Chicago Movement Collective

Join us for our upcoming Clothing Swap!

Saturday, Oct. 17th
10am-2pm
The Chicago Academy for the Arts

Com exchange previously loved clothing and accessories! Anything not swapped will be donated to various organizations in Chicago.

We are so excited to welcome Rachel Schmidt to sub Adv/Pro Ballet on Fridays starting Oct. 9th. Class is 10-11:30am at our weekday location Definition Dance Academy.

More about Rachel:
Rachel Schmidt was born and raised in Santa Cruz, CA and received her early dance training from Robert Kelley and Diane Cypher of Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre. After graduating from Butler University with a degree in Dance she joined the Alonzo King LINES Ballet training program and danced as a company member of dawsondanceSF in San Francisco, CA. She later joined Brooklyn Ballet and Visions Contemporary Ballet in New York, NY and performed at the Guggenheim Museum during Dance Lab NY’s Alchemy Lab Cycle. In 2022 she joined Chicago Repertory Ballet, where she danced for 5 seasons. She has performed in works by Alonzo King, Maurya Kerr, Sidra Bell, Gregory Dawson, Wade Schaaf, Brian Enos, Mike Tyus and Kia Smith. She is the co-founder of SPILL dance etc.ch

Photo by Alexander Diaz

Please join us in welcoming our newest Claire Bataille Legacy Scholarship dancer: Maria Cervi!!

Maria Cervi (she/her) is a dance artist originally from Columbus, Ohio. Growing up her love for dance blossomed at a young age while getting to learn from many choreographers across the country. She graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from Western Michigan University in the spring of 2026. During her time at WMU she got the opportunity to perform works by Peter Chu, Annalee Traylor, Kelsey Paschich, Jeremy Blair, and Kaitlyn Po***ck. While earning her degree, she was chosen to perform alongside Whirlwind Dance Company in their Summer Residency Shows while under the direction of Josh Manculich in 2023 and 2024. Now based in Chicago, she is honored to be a recipient of CMC's Claire Bataille Legacy Scholarship Program and thrilled to continue training and growing in the Chicago dance community.

Photos by Mike Esperanza

Returning this Friday to Contemporary Play is CMC faculty member Xenia Mansour. Catch class with her on Fridays, 11:45am-1:15pm at our weekday location Definition Dance Academy.

More about Xenia:
Xenia Mansour (she/her) is a dancer, mover, and performer based in Chicago and New York City. Originally from Oak Park, IL, Mansour is a graduate of the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. She is currently a member of Katherine Maxwell’s HIVEWILD and performs regularly with experimental dance theater HOLDTIGHT Company in both Denver and New York City. A former company member of BodyStories: Teresa Fellion Dance, she has also worked with Rashaun Mitchell + Silas Riener, Gabrielle Johnson + Artists, Javier Padilla & The Movement Playground, and Angie Moon Dance Theatre. She has performed in a range of stage, site-specific, immersive, film, and fashion work including as a guest dancer and model for Mexican fashion designer Carla Fernández with choreography by Rashaun Mitchell + Silas Riener, and as a feature dancer for CXN’s Fashion Commercial Come With Us choreographed by Katherine Maxwell. She teaches private dance lessons to both kids and adults, focusing on Ballet and Modern techniques, Improvisation, and Choreography. She also works with MOMENTA Dance Company in Oak Park as a mentor and guest teacher for their high schoolers. Off the stage, she curated pop-up contemporary dance events with Hi Artist and Airbnb Experiences. She is an avid boxer and is enthusiastically curious about the intersection of sports and the arts.

We are still reeling from our performance last weekend at Chicago Live! Thank you to everyone who came out to support CMC and all of the performers this year. We had a blast sharing pieces from Persistent Spring featuring our Claire Bataille Legacy Scholarship dancers as well as choreography by Ethan Kirschbaum performed by his Baumschells. Thank you again to Chicago Live for inviting us back this year!

Last few days to take advantage of our Early Bird special for our upcoming Feldenkrais® Fall Workshop with Taylor Mitchell. Workshop dates are Oct. 21-23, 11:45am-1:45pm at our weekday location Definition Dance Academy.

Register by Sept. 30th for this discounted rate of $90 for the full 3-day series!

Photo by James Gowan.

The Claire Bataille Legacy Scholarship is a training program that offers an opportunity for advanced pre-professional or early career dancers to train at a fraction of the cost. Dancers are accepted by audition only, and we will be having our next audition on Thursday, Sept. 24th at 11:45am. This audition is free to attend and dancers are welcome to join our morning ballet class as a warm up for the audition combos.

Hear from our alumni:

Photo 1 of Rae Beck: "During my time as a CBLP student, I was able to explore the professional dance scene in Chicago, received expert guidance from Ethan on pursuing a career in dance while continuing to train at a professional level. I gained so much confidence as a dancer and performer, and highly recommend the program to everyone I meet!"

Photo 2 of Jayme Braverman: "My time at CMC was truly transformative. The program gave me not only exceptional training, but also a community that challenged, supported, and inspired me every day. I left feeling stronger as both a dancer and a person, with a deeper sense of confidence, resilience, and clarity about my artistic path.”

Photo 3 of Valerie Lowder - an alumna of both CBLS & 3rd Coast Contemporary: "[CBLS & 3rd Coast Contemporary have] supplemented my training with more rehearsals and performances. The two programs have helped me bridge the gap between the pre professional and the professional world."

All photos by Michelle Reid

*This audition date will also serve as an audition for Winifred Haun & Dancers' 3rd Coast Contemporary Dance.

PERFORMANCE LOCATION UPDATE: Festival Hall B

We're so excited to be performing at Chicago Live Festival at again this year! Catch us this Sunday, Sept. 20th at 3pm in Festival Hall B.

We will be performing excerpts from pieces premiered at Persistent Spring featuring our Claire Bataille Legacy Scholarship dancers as well as from a piece choreographed by Ethan Kirschbaum featuring his Baumshells.

Photo by Michelle Reid