Learn more about Striding Lion!
Striding Lion Performance Group (“Striding Lion”) is dedicated to cultivating a collaborative community through interdisciplinary arts programming. We are committed to the empowerment of the independent artist, to the enrichment and entertainment of diverse audiences, and to the evolution and advancement of artistic expression, both on the main-stage and in the classroom.
Founded in 2001, Striding Lion seeks to broaden the relationship between artist and audience, enabling both to discover the unique space where artistic disciplines meet. Striding Lion has also hosted its annual InterArts Festival for 11 years consecutively at various non-traditional spaces, recorded a concept album, produced seven theater-for-young-audiences productions, and nurtured emerging artists through its monthly Vaudeville Roars Performance Cabaret. Striding Lion performed at the New York International Fringe Festival in 2006 and the Boulder International Fringe Festival in 2010, where it performed to sold out houses and was selected as a "top pick.” Striding Lion has received critical acclaim from the Chicago Reader, Chicago Sun-Times, Time Out Chicago, and The Village Voice; the company has been featured on Chicago Public Radio's Eight-Forty-Eight, CanTV, and ABC 7. Striding Lion was selected for the Department of Cultural Affairs' Incubator Project in 2009 and the DCA's DanceBridge residency in 2012. In 2011, Striding Lion "emerged as a new center of gravity for indie dance" (Time Out Chicago).Striding Lion’s extensive residency programming must also be recognized for its contributions towards the development of the next generation of Illinois artists. Striding Lion residencies and workshops train students to be makers of art. Students learn how to compose and craft movement, music, and text for the stage while being immersed in the collaborative joy of ensemble performance. Striding Lion residencies offer young artists the skills and vocabulary necessary to engage critical thinking skills and develop a deeper understanding of composition and performance as both a creative and critical practice. In addition to empowering the residency participants and training the next generation of art-makers, these residencies provide Striding Lion company members with significant and meaningful creative work to supplement their income as performing and creative artists. In the last 2 years, Striding Lion has created original interdisciplinary productions with over 4800 young artists in 32 residencies at schools and community centers throughout the Chicago area. 66% of the students served in our residencies this past season came from communities whose low-income rates are 70% or higher. Over the past 5 years, Striding Lion residencies have consistently targeted communities that have underfunded or nonexistent arts education programs, in an attempt to break down economic barriers to creative development.
To learn more about Striding Lion go to www.stridinglion.org.