[3][4] Chicago Dance Crash was founded by Illinois State University graduates Marissa Moritz, Charlie Cutler and Mark Hackman as a professional outlet for works the trio had created as students.

[5] Admittedly to satisfy the individual talents of the three (Cutler an actor, Hackman a martial artist and Moritz a modern dancer), early productions utilized dance and acrobatics while forwarding a linear, conflict-driven story.

[22] Although not historically an unknown concept to live dance performance, Crash gained early support among critics and fans due largely to their creation of evening-length, linear plot-based works which they dubbed "movement plays"[23]... a format less utilized in Chicago during the turn of the millennium.

[24] A device still used by the organization today, the shows often complement larger-spanning concepts with popular culture façades; commenting on morality, religion and politics with comic book settings, video game references and onstage spectacles.

[26] Opening on March 9, 2007, at the Lakeshore Theater,[27] the company premiered an interactive dance battle titled The Keeper of The Floor (KTF for short) with dancers of differing styles competing in comical rounds towards a single champion of the night.