Sidney Chuckas
Sidney Chuckas (he/they) was born in Evanston, Illinois. He learns, creates and educates through his multidisciplinary art practices with a larger mission to dismantle the institutionalized marginalization of minoritized bodies. Dancing since the age of five at Dance Center Evanston, performing principal roles in musical theatre productions at Evanston Township High School, and graduating from the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance have all taught Chuckas to utilize his diverse experiences to thoughtfully engage in others’ work while engaging those around him in progressive conversation and change in accordance with his greater mission. He has performed works of renowned choreographers such as William Forsythe, Jiri Kylian, Ohad Naharin, and Barak Marshall, danced for Brandy, Chance the Rapper, and Paris Jackson, trained with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Alvin Ailey, and The Joffrey Ballet, and has also created his own works for stage and screen. His time in university also led him to discover his passion for design and he was able to complete his undergraduate studies with a minor in Architecture and receive an academic scholarship to attend the Pratt Institute of Design Master’s of Architecture program. Sidney is thrilled and honored to be a part of the Re-Centering Margins residency and looks forward to sharing his passion, his dream and his story with audiences here and away.
Photo: Elizabeth Steele
Photo: Brendan Meadows
“Manzanar” demonstrates the journey to self-discovery as the very-public evolution of a masked humanoid programmed to live out their existence as the primary example of etiquette to their viewers. Throughout their experience, this character’s pre-programmed aloofness and self-determination transforms into curiosity, opening the door for greater psychological conflict: the ability to both feel deeper emotion and, thus, question their place amongst the millions of viewers who gaze upon Manzanar’s seemingly simple existence.
“Manzanar” discusses intersectionality by placing Chuckas’s fascination with both Afro-futurism and the fantasy of science fiction in conversation with thier own racial, sexual and political identities. As a black, queer artist, it is important to Chuckas that the work is not created within a fantastical vacuum but speaks to the current socio-political climate the work exists within: a quickly evolving, technological landscape which often measures “uniqueness” and “individuality” via digital popularity and influence, placing a heavy emphasis on individual success over collective growth.
The main question yet to be answered is: “If we were to understand our place in this universe, would we wish to continue evolving or would we desire to remain unchanged knowing what challenges lie ahead for us?”. Greatly dependent upon our present identity’s relationship with the world around us and our dreams and aspirations for both our personal and collective futures, the answer is unknown. However, through utilizing his experiences across many art forms and mediums, such dance, film, music, architecture and theater, “Manzanar” comes to full fruition as a deeply personal, multi-media spectacle and a possible response to this question and the toxic, yet opportune nature of western social culture.
Photo: Elizabeth Steele