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The Rundown Podcast - PM Show Tile

Stay in the loop with the Windy City’s biggest news.

The Rundown Podcast - PM Show Tile

Stay in the loop with the Windy City’s biggest news.

Multimedia artist Efren Adkins finds their fire in Chicago

Efren Adkins did not make it to the floor at their middle school dance. “I don’t dance. I don’t dance,” Adkins remembers saying. “I had a real disconnection with my body.” Today, Adkins is both an arts teacher and a part of Chicago’s vibrant and diverse performance art scene. They’ve danced in Mexico, Russia and Japan, and they’re fully planted in the 60608 zip code. In this episode, Adkins explains their evolution in self-expression and their journey to teaching youngsters about art in Chicago schools. This episode was produced by Ari Mejia for WBEZ’s sister station Vocalo and their Chi Sounds Like series.

Stay in the loop with the Windy City’s biggest news.

   

Efren Adkins did not make it to the floor at their middle school dance.

“I don’t dance. I don’t dance,” Adkins remembers saying. “I had a real disconnection with my body.”

Today, Adkins is both an arts teacher and a part of Chicago’s vibrant and diverse performance art scene. They’ve danced in Mexico, Russia and Japan, and they’re fully planted in the 60608 zip code.

In this episode, Adkins explains their evolution in self-expression and their journey to teaching youngsters about art in Chicago schools.

This episode was produced by Ari Mejia for WBEZ’s sister station Vocalo and their Chi Sounds Like series.

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We can’t let National Transportation Week pass without revisiting our conversation with Lee Crooks. He’s basically a local celebrity, with a highly-recognizable voice. He’s been announcing stops on the CTA for 25 years. “It does become something of a legacy,” Crooks said. In this episode, he talks to host Erin Allen about trains, legacy and Midwest accents. And yes, we have him do the voice. This episode was originally published on Oct. 18, 2023.