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Chicago’s vibrant dance community has filled stages across the city with an abundance of quality productions throughout 2014.  In lavish halls and humble storefronts, from classical tradition to edgy experimentation and bold collaborations, dance in Chicago continues to distinguish The Windy City as a go-to dance town. As hard as it is to pick favorites among so many fine performances and outstanding works, the dance writers for seechicagodance have selected a few stand-out candidates for our 2014 Critics’ Picks. 

LAUREN:

Rebellious Teen Defies Father, Leaves Home; Debutante Engaged to Wealthy Bachelor; Priest Guilty of Sexual Misconduct, Torches Temple--They could be tabloid headlines, but in this case, surprise, they’re abbreviated synopses of Joffrey Ballet’s upcoming “Stories In Motion,” opening this Thursday night, September 18th at the Auditorium Theater and running only through Sunday, September 21st. 

Stories are making a comeback on the dance scene, or reinventing themselves as post-post-modernism, take your pick.  Throughout September and October, Chicago dance lovers have an absolutely tantalizing array of dance styles and companies to choose from, with a rip-roaring line-up that ranges from conventional story ballets to innovative collaborations, abstract dance tone-poems to jazz rhythms and tap dance narratives. Here are a just few of the many wonderful stories in dance coming our way this fall:    

Dance/USA, the annual convergence of many of dance’s greatest minds, settled smack in the middle of the country last weekend, and it’s safe to say that Minneapolis is overflowing with dance. In a dance-positive state that is thriving on corporate sponsorships and seemingly ample funding, there was perhaps no better place for this year’s Dance/USA conference.

We hope you enjoy Audience Architects' new series, "Dance is...what YOU make of it." REAL audience members share REAL opinions on watching dance. "Dance Is...", is part of Engaging Dance Audiences, administered by Dance/USA and made possible with generous funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. To see all the videos in this series click HERE. vimeo.com/channels/643239

Dr. Seuss could have been talking about all the many wonderful and diverse locations where dance is happening in Chicago this month, with workshops, master classes, open rehearsals, and performances celebrating Chicago Dance Month (April 1-May 4). 

We hope you enjoy Audience Architects' new series, "Dance is...what YOU make of it." REAL audience members share REAL opinions on watching dance. 

Watch a sneak peak of our collection of interviews with Chicagoans from all walks of life and all ages as they discuss what moves them about the beauty of dance. Check back weekly for new episodes!

To see all the videos in this series click HERE.