Harvest Chicago Contemporary Dance Festival 2019

Harvest Chicago Contemporary Dance Festival was founded in 2010 as a way to share and celebrate the work of practicing contemporary dance artists and companies. MELISSA MALLINSON (PRODUCER) IS THE DIRECTOR OF OLOGY DANCE AND HAS BEEN ACTIVE IN THE CHICAGO DANCE COMMUNITY AS A PERFORMER, CHOREOGRAPHER AND PRODUCER SINCE 2002. SHE PERFORMED WITH KHECARI DANCE THEATER, THE KALAMAZOO BALLET, ANN ARBOR DANCE WORKS, TJCO, MARQUEZ DANCE PROJECT, AND MANY INDEPENDENT ARTISTS THROUGHOUT THE MIDWEST, AND ALSO AS A GUEST ARTIST WITH BERLIN-BASED COMPAGNIE FELIX RUCKERT AND DAVID DORFMAN DANCE. MELISSA IS A RECIPIENT OF A 2004 CAAP GRANT FOR NEW CHOREOGRAPHY FROM THE CITY OF CHICAGO DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS. HER WORK WAS PRESENTED BY THE EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL FRINGE, AROUND THE COYOTE, DANCE CHICAGO, OHIO DANCE FESTIVAL, REGIONAL DANCE AMERICA, DANCE UNION, AND THE NATIONAL CONGRESS OF CARILLONNEURS. MELISSA GRADUATED SUMMA CUM LAUDE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN, AND ALSO STUDIED AT THE LONDON CONTEMPORARY DANCE SCHOOL AND YORKSHIRE BALLET SEMINARS. FOR FOUR YEARS MELISSA WORKED IN THE EVENTS DEPARTMENT AT THE OLD TOWN SCHOOL OF FOLK MUSIC, SERVING ON THE PRODUCTION STAFF OF THE CHICAGO FOLK ROOTS FESTIVAL AND PRODUCED WORLD DANCE NIGHT FROM 2005-2009. SHE CURRENTLY LEADS OLD TOWN SCHOOL'S EDUCATION OUTREACH INITIATIVES, PROVIDING IN-DEPTH ARTS EDUCATION PROGRAMS TO MORE THAN 4000 CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS. More Info below.