wake up! waltz
Wake Up! Waltz is a rooftop dance series appearing across Chicago’s South Shore, Uptown and Logan Square neighborhoods with 32 performances over 4 consecutive weeks during the weekday morning rush hour for urban commuters.
Debuting in 2013, this dynamic, multi-site project transforms the way urban residents connect with one another, their city, the workday and the world by repeating performances of the waltz infused with jazz, hip-hop and latin dance in the most unlikely of places at the most unexpected time of day.
producer + director
ROLE
Oversaw the entirety of production from concept design through to execution. Secured contractors, studio facility rental, location scouting, scheduling, contracts and permitting, community engagement and buy-in, fundraising and sponsorship, media/press/marketing, project documentation, safety logistics, payroll and invoicing.
sadie monroe, claire henry
betty udesen
katherine hill, garrett kling
COSTUME DESIGN
PHOTOGRAPHY
CHOREOGRAPHY
what if every day began with a waltz?
When I first landed in Chicago, I didn’t know a soul. As I made my way through the city each morning on the red line from my small apartment in the northern suburbs, I pondered the industrious, flat horizon of coach houses and low-rise commercial zoning.
I looked around at my fellow commuters, heads down in their phones, and imagined turning the drab horizon into a colorful landscape of performances, unplugging commuters and upending the possibilities of our daily routine. A short 8 months later, Wake Up! Waltz debuted across Chicago with critical praise from local, national and international media outlets, business owners, community groups and residents alike.
south shore
Performances in Chicago’s South Shore took place on the rooftop of The Scentuary, a local wellness business founded in 2005. We worked closely with business owner Robin Boyd, as well as the South Shore community, to curate volunteers and garner enthusiasm for the project in the neighborhood. The site targeted pedestrian, vehicle and bus commuters moving along the 71st street corridor.
uptown
Our Northside location combined two rooftop sites, one residential and one commercial, situated on opposite sides of Chicago’s red line just north of the Wilson Street station. Performances were timed with the arrival and departure of commuter trains, visible from the station waiting area and surrounding office and residential buildings. This site was made possible with support from local business owners and the Uptown Chamber of Commerce.
logan square
Performances in Chicago’s northwest side took place at the Haas Park field house in Logan Square, in partnership with Chicago Park District. This park district location reached pedestrian commuters as they made their way to the California blue line station, in addition to bike and vehicle traffic on Fullerton Avenue.
