Tatiana “Tanya” Armendariz Recieves Chicago DanceMakers Forum’s DanceChance Award, Showcases Waving with Flow First
We are excited to announce that Tatiana “Tanya” Armendariz, Co-Founder of Shadow Puppetz and Founder of Flow First Waving Collective, has been honored with the DanceChance Award by Chicago DanceMakers Forum. This award provided Tanya with a unique opportunity to choreograph and perform an original work that showcased waving, a style she has been championing throughout her career.
Waving is a dance form centered on using precise isolations to create the illusion of continuous, fluid waves through the body. Tanya’s performance sought to bring this style to the forefront, building on her previous work with Flow First Waving Collective.
Founded in 2021, Flow First Waving Collective is a group of dedicated waving practitioners in Chicago. Through her collective, Tanya has regularly hosted waving sessions for the past four years, providing a platform for dancers to train, experiment, and share knowledge. She also created Flow First: Full Waving Experience, Chicago’s first ever waving specific event in 2022, which included a waving battle and workshops from renowned waving artists Alex Effuse and Jesse Sykez.
For this DanceChance performance, Tanya collaborated with fellow dancers Kevin Yu, Tristen “Penny” Green, and Latrell Crowder. Reflecting on the experience, Tanya shared, “For me, this project was a chance to challenge myself creatively. Working alongside these dancers and creating work in a new performance setting really pushed me to explore and gave me a chance to showcase how versatile the style of waving can be.”
The recognition from Chicago DanceMakers Forum marks an important milestone in Tanya’s journey, underscoring her commitment to promoting waving and expanding its artistic possibilities. We are incredibly proud of Tanya’s achievement and look forward to seeing how Flow First and the Chicago waving community grow in the future!