Artist

Sara Zalek (@01saratonin) is a transdisciplinary artist, producer, and curator of situations and curious objects. Rooted in physical investigations of trauma, resilience, and transformation, their work is intimate, raw, poetic. They make performances into learning situations, workshops, and sensing environments to encourage thoughtful interpersonal connections.

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Zalek performs often in both live and online situations; The City of Chicago named them an Esteemed Artist in 2022. Elastic Arts Foundation awarded them a Curatorial Grant in 2020 for Hot Mess! A hybrid performance event.They were a Chicago Dancemakers Forum Lab Artist in 2015, a 2017 3Arts Make a Wave Awardee, and Ragdale Foundation Fellow. They have performed and curated performances at the Chicago Cultural Center, High Concept Labs, Elastic Arts, Experimental Sound Studio, Links Hall, Lumpen Radio, dfbrl8r, Urban Guild in Kyoto, Japan, and so many more.

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Through Butoh Curious, Zalek connects national and international teaching artists with Chicago art makers across genres in the independent and fringe arenas (including dance, butoh, physical theater, experimental and improvisational music). They create opportunities for positive communication and arts integration using workshops, performances, and conversations about personal and collective body. Butoh Curious

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Awards/Grants:

2022 DCASE IAP Grant & Esteemed Artist Award
2021 Curatorial Resident at Elastic Arts
2020 3Arts Emergency Relief Grant
2020 Columbia College Virtual Dance Resident

2017-8 3Arts Fellow Nominee

2017 Ragdale Foundation Fellow

2017 Make a Wave Grant Recipient, 3Arts
2016 DCASE Residency & IAP Grant Award
2016 RDDI Artist (National Dance Project/NEFA)

2016 Cheney Foundation Grant Award
2015 Chicago Dancemakers Forum (CDF) Lab Artist
2015 3Arts Sponsored Artist Project

2014 HCL Sponsored Artist

2014 DCASE Grant for Spawned Seeds: Post-Butoh Festival

2012 LinkUp Residency in collaboration with Aurora Tabar

 

Education:

2023-04 Butoh/Dance Training: Yoshito Ohno, Yumiko Yoshioka, Tadashi Endo, Minako Seki, Yuko Kaseki, Mari Osanai, Natsu Nakajima, Koichi & Hiroko Tamano, Yukio Waguri, Joan Laage, Ken Mai, Lori Ohtani, Yumi Umiumare, Diego Piñón, Atsushi Takenouchi, Ginger Krebs, Ayako Kato, Michael Sakamoto, Vangeline Theater

2018 Thai Bodywork Certification, Blue Lotus Thai Healing Studies

2006 B.F.A., The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Sculpture, Performance

1998 Yoga Teacher Certification, Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health

 

1991 B.A., Syracuse University, Marketing/Business Communications

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Select Solo Performance & Installation:

June 2020 Listening, Walking, & Circling Up, “hOme,” Nancy VanKegan, Olivia Gallery, Chicago

 

April 2020 I'm Going Outside @Acorn Series, ESS Quarantine Concert Series

 

September 2019 Gold Test: Trees @Ignition Project Space
 

June 2019 Gold Test: Long Poem @Oliva Gallery, Chicago, Performative response to the visual work of Tamara Wasserman
 

March 2019 Gold Test: Heart @UrbanGuild, Kyoto, Japan

May 2018 Gold Test: Eyes @Jazz Gallery, Milwaukee, WI
curated by Peter Woods

 

May 2017 (Outer)Space is the Place @Links Hall, Chicago
2 nights w/2 guest musicians, K.G. Price, N.W. Long

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October 2016 / Formidable Dreams Expanded Cinema @Silent Funny, Chicago

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November 2016 Lilt / InLine by InHabit performance series, @No Nation Gallery, Chicago

 

September 2015 In:Between Worlds Out of Site Chicago @Polish Triangle, Chicago

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August 2015 Idols Red Rover (force to Power theme) @OuterSpace, Chicago

 

Select Collaborations:

2023 Cri du Coeur with Elaine Lemieux @BimBom Studios

2023-17 Environmental Dialogues with Norman W. Long, soundwalks & public performance @Big Marsh & Marion Byrnes 

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2022 Earth Day Soundwalk with Veronica Salinas at Northwestern University

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2023-2019 Freedom From and Freedom To, curated by Cristal Sabbagh @Elastic Arts

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April 2020 Quarantine Concert Series: Homeroom, with Cher Jey on voice (@19.44)
 

February 2020 Steelworkers Drone with Norman W. Long, Cassette Tape @Reserve Matinee

June 2019 Sensitive Circuits: A silent walk focusing on listening to the diverse soundscape of the west Edgewater neighborhood, with Norman W. Long and Gwyneth Zeleny Anderson @Experimental Sound Studio, 5925 N Ravenswood, Chicago

 

November 2019 There's No Edge to Imaginary Things, written by Olivia Cronk & Philip Sorenson, directed by Logan Berry

3 days @Otherworld Theatre Company, Chicago

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November 2018 OSCILLATIONS: Les Chanteuses du Rien @Experimental Sound Studio, Ravenswood, Chicago

 

March 2018 Trickster Quartet with Hanna Brock and Elaine Lemieux

Yelling at the Dark, 2 cities, 2 nights @Arts + Literature Laboratory, Madison, WI & @Elastic Arts, Chicago

October 2017 Les Chanteuses du rien, @Regional Dance Development Initiative/Elevate as part of the Chicago Architecture Biennale

 

June 2016 If not now, when? And Puedo tener su basura? @Mexico City Museo, Mexico City

 

August 2014 Emergency Response Team Out of Site with Ginger Krebs @Polish Triangle Chicago

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December 2012 WatchTower with Jose Hernandez, Ginger Krebs, Bryan Saner, Aurora Tabar, 24HRS/25DAYS @New Capital Projects Chicago

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Teaching:

2023 Research and Teaching Artist, Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education

2023-20 Mooov Voice: Voice and Movement Choreographic Workshop co-facilitated by Elaine Lemieux

 

2021 Guest Artist Teacher, Columbia College

January 2019, January 2016 @Light Box Detroit, MI

 

2018-2012 Butoh Body

OuterSpace Studios Chicago

ongoing open weekly movement class
taught and/or curated by Sara Zalek

 

2014-5 High Concept Laboratories Chicago

Series of weekly intro to Butoh classes

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Press:

04.26.22 The Daily Northwestern

02.18.22 Means of Production

10.29.21 S3:EP1: The Process 

03.05.20 The Best Experimental Music on Bandcamp: Feb 2020

01.08.20 Performance Response Journal

04.30.19 See Chicago Dance

05.01.19 New City Stage, Dance Top 5

10.18.18 Scapi Magazine
04.03.18 Chicago Sun-Times

04.19.17 Windy City Times
03.31.17 New City Stage
03.15.17 Creative Imposter (podcast interview)
12.01.16 Performance Response Journal

04.15.15 Chicago Tribune

02.08.14 See Chicago Dance

03.31.12 Time Out Chicago

05.03.11 Time Out Chicago