See Chicago Dance Summer 2023

Enneréssa LaNette Davis, executive director of Praize Productions, Inc. , has a strong Chicago wind at her back. Although both Davis’s personal artistry and PPI’s success have been noted during the past 12 years, it is since the release of her feature-length motion picture NINE in 2022 that she has burgeoned. This year, the vision has fully blossomed and come to fruition. “Our 12th year is what we have dreamed of,” said Davis. “You work so hard for so many years, and this is what we have prayed for and more.” With conviction, Davis has claimed 2023 as “the year of consecutive wins.” Earlier this year Davis received a Chicago Dancemakers Forum Lab Grant and will use the year to write her first book. Later this summer, she is curating her first photo exhibition, “The Rhythm Within Our Blues,” featuring Chicago-based photographers Seed Lynn, Amber Green, and Tony Smith. “This year has been about taking ownership of our own narratives, acknowledging the wins and claiming victory over our lives,” Davis commented. “We are called to be powerful, and when we achieve and take ownership in our gifts and purpose, how can we not be confident in that?” Davis’s brainchild, Praize Productions, Inc., is a Chicago-based performing arts organization she founded in 2011 to increase access to quality dance arts education for young people on Chicago’s South Side. Now in its 12th season, the organization houses both a pre- professional performing arts academy and RIZE Pro-Elite, a professional dance company. As one of four Chicago-based organizations selected for the inaugural Millennium Park Residency Program, the company will perform its first full-length stage concert since 2019, “Call Her by Name,” at Pritzker Pavilion on June 4. It’s a fitting title for a woman recently embracing her own distinct name and affirming young Black girls and women as they stand in their birthright within themselves, their homes, communities, cities, and the world. The Chicago Black Dance Legacy Project recently selected PPI as one of 10 dance companies in its new cohort. The Project has made a multi-year commitment to strengthen the capacity of long-standing Black dance companies in Chicago. So, even as Enneréssa LaNette Davis is aware of the magnitude of her responsibility as a mentor for young girls and a leader in her community, she is also committed to enjoying this celebratory time. “A few years ago, I can remember being so burned out, I couldn’t enjoy the blessings we were receiving. Now I want to truly enjoy this season of winning.” To learn more about Enneréssa LaNette Davis and Praize Productions, Inc., visit PraizeProducitons.com. Spotlight: Enneréssa LaNette Davis and Praize Productions, Inc. SEECHICAGODANCE.COM | 11 Spring Season April 24 - June 25, 2023 Dance. Performance. Puppetry. Theater. Info + Tickets: linkshall.org