The stage at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts is transformed into a bomb-blasted battle ground as a haphazard blockade of debris — chairs, lamps, a pink bicycle — are stacked floor to ceiling, framed by a proscenium crafted out of burlap and paper, painted to look like the charred remains of a city blasted to smithereens.
A comprehensive 2019 report by Candid, Sustain Arts and See Chicago Dance, titled “Mapping the Dance Landscape in Chicagoland,” shocked members of the dance community with several startling statistics: From 2002 to 2016, the number of dancemakers in Chicago had increased by 23%, but two-thirds were making less than $15,000 a year, and roughly half were people of color. Furthermore, only three out of eighty-seven nonprofit dance organizations received more than half of all philanthropic funding despite an increase of 46% in institutional philanthropic funding for dance.
See Chicago Dance, the dance industry's nonprofit service organization, is proud to announce that this June will see the return of its popular annual offering, Chicago Dance Month. Now in its tenth year, Chicago Dance Month provides a multitude of performance opportunities for artists and companies that are eager to get back in front of audiences.
In an interview with London-based choreographer Akram Khan, I was let in on the basis of his new work “Creature,” featuring the English National Ballet and scheduled to premiere in the U.S. Thursday at the Harris Theater.
Initially sparked by the themes of isolation present in Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein,” and further guided by George Büchner’s unfinished play “Woyzeck,” “Creature” takes us on an arctic journey exploring the last frontier, testing human thresholds and challenging us to question what we inevitably leave behind on our collective quest for more.
In 1970, Ballet Folklórico de México graced the stage of the Auditorium Theatre for the first time, featuring a troupe of one hundred dancers performing their signature style, baile folklorico, a mixture of ballet, Spanish foot-stamping zapateado and Mexican folk dances from across the diaspora. The creation of dancer and choreographer Amalia Hernández, the company is still delighting Chicago audiences with selections from Hernández’s extensive repertoire.
The collision of bodies, objects, generations and concerns in The Duet Project: Distance is Malleable ranged from gentle to brutal with overlapping tenderness, urgency, and resilience. Admittedly, I walked into The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago on Friday night longing for closeness–for the possibility of touch, whispers of breath, and glimmers of sweat that come with proximity to live performance. It soon became clear however, that I didn’t need to be within reach of the performance to be absorbed into it.
Whatever you think you are going to see at an Eiko Otake performance, forget it. Prepare yourself to be surprised, or startled, or experience unbearable intimacy. Expect a never-ending stream of papers with words like “stone” and “I will not” to be scattered in heaps across the stage. Expect raging gods and monsters, or the ghosts of distant relatives, who live in the brushstrokes of colossal paintings projected against the wall. Anything is possible! If Otake’s long history of work is any indication, expect something special, thought-provoking and deeply personal.
The North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie has been, for some time, an alluring oasis for Chicago dance companies adrift in the hustle and bustle of the city—spacious lobby, great backstage facilities, an opulent auditorium (and easy parking!). Chicagoans don’t mind the short trip, either, especially when there is as high a quality of performance as was presented by Giordano Dance Chicago (GDC) last Saturday evening.
Red Clay Dance Academy announces the continuation of its exciting African Diaspora Dance Series.
Founded by renowned choreographer, artivist and Red Clay Dance Company Artistic Director Vershawn Sanders-Ward, the February series features a dreamy line-up of both traditional and contemporary African-centered dance styles.