HISTORY
COMPANY HISTORY
Deeply Rooted Dance Theater was co-founded by Kevin Iega Jeff and Gary Abbott with LaVerne Alaphaire Jeff, Diane Shober, and Linda Spriggs and made its public debut in 1996. Jeff, who founded JUBILATION! Dance Company in New York City in 1982, came to Chicago in 1994, to take over as artistic director of Joseph Holmes Chicago Dance Theatre, joined shortly thereafter by Abbott, Laverne Jeff, Shober and Spriggs. Building on the philosophical and organizational foundation of JUBILATION!, Jeff provided the catalyst for drawing together the synergy of artistic and administrative talents that comprise Deeply Rooted. Adopting Jeff’s lifetime commitment to the "process" of art, Deeply Rooted was established to create an environment where all parties are central to the work and the team concept of managing and directing is realized. By incorporating these basic rituals into every aspect of the organization, Deeply Rooted allows those involved an opportunity to grow intellectually, physically, and spiritually, thus contributing to the evolutionary continuum and creating the legacy that is Deeply Rooted.
Deeply Rooted performs nationally and internationally, connecting with diverse audiences through universal and soul-stirring themes. In Chicago, Deeply Rooted has performed at the Auditorium Theatre, the Shubert Theater, the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago, the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, and the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, among other venues. Nationally, the company has performed at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (Newark, NJ), the Apollo Theater (New York, NY), Brooklyn Academy of Music (Brooklyn, NY), Detroit Music Hall (Detroit, MI), National Performance Network Conference (Los Angeles, CA), Pepperdine University (Los Angeles, CA), and more. DRDT became the first U.S.-based dance company to perform in South Africa as part of JOMBA!, Africa’s leading contemporary dance festival. The company has also performed in South Africa, Canada, Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Switzerland.
DANCE EDUCATION
Deeply Rooted’s dance education programs launched with residencies at St Ambrose Church and School, Maggie Daley's Gallery 37 Summer Program, North Lawndale Elementary Schools, South Shore Cultural Center, Urban Gateways, and a pre-professional training program at Truman College. As these community-based partnerships continued, Deeply Rooted took up residence with Ballet Chicago, a partnership that has lasted for nearly 25 years and included multiple locations in Chicago’s Loop, leading to the current space at 17 N. State Street. Deeply Rooted’s core dance education programs include the year-long Company Apprentice program, Emerging Artists Ensemble, Youth Ensemble, and Mature H.O.T. Women and the season Summer Dance Intensive/Emerging Choreographers Showcase.
Next in the development of Deeply Rooted’s educational initiatives is planning for the Deeply Rooted Dance Center (DRDC), which will be an internationally renowned home for dance and a dynamic, intergenerational community hub of cultural engagement and education for all ages. Its model dance facility and program will set the industry standard for rigorous technique in Black dance and amplify the global impact of Chicago’s South Side dance community. The DRDC will be a wide-reaching and vibrant, thriving network of dance partners, deeply investing in and supporting its surrounding neighborhoods. Through avocational, pre-professional, and professional dance education, the DRDC will facilitate community growth by cultivating communication, discipline, critical thought, and reflection. By encouraging creative exploration, the DRDC will nurture transformation that creates dynamic change in our artists, our communities and our city.