Hedwig Dances Celebrates 35 Years of Inspiration at Hedwignites Annual Gala on May 8, 2020

HEDWIGnites is a special evening to support the artistry and community created by the Hedwig Dances company. Every year, friends, family, and supporters gather to celebrate an evening of food, art and conversation to help further the mission of Hedwig Dances.
Guests attending the May 8 2020 online gala enjoyed the opportunity to meet and mingle with Jan Bartoszek, Artistic Associate Maray Gutierrez, our fantastic board of directors, our dancers, Hedwig Dance Award recipients Richard Woodbury, Susan Manning, and Ellen Chenoweth who accepted for the Dance Center of Columbia College, Keynote speaker Roche Edward Schulfer, and his fellow award presenters Janet Carl Smith and Rebecca Rossen. We enjoyed tribute videos, heard heart warming remarks, and got a sneak peak into the company's plans for 2020 in these challenging times of the C-19 pandemic.
As an enduring Chicago institution for 35 years and counting, through the leadership and artistic direction of its founder, Jan Bartoszek, Hedwignites 2020 was a truly festive evening. We were not sure how this new, online version of a gala would be received but we were resolved not to let our 35th Anniversary pass by unheralded. The turnout was marvelous! Guests joined us in virtual space from their homes around the United States in New York, Virginia, Wisconsin, Florida, California, our home base of Chicago, and the surrounding communities.
VIDEO BY BITTER JESTER