Winifred Haun & Dancers was founded in Chicago in the 1990’s by award winning choreographer and dancer, Winifred Haun. In 2001, the Company went on hiatus for five years while Ms. Haun raised her young children, and did solo projects.

Part of the Company’s artistic vision is to have dance viewed at the community level and in non-traditional performance venues. We choreograph and present new works in traditional theaters and community spaces such as parks, museums, libraries, and historical spaces. We also present dances classes, workshops, flash mobs and other events in collaboration with other community based organizations.

Major awards include a 2022 3Arts Award, 2016 John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Award, and the 2000 Ruth Page Award for “Outstanding Contribution to Dance in Chicago.” In 2019, the Company was selected to receive the Oak Park Area Arts Council’s prestigious “Best in Class” Award and in 2014, the Company was chosen by the Martha Graham Dance Company to be a part of their “Lamentation Variation” project, and present Vision, Faith & Desire: Dancemakers Inspired by Martha Graham at the Pritzker Pavilion and at Pleasant Home.

Before founding the Company, Winifred Haun toured and performed for 7 years with the Joseph Holmes Chicago Dance Theatre. As the daughter of civil rights photographer Declan Haun, she developed a desire to provide a platform that centers artists of color. The murder of of Trayvon Martin in 2013, sparked a deeper commitment to social justice and inclusion. WH&D is intentional about diverse programming that supports our communities, and cultivates spaces for underrepresented artists. Our longtime commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion is evidenced by our artists, collaborators, projects, staff, and board.

The company has been featured in the Huffington Post, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Reader, WBEZ Radio, and on PBS WTTW in 2020, 2022, and 2024. In 2005, the Company was featured as part of the critically acclaimed PBS series, “The Chicago Dance Project.”

Winifred Haun & Dancers has been featured internationally at festivals including Circus Oz in Melbourne Australia, Danspace Project in NYC, Circuito-Bucles Dance Festival in Valencia, Spain, Dance Center of Columbia College, Come Together Dance Festival (Philadelphia), Link’s Hall, the Pavilion (Montrose, CO), Overture Center (Madison, WI), and in many community based performance venues such as Historic Pleasant Home, Cheney Mansion, and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Unity Temple.

Winifred Haun is a veteran choreographer and dancer. She was a soloist with the critically acclaimed Joseph Holmes Chicago Dance Theatre from 1985 to 1991. Ms. Haun won three Ruth Page Award nominations for Choreography and Performance and in 2000, she won the Ruth Page Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Dance Community. Ms. Haun’s choreography has been commissioned by Chicago Ballet, AMEBA Dance, Irreverence Dance + Theatre, Zephyr Dance, Lonny Joseph Gordon and many other Midwest and national groups. She has taught dance and dance composition at the Joffrey Ballet’s Academy of Dance, Dance Center of Columbia College, Chicago Academy for the Arts, Beijing National Dance Academy and at numerous festivals and workshops worldwide. Ms. Haun has taught modern dance and ballet at Hubbard St. Dance Chicago, Deeply Rooted Productions, and Legere Dance Center in River Forest.

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Thursday, August 21, 2025