In the summer of 2022, Chris “Mad Dog” Thomas, with creative direction by Kuumba Lynx, developed Juke for Liberation (J4L). A reconciliation of Chicago’s Juke DJs and producers and Footwork battle cliques and dance communities, J4L has engaged six Local Juke dance groups, five DJ’s and six footworking artists totaling 255+ dancers and music makers from across Chicago. Together, these premiere dance teams, battle cliques and Juke producers are stewarding a more unified and loving Chicago Juke community.
Co-MISSION Curator Mad Dog and the Juke 4 Liberation youth ensemble will present an all ages, open-to-the-public Juke dance battle featuring J4L’s own DJ COREY. This event is hosted in partnership with Kuumba Lynx’ Stylz & Spit open stage at the Honeycomb Network.
About the Co-MISSION Curators-In-Residence program:
Links Hall’s Co-MISSION Curators-In-Residence program supports independent, Chicago dance curators, producers, and social practice artists in presenting new and existing performance by their communities, for their communities. In collaboration with Links Hall and a local organization in their own Chicago neighborhoods, the 2022-2023 resident curators will invite artists from their communities to present new or existing performance work at both Links Hall and a neighborhood location. Projects include engaging community events outside of the formal theater environment. Residency awards include artist fees for curators and participating artists; direct funding for neighborhood-based partner organizations; and administrative support, rehearsal space, marketing, and technical production services.
About the community partner organization: Kuumba Lynx
Kuumba Lynx is an urban arts youth development organization founded in 1996 by three women, Jaquanda Villegas, Leida Garcia-Mukwacha, and Jacinda Bullie. For two decades, alongside many of Chicago’s artists, activists, educators, and youth communities, KL has honed an arts-making practice that presents, preserves, and promotes Hip Hop as a tool to reimagine and demonstrate a more just world. KL’s Program Facilitators are a collective of artists, activists, educators, and healers.
