October Dance features the historic reconstruction of Katherine Dunham's seminal work Afrique, choreographed in 1949. Dunham, who is considered the matriarch of Black Dance, had a career that spanned Broadway, concert stages, opera, TV, and Hollywood films and inspired artists such as Eartha Kitt and Alvin Ailey. This production of a Dunham classic is directed by George A. Miller Visiting Artist April Berry, a certified master teacher of the Dunham Technique and a former principal dancer with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. In addition, former Hubbard Street dancer and choreographer Rena Butler offers a premiere along with Dance at Illinois resident artists: Dr. Cynthia Oliver performs a spoken word solo, Dr. C. Kemal Nance premieres a work for first-year students, and Associate Professor Roxane D'Orléans Juste performs with her sister, guest artist Sonia D'Orléans Juste.