Dani Oblitas’ “Un/Rerooted”
and
Selena Lasley’s “TIMEShit”
Co-MISSION Festival of New Works
June 22nd and 26th
Fall 2024 Co-MISSION Residents Dani Oblitas and Selena Lasley present a split-bill evening of new pieces they created while in residency at Links Hall: Un/Rerooted and TIMEShit.
ABOUT THE PIECES
DANI OBLITAS’ Un/Rerooted
An exploration of borders, community, and connection with our ancestral land. This is focused on reconnecting with ourselves our identity, and rebuilding cultural connections. Since land and cultural histories are so deeply intertwined, this also innately searches how we can reconnect with the environment.
SELENA LASLEY’S TIMEShit
A metaphysical and social collaboration about what it means to be living in this world.
This on going work is about questioning the existence of consciousness and the way we perceive ourselves. We as a collective should never have to conform or question ourselves, we can freely express our identity in anyway shape or fashion. And to remind ourselves as humans ever evolving in this world. We do not need to think that material things, class, and wealth is the only way to identify ourselves. So let’s turn up! And have fun!
FEATURED ARTISTS
Dani Oblitas | Links Hall Fall 2024 Co-MISSION Resident
Craig Daniel Ymson (he/they) is a Chicago-based, multidisciplinary artist. Previous works include: Albany Park Theater Projects' Port of Entry, Playground-Chicagos' A Cold War, and Nonsense Productions' Much Ado About Nothing. He believes that art has the potential to serve the people by reflecting their conditions, visualizing their dreams, and inspiring action.
COLLABORATORS
Dani Oblitas (she/they) is a dance artist, improviser, and educator currently based in Chicago, IL. She is passionate about making movement accessible to all, and views dance as a life affirming act of both community cultivation and individual embodiment. They graduated from St. Olaf College with a BA in Dance and Environmental Studies. Dani has performed with Liz Sexe Dance, KLJ Movement, We Are Collective, and Helen Lee. Currently, they are a collaborator and performer with 773 Dance Project, Sildance/Acrodanza, and Albany Park Theater Project's Port of Entry. Dani was a choreographer for the One Hour Project and is a Links Hall CO-MISSION Resident for 2024/2025. In 2024, she completed the Essential Level Spiral Body Techniques® teacher certification with Molly Shanahan/MadShak.
Anniela Huidobro is a Mexican dancer, choreographer, and dance educator with over 10 years of experience. She graduated from the Mazatlán Professional Dance School (EPDM), directed by the Delfos Contemporary Dance Company. Anniela is currently based in Chicago, where she teaches dance at various schools and cultural centers throughout the area. Her artistic work explores the emotional and physical connections between humans and the Earth, blending diverse movement styles with improvisation. She was a finalist in the 2025 Lab Artists Program of the Chicago Dancemakers Forum.
Sandy Perez is a multigenre movement artist from Chicagoland who began her professional dance career in Nashville in 2022. She worked as a company member with DancEast Collective and Found Movement Group, presented work at Kindling Arts Festival, the Animata Arts Residency showcase, Jello Dances, and Oz Arts’ Brave New Works Lab with Arelys Hernandez. In Chicago, she has had the privilege of working under Chih-Jou Cheng, Philip Wood, 773 Dance Project, and now Dani Oblitas. She is currently focusing most of her training in street styles this year while working as a work study at Rhythmhood.
Aster Reyes
Lorenze Cordova
Selena Lasley | Links Hall Fall 2024 Co-MISSION Resident
Selena Lasley (she/they) is a Chicago based artist. She is a graduate of Columbia College Chicago with a BA in Acting (2019). Selena also has studied Modern, West African, solo performance, vogue aesthetics, Physical theatre, and Improvisation. Selena continues performing and collaborating with multiple artists and has performed throughout Chicago. Being a research-based artist, Selena is constantly creating, exploring, breaking theories and ideologies with their ongoing research in Psychology of creativity, social and theoretical concepts. The constant shifts of cultural and social climates within the African diaspora, American Dream, Gender identity, and the ongoing questions of non conformity has always been an underlying theme within their research based works. This will be their first residency at Links Hall and is very excited to be sharing the space!
ABOUT THE CO-MISSION PROGRAM
This event is part of Links Hall’s 2025 Co-MISSION Festival of New Works, two groundbreaking weekends of new performance and public events.
Representing some of the most talented makers in Chicago from dance, performance art, installation, and performance as social practice, six artists present works developed while in-residence at Links during the 2024-2025 season. Featured artists include: Links Hall Residents Dani Oblitas, Selena Lasley, Kevin Michael Wesson, and Amanda Maraist; and Fellows Jaquanda Saulter-Villegas & Jacinda Bullie and Tuli Bera.
This project is partially supported by a grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.
OTHER PERFORMANCES IN THE CO-MISSION FESTIVAL OF NEW WORKS
Kevin Michael Wesson & Theatre Nobody’s CAMPOUT, A Night in the Woods
Amanda Maraist’s FOLK
June 18th
Tuli Bera’s Bangali Meye
June 20th
June 21st
Dani Oblitas’ Un/Rerooted and Selena Lasley’s TIMEShit
Jacinda Bullie and Jaquanda Saulter-Villegas’ FILLINZ, Put Some Respect on It!
ABOUT LINKS HALL
For 46 years, Links Hall has played a pivotal role in Chicago, encouraging artistic innovation and public engagement by maintaining a facility and providing flexible programming for the research, development, and presentation of new work in the performing arts. Founded in 1978 by experimental choreographers, Bob Eisen, Carol Bobrow, and Charlie Vernon, Links became a National Performance Network partner in 1998 and received a MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions in 2016. Links Hall supports multidisciplinary artists through residencies, festivals, subsidized rentals, and other resources for performers at every stage of their career.
Links Hall programming is made possible by artists, audiences, and support from: Arts Midwest GIG Fund, Association of Performing Arts Professionals, Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events, Exelon, Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, Heather B. Henson Fund/Puppet Slam Network, Illinois Arts Council Agency, JPMorgan Chase, Microsoft, National Performance Network, The Charlie Vernon Performance Fund at the Evanston Community Foundation, The Jentes Family Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, MacArthur Fund for Culture, Equity, and the Arts at Prince, The Martha Struthers Farley & Donald C. Farley, Jr. Family Foundation, The Prince Charitable Trust, Robert R. McCormick Foundation, and The Weasel Fund.
STAFF
Aaliyah Christina, Artist Programs Manager & Associate Curator
SK Kerastas, Executive Director
Mario LaMothe, General Manager
Dana Pepowski, Programs Associate
Giau Truong, Production Manager & Associate Curator
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Amy Chavasse
Jane Beachy
Vesna Grbovic
J’Sun Howard
Ross Stanton Jordan
Susan Manning
Trevor Martin
Jon Pagac
Jenna Pollack
Tina Post
Doreen Sayegh
Michael Tokoph
Patrick Zakem
ADVISORY BOARD
Cheryl Lynn Bruce
Bob Eisen
E. Aaron Greven
Tracie D. Hall
Maggie Kast
Meida McNeal
Eva Silverman
Claire Sutton
Blair Thomas
Michael Zerang