2025 has been an amazing year for Zephyr! The company toured to Santa Cruz, performed in the second annual 3320 Dance Festival and welcomed over 20 artists to SITE/less.

Read on for the details!

Zephyr premiered Ballad of a Dying Hapsburg, Study #2 in the 3320 Festival!

Zephyr director Michelle Kranicke premiered a new study for her Ballad of a Dying Hapsburg project. Tristan Burns wrote on See Chicago Dance that the work, "builds as high as an iceberg" and not to miss next year's 3320 as it is a "ripe opportunity to feed the imagination." Zephyr shared the festival with Same Planet Performance Project, Joesph Ravens, Ishti Collective, Jackie Stewart, Damon Green and Torrence "Tea Buggz" Griffin.

photos: Vin Reed

Santa Cruz Tour

Zephyr brought its reimagined version of Shadows Across Our Eyes to Sartori Arts in Santa Cruz, CA. The company performed with several local singers and poets.

photo: courtesy of Zephyr Dance

Festival of Holes

In spring 2025 Bridge Chicago and SITE/less presented the second annual Bridge Film and Video Festival screening event featuring 10 short international films from the U.S., Japan, Portugal, Argentina, and more along with a series of poetry and prose readings curated by Meghan Lamb featuring National Book Award winner Daniel Borzutzky, NEA Creative Writing Fellow Amanda Goldblatt, and Chicago authors Margaret Hawkins, Jeff Wolf, Ben Niespodziany, Logan Berry and Anne Yoder. 

La Rentrée

Zephyr Director Michelle Kranicke and Defibrillator Gallery Director Joseph Ravens collaborated to curate La Rentrée, a conceptual reception inspired by Fluxus concepts, DIY resourcefulness and a return to gathering for the fall performing season. SITE/less architect David Sundry created a new architectural/media pavilion for a

multi-channel video installation of work by Zephyr and Ravens. Performance artist Alberto Aguilar and dance artist Jyldo added to the live events for the evening.

photos: Courtesy of Zephyr Dance

top l., top r. : SITE/less architectural pavilion, multi-channel video installation

bottom r., bottom l. : Alberto Aguilar installation, Jyldo

Chaosophy

Curated by John Thomure and presented by SITE/less Chaosophy was an evening of performance and music featuring Verónica Casado Hernández, Aza Greenlee, Radu Nistoroiu, and Unenthused Groupie performing works about hysteria, desperation, and surviving in the midst of a collapsing society.

photos: courtesy of Zephyr Dance

top l. to r. : Veronica Casado, Radu Nistoroiu

bottom l. to r. : Aza Greenlee, Unenthused Groupie

Articles and reviews

In addition to performing and curating SITE/less directors Michelle Kranicke and David Sundry have been busy writing articles and reviews for Bridge Magazine. Michelle wrote the review for the Blondell Cummings' retrospective Dance as Moving Pictures. David wrote reviews for the Frederick Kiesler's Visionary Machines at the Graham Foundation, Michelangelo Sabatino's book The Edith Farnsworth House and Hal Foster's Fail Better: Reckoning with Artists and Critics.

Mark Your Calendars in 2026!

February 21-March 15, 2026 the Evanston Art Center presents Choreographic Place: a re-envisioning retrospective of the architectural installations conceived and built by SITE/less

co-director David Sundry for Zephyr’s dance productions over the past 10 years. The retrospective will include performances by Zephyr artists, invited guests and local youth ensembles.

October 16 & 17, 23 & 24, 2026 the third 3320 Dance Festival.

Thank you for all of your support throughout this year!

From all of us at Zephyr we send our wishes to you and yours for a joyous holiday season and a very happy and healthy New Year!

If your end of year budget allows, we would be honored if you would consider a donation to support Zephyr's artistry and SITE/less performance gallery. 

We are small, but mighty; committed to art and serious aesthetic inquiry and to supporting experimental artists in Chicago.

We are deeply grateful for any amount you can give!

Give safely though PayPal by clicking the button above

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Zelle: michelle@zephyrdance.com

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send a check to:

Zephyr Dance

1627 N. Oakley

Chicago, IL 60647