Precious Jennings

Precious Jennings, who teaches body movement for Acting students at the Columbia College Chicago Theatre Department, was named “Best Emerging Dancer” by Newcity in the publication’s “Best of Chicago 2016” feature, published October 27. Said Newcity: “Among the more compelling recent breakouts this year, dancer Precious Jennings stands out. A resident through the Links Hall LinkUp program, Jennings has been putting in time on the ground in Chicago for years, particularly through her work as a member of Rachel Bunting’s ensemble, The Humans. Since the premiere of her ‘Lessons in Human Development as Captured in the Movement of Whales and Horses’ at Links, and subsequent work with fellow dancers Amelia Charter and Adam Kerbel, she has worked with Ayako Kato in an exchange with Chicago Moving Company to present work in Japan. Her movement work, always standout, never ceases evolving before your eyes. It is distinct and original. Finally out into a platform of her own, she’s our hands-down choice for best emerging dancer of the year.”

Jennings is a performer, dancer, and teacher in Chicago, as well as a certified massage and Thai-bodywork practitioner and yoga teacher. At the Columbia College Theatre Department, she teaches movement in the Theatre Department’s innovative, interdisciplinary, immersive Theatre Foundation program for incoming students. The two-semester program focuses on exploring the audience/performer relationship and how to shape time, space, and energy in work with scripted and devised material, providing a strong foundation for the performer through an integrated study of movement and voice, ensemble, and performance.