The magic of creativity abounds here in Chicago and beyond, as dance built here is presented in and for our community, and also shared on the national dance landscape and the international dance circuit. 

Our inaugural New Dances / New Horizons Microgrant recipients have been wonderfully busy sharing their inspiring creative projects and voices in an array of venues throughout

Chicago and beyond! In addition, Thodos Dance Chicago is excited to return to the national dance scene, traveling to Omaha, Nebraska, to reset A Light in the Dark, The Story of Helen Keller and Ann Sullivan on the American Midwest Ballet. I’ll be joined by very special TDC alumni and original cast members, and we, together, can’t wait to bring this piece back to the stage for live audiences to experience and enjoy. Read on!!

Alissa Tollefson (left) and Jessica Miller Tomlinson (right). Photo by Cheryl Mann

Thodos Dance Chicago is on the go in August, traveling to Omaha, Nebraska, to set A Light in the Dark, The Story of Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan on American Midwest Ballet for their fall 2026 season.  

This special story of how Helen navigated the hearing/sight world, captivated the world in the early 1900’s. It was first a book, then a Broadway play, then a movie featuring Patty Duke as the young Helen Keller, for which she won the Academy Award for best supporting actress. Melissa Thodos and Ann Reinking, together, were inspired to create this timeless story through the medium of dance, and in 2013, A Light in the Dark received its world premiere in Chicago. Of the work, Dance Magazine wrote “The larger-than-life gestural language of the choreography weaves a tale with almost a mythic tone that gives us new insight into Helen’s world.” The Chicago Tribune wrote, “The dancing is lilting and infectious, glossed with a warm evocation of the past, and old-fashioned storytelling arts, not often seen in choreography today.” The Chicago Sun-Times ranked the work #2 among the leading 2013 dance events in Chicago, and the piece toured extensively throughout the US, reaching over 50,000 audience members.

A Light in the Dark will be restaged on American Midwest Ballet by Melissa Thodos, alongside TDC Alumni and original cast members, John Cartwright, Jessica Miller Tomlinson, and Alissa Tollefson.

Stay tuned to learn more about this exciting partnership!

Melissa Thodos (top left) and TDC Alumni John Cartwright (top right)

TDC Alumni Jessica Miller Tomlinson (bottom left) and Alissa Tollefson (bottom right)

New Dances / New Horizons 2026 Grantees, Mark Gonzalez (left)

and Sara Wagenmaker (far right), presenting their works this summer

New Dances / New Horizons 2026 Grantees, Mark Gonzalez and Sara Wagenmaker, members of the inaugural ND / NH cohort, have recently had their work presented in our community!

Mark Gonzalez held SPARK: An Afternoon with Mark Gonzalez and the Cast of Con Ganas on Tuesday, June 23rd, at The Social Dance Studio. This was an informal showing of Mark's restaged work from New Dances 2024 titled Con Ganas. The showing was a send off and a part of the group's final preparation before they embarked on their international tour to South Korea to represent the Chicago Dance Community at ARTSinTANK Dance Festival in Seoul.

Mark Gonzalez (center) and the Con Ganas cast at the ARTSinTANK Dance Festival in Seoul

Sara Wagenmaker premiered HAUGA on June 25 and 26 at Comrade. The piece is a dance duet where two people put together an IKEA table. Throughout the work, a simple task becomes something much more intriguing and complicated, reflecting the precarious navigation of a zero-sum economic system. When instructions prove unhelpful and materials prove insufficient, two dancers must figure out a balance as personal friends, professional competitors, and two individuals trying to find an ethical way forward.

Stay tuned to learn more about upcoming performances and showings by this year's talented cohort of ND / NH grantees!

 Sara Wagenmaker (left) and Sophie Minouche Allen (right), getting ready to perform HUAGA

It takes a village to bring New Dances / New Horizons to life, and we are grateful for your thoughtful consideration to invest in our shared creative future in our pilot year.

In 2025, TDC announced New Dances / New Horizons (ND / NH), a new initiative providing support for early-career, Chicago-based choreographers through project-based microgrants. ND / NH continues TDC’s goal to enrich and serve our vibrant commUNITY by shining a light on artists’ creativity and supporting opportunities for their continued growth, while building upon the New Dances legacy of developing choreographic talent in the Chicagoland community!

Make your presence felt by sponsoring a Wish List item for New Dances / New Horizons. Select an item to support, and let’s do the Happy Dance together!

Thank you for being part of Thodos Dance Chicago’s family of supporters.  #SupportTheHeARTS