On August 28, 2026, Chicago Black Dance Legacy Project will return to the Joan W. and Irving B. Harris Theater for Music and Dance for a special, one-night performance.
Titled ‘Dancing the Archive: Embodied Histories, Collective Power,’ the program will showcase ten Black dance companies and in turn honors Chicago’s inaugural Legacy Bearers, trailblazers of various fields who have contributed to the fabric of the city.
Each of the works comprising the program will explore a different theme, and will honor a different Legacy Bearer, creating a performed archive exploring some of the city’s history.
“Powerful, moving, and unapologetically beautiful, ‘Dancing the Archive’ is more than a performance—it is an experience!” says company co-directors Mashaune Hardy and Kevin Iega Jeff in a press release. “As a celebration of Black creativity, cultural memory, and collective possibility, this dynamic program invites audiences to witness how legacy lives not only in the past, but in the bodies, imaginations, and communities carrying it forward. And this year, we are honored to pay tribute to ten invaluable contributors to Chicago’s civic ecosystem with our first-ever Legacy Bearers recognitions and have collaborated with each organization to present a related work.”
Tickets and further details can be found on Chicago Black Dance Legacy Project’s website.