Audition

Tour: A typical season includes 6-8 weekend tours throughout the US over the winter and spring, and a 2-3 week summer tour abroad. Our minimal touring schedule makes it possible to balance being a TIDC member with being a full-time student or having a full-time job. Weekend tours typically involve flying into a city on a Thursday or Friday night, performing, and returning on Sunday.

Rehearse: The full company rehearses in Chicago generally one full weekend a month. Chicago-based dancers rehearse together twice a week, largely centered around the creation of new work – as well as attend dance galas, events, and performances. Dancers are responsible for rehearsing individually on a consistent basis.

Create: TIDC members are welcomed into  the creative process and often play small or significant roles in the creation of new works each year under the direction of artistic director and choreographer,  Mark Howard. Local company members are engaged in creative rehearsals on a weekly basis.

We occasionally invite renowned guest choreographers from various disciplines to collaborate with us to expand our movement vocabulary.

Engage: Company members use TIDC as an effective platform to engage in social conversations. A crucial part of our mission is empowering females. Since its inception, TIDC has celebrated the strength, poise and resilience of female artists, consistently presenting males and females on equal footing. Through intentional casting, choreography and costumes, we utilize our artistic platform to call attention to the objectification of women that sometimes permeates commercial Irish dance shows, providing powerful representations of “women that bring the thunder.”