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By Mariana Seda
In the bustling center of coffee shops, restaurants, and residential apartments on South Gregory Street in Urbana, passersby will now see “DANCE” splashed along two windows in vibrant photo block letters. Known as the Storefront Studio, this new space will flex from classroom to rehearsal to office and performance space for faculty, students, guest artists, and community collaborators. The Department of Dance opened this location as a response to both the department’s need for more space to teach and create and the call to connect more deeply with their communities.
“When I started as head, part of my charge was to make the dance department more visible and to connect more meaningfully with the community,” said Sara Hook, head of the department. “This is part of doing that. We hope to open to registered student organizations and local community groups who beg me for dance space regularly.”
Photo by Natalie Fiol
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Dance launched the studio with a soft opening celebration in early June. Supporters of Dance and Krannert Center for the Performing Arts alike gathered to inaugurate the space with food, drink, and dance. The first ever Midwest Umfundalai Intensive, led by Dr. C. Kemal Nance, professor of Dance and African American Studies, and guest artist Monique Newton Walker, brought in over 20 students to perform work they had developed just that week. The performance ended, or rather, continued, with the dancers inviting attendees to join them in joyous movement.
Anna Sapozhnikov, assistant head of program administration and engagement, discovered the space initially and introduced the idea to Hook and later, the dean.
“I took a walk with Dean Hamilton and showed him the space from the outside,” said Sapozhnikov, “and I said, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if we were dancing here?’ Now here we are. I received the keys to this place just a few days ago, and it’s full of possibilities.”
Photo by Natalie Fiol
Opening Celebration Gallery
Memories from the June 2023 soft opening of the new space on Gregory Street