For “Soul Remedy,” dancer and choreographer Monique Haley and composer and trumpeter Pharez Whitted have been taking the long-term approach to creation. In the dance world, funding can be scarce, and even when it is not there is usually a time limit attached. “Soul Remedy,” on the other hand, has been in development for nearly two years, with a near-final version planned to premiere in the Spring of 2023
This generous developmental period is due to support from the Inside/Out series, a creative incubation program presented by Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre, which is set to present the final iteration in Spring of 2023. The Inside/Out series began in 2015 and is designed to let audiences INSIDE the creative process. Each event includes a performance of a new work-in-the-making, followed by a conversation with the artists, where the audience gets the opportunity to shape the new work through their feedback and input. Other works in the Inside/Out series are “Mood Swing,” a suite of responses to the events of 2020 and 2021 created by the dancers of Cerqua Rivera, and “Metamorphosis,” choreographed by Shannon Alvis with music by CRDT cofounder Joe Cerqua, a work inspired by non-binary/gender queer and trans Chicago dance artists.