Brandon “Chief Manny” Calhoun
Co-founder, The Era Footwork Crew
Brandon “Chief Manny” Calhoun is a footwork dancer, filmmaker, illustrator, teaching artist and community organizer from the South Side of Chicago who co-founded the Era Footwork Crew in 2014.
Footwork refers to a style of music and battle dance that's been gathering pace in Chicago since the late 90s. Pioneers of Chicago footwork since 2014, the Era Footwork Crew has expanded upon what it means to be a dance crew, addressing inequality and racism through their lyrics and panel discussions and supporting women and girls in the history of footwork through collaboration and documentation. Brandon is leading a collective effort from within the community to engage other organizations in ensuring there is on demand culturally competent care available to those in need. He is relationship building with community health organizations to bring healing modalities for trauma and PTSD to the South Side. Chicago footwork culture is trying to create the conditions for individual and collective transformation. As a filmmaker, Brandon has helped to tell the story of Chicago footwork across the city, including in his latest co-directorial documentary entitled Body of the City. His hand-drawn animations of footwork dancing were featured in a VICE documentary. In 2018, he co-created a "footwork curriculum" as part of Open the Circle's footwork summer camp for youth on the South Side of Chicago.
Brandon is recognized as one of the strongest voices in Chicago for dance and is committed to using footwork as a connector and teaching tool to bring communities across the city together while simultaneously bringing attention to the South and West Sides of Chicago. His ability to be in relationship with others as a teacher and a student at the same time is a distinctive part of why he is considered a leader. Brandon is trying to connect footwork to the larger arts ecosystem in Chicago and to organizing efforts within South Side communities around justice-related issues.
