Artist Story: Michelle Kranicke

Michelle Kranicke, Zephyr Dance Company

Zephyr Dance was founded in 1989 as an all-female dance company. I was adamant that the public message about the company be that we were strong, athletic, and capable of the same powerful dance one could expect to see in a mixed-gender dance company. When I was asked about a “feminist agenda” by critics and audiences, I was quick to dismiss the idea, saying the work did not have any gender-specific bias. Despite these efforts, we could never seem to get away from feminine, and feminist, associations. As time progressed, however, I began to embrace the feminine element of Zephyr and the feminist ideas within the work. I now see Zephyr as an all-female company that filters ideas and concepts through a distinctly feminine lens while continually challenging the viewer to view our work from this perspective. Though I am still aware of the inequity present within contemporary dance that makes another female choreographer “yesterday’s news,” my approach has always been to look for inspiration from the female dancemakers that persist within the art form and actively create opportunities for Zephyr Dance. 

The 2009–2010 season marks Zephyr’s 20th anniversary, and I have had the chance to reflect on the many talented, intelligent women who have been part of the company. Some have left and gone on to create their own companies and independent careers, and some have started families. However, their mark remains. Zephyr’s aesthetic has developed with their input, and the company’s repertory remains colored by their creativity and ideas. Currently, Zephyr is a company of four dancers and one apprentice, and I have had the pleasure of working with the same group of women for more than five years. The experience of collaborating with the same women has deepened my process and made it stronger, and onstage the company is as forceful as it has ever been, even though a dance may not contain any partnering or easily identifiable athletic movements. 

I have come to see Zephyr as an incredible laboratory—a place where the women I work with are invested in the creative process, mining their bodies and minds for answers and ideas. And because they are women, these responses are undeniably feminine. By choosing to embrace this viewpoint, I am confident in the work and the message it conveys. Is it feminist? Yes. Is it feminine? Yes. Was that on purpose? Well, yes. Will some people find that a hindrance? Well yes, sometimes, but I see no other way to approach the work. In order to combat the inequity within the art form, female dancemakers have to continue to make new opportunities. I have been determined to succeed throughout the years and have created ways through Zephyr, and for Zephyr, to perform, tour, and teach. Every out-of-state performance is an opportunity to forge new relationships by piecing together as much work along the way as possible. When Zephyr Dance was contracted to perform in Hollywood, Florida, in 2004, the company turned a two-evening concert event into a two-week tour by teaching and performing from Illinois all the way to Florida. I was able to maximize the Florida contract by creating enough work along the way to offset the touring costs, as well as introduce Zephyr’s artistry to audiences in Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee. Not every performance was in a theatre; the company taught master classes in high schools and performed informal lecture demonstrations for small community groups. But throughout the tour, I met new colleagues and likeminded artists, engaged in dynamic dialogue, and broadened Zephyr’s reach beyond my own community. 

In fall 2010, Zephyr is looking to resurrect its Dancing Across State Lines project. Dancing Across State Lines was created in 1995 to broaden Zephyr’s touring roster and to introduce Chicago to other small, regional modern dance companies that would otherwise not have an opportunity to perform in the city. Over the years, what began as a simple shared concert exchange grew to include master classes, workshops, and artist dialogues. In the process, I have met many other female dancemakers working hard to make the most of their opportunities.

Zephyr Dance is also leading the way in arts-integrated education. I was approached more than 15 years ago to use movement to help elementary school students understand their core curriculum. This gave me the opportunity to introduce students to dancemaking techniques and to help them broaden their understanding of modern dance at an early age. By quietly working to build a distinct model of arts-integrated teaching, I have also created another avenue to promote Zephyr. Arts integration is a fast-growing field, and I have been able to parlay teaching work into concert performances. In 1997, I helped create the first arts-integrated residency at the college level for Illinois Wesleyan University. That residency helped create a relationship that has lasted more than 10 years. It has provided members of Zephyr with the opportunity to teach and perform regularly for the university student body.

Over the years, I have come to realize that it may be impossible to change ingrained gender bias, but by working together with women in the field, we can create opportunities to present our work. In the end, people and perspectives do change, albeit slowly. Occasionally, you look up from your work and realize a small shift has begun. 

Michelle Kranicke founded Chicago's Zephyr Dance in 1989 as an organization committed to showcasing the strength of the feminine voice. Over the years she has choreographed more than 25 works for the company. She was a 2006 Chicago Dancemakers Forum Lab Artist, and her work has been presented by the Dance Center of Columbia College, Chicago; Mulberry Street Theatre, New York; Cunningham Dance Studio, New York; The Art & Culture Center of Hollywood, Hollywood, FL; North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND; Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR; and more. She created Dancing Across State Lines, a regional touring initiative designed to increase touring opportunities for Zephyr, and is also a renowned teaching artist in the field of arts-integrated education. She is currently a visiting professor at Illinois Wesleyan University where she teaches dance and writing.