Our Repertoire

  • Dancers reading rejection letters at Links Hall

    Inclined to Decline

    Inclined to Decline is a dance piece that repurposes rejection letters and uses them for inspiration rather than dejection. This work will explore the resilience and perseverance needed to move forward past rejection. As well as a dance performance, we will also be showcasing three Chicago artists; Rachel Balter, Kimmy Higginbotham, Sara Peak Convery as winners of the Darvin Dances Art Contest!



    Choreographer: Mariah Eastman

    Dancers: Vinny Haberman, Peyton Jones, Madison Meade and Mandy Milligan

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  • Four dancers performing in front of lake Michigan

    Navigating the After

    In "Navigating the After" Eastman explores the multifaceted recovery process after sexual assault using live dance and anonymous interviews from survivors. From the initial grieving process to wrestling with the identity of a survivor, she uses gesture phrases and partnering to delve into recovering from sexual assault.

    Choreographer: Mariah Eastman

    Dancers: Robin Davis, Alissa Heroux, Carly Liegel and Mandy Milligan

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  • Holiday Dance Carol

    An annual Chicago tradition, the Holiday Dance Carol goes from house to house delivering this short holiday dance. The idea is to knock on people's doors and, instead of singing a carol, proposing a holiday dance.

    Choreographer: Mariah Eastman

    Dancers: Angela Risi, Emily Rice, Robin Davis, Sarah Stearn, Heather Kristan and Lynda Piatt

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  • Cafe Cortado

    It's an accepted fact that Chicago has delicious coffee and a captivating dance scene. What hasn't been done before is a combination of the two: using dance to highlight the individuality of Chicago's coffee shops and shine a light on the well deserving small shop owners. Café Cortado focuses on the perseverance of PiniPico Brazilian Café and Sputnik Coffee Company. This piece is a virtual performance that takes place in both coffee shops and includes interviews from the shop owners.

    Choreographer: Mariah Eastman

    Dancers: Ashley Chung, Keila Hamed - Ramos, Abigail Roberts, Angela Risi and Julia Schaeffer

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  • Patternalia

    Patternalia is a production choreographed by independent choreographer Mariah Eastman exploring the process of dreaming using live dance, projections and dance film inside a virtual performance experience. The music includes repertoire by Kevin Macleod and "End" by Ryan Davis. Eastman has collaborated with Krista Zozulia (who filmed the dances) and Jordan Kunkel (editor and videographer) to create the dance films. The cast is composed of 6 dancers: Kalina Bartlett, Amanda Boike, Delia Constantino, Keila Hamed Ramos, Julia Schaeffer and Angela Vecchione. New York graphic designer Tess Havas created the illustrations for the projections.

    Choreographer: Mariah Eastman

    Dancers: Kalina Bartlett, Amanda Boike, Delia Constantino, Keila Hamed Ramos, Julia Schaeffer and Angela Vecchione

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  • Efforts of Contemplation

    Efforts of Contemplation features a solo dancer wandering the landscape of her life decisions and contemplating if she made the right ones. Through a series of slides, rolls and falls – the dancer looks through the lenses of alternate universes and reflects about the life she has versus the one she could have had if she had made different choices.

    Choreographer: Mariah Eastman

    Dancer: Meredith Williams

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What People Are Saying

“Mariah Eastman’s solo, “Efforts of Contemplation,” displayed a quiet intensity powered by detailed, articulated movement phrases”

— RVArt Review

“Fledgling Darvin Dances takes inspiration from rejection in a new evening-length work about life’s most character-building inevitabilities.”

— Sharon Hoyer, New City Mag

“Collectively they form a robotic phalanx that marches forward, stopping to spin furiously from one side to the other like a possessed washing machine…This is good, because Eastman’s “Inclined to Decline” left me wanting more.”

- Tristan Bruns, See Chicago Dance

“A sextet exploring the topic of insomnia, "Patternalia" feels a ripe combination of Eastman’s feel-good, liquidus style with filmmakers Krista Zozulia and Jordan Kunkel’s keen eyes and compositional clout.”

— Lauren Warnecke, See Chicago Dance

“Eastman’s ability to keep the audience’s eyes moving with persistent action is worth repeat viewing to capture each part.”

— Tristan Bruns, See Chicago Dance

These Legs Must Dance Podcast Episode with Founder Mariah Eastman

Are you a dancer who wants to work with Darvin Dances?

If you’re interested in working with Darvin Dances as a dancer, we would love to hear from you! We are always open to hearing from new dancers and keeping you in mind for future projects!