About us
Our Story
Evanston Dance Ensemble
Celebrating 30 YeARS!
EDE was founded in 1997 by Béa Rashid, who was inspired to bring quality performing opportunities to talented dancers from the Evanston area. EDE received its 501(c)3 status in 1998 and had its first public performance, The Winter Festival of Dance, at King Lab School. It remains in residence at Dance Center Evanston to this day.
The artistic goals of the Evanston Dance Ensemble are to develop the strengths and artistry of our young dancers, and to create meaningful and engaging dance productions for the wider community.
Each year, EDE puts on multiple mainstage productions bringing in professional choreographers from the Chicago area to showcase a variety of dance genres.
In 2008, EDE began hosting an annual 6-week session of Jump for Joy – dance classes for young dancers with physical and/or developmental challenges.
The Ensemble also collaborates on holiday programming with the Evanston Symphony Orchestra and presents a biennial show called The Young Choreographers Project which gives the company members an opportunity to create and present their own work.
In 2011, EDE created a second company: ede2, whose specific mission is to tour to community venues, bringing their own production out to non-traditional dance spaces.
ede2 aims to 1) provide a thoughtful audition process that supports the development of our dancers; 2) work with skilled professionals across artistic and production areas to create engaging experiences for both dancers and audiences; and 3) build relationships within the community that encourage collaboration and create new opportunities for our dancers and organization.
ede2
Season Sponsors 2025 - 2026
