nice to share in that passion.”