Synapse Arts - Mural Dances 2021 Summer Series

  • Rachel mural dance screenshot.png

    Image shows a dancer with short pink hair, black leggings, and a black t-shirt jumping with arms outstretched in front of a colorful painted mural beneath elevated train tracks. Trees and various plants appear above and in front of the left side.
    Image shows a dancer with short pink hair, black leggings, and a black t-shirt jumping with arms outstretched in front of a colorful painted mural beneath elevated train tracks. Trees and various plants appear above and in front of the left side.

    Synapse Arts

    Saturday, July 17, 2021 to Saturday, September 18, 2021 | Chicago Park District
Event Type
Performance
Event Description

Synapse Arts presents “Mural Dances”, a series of dance performances that take place outdoors at murals, with live music, costume design, and choreography that dialogue with the artwork.

Sat July 17 at Barrett Park directed by Amanda Ramirez
Sat Aug 21 at Jessie "Ma" Houston Park directed by Tim Tsang and Kara Roseborough
Sat Sept 18 at Loyola Park directed by Rachel Damon
1-3pm
FREE
All ages
BYOC (bring your own chair)

Like the colorful outdoor artwork that will set the stage, Synapse Arts’ “Mural Dances” are site-specific public works that aim to enliven Chicago neighborhoods. Local artists as diverse as the city itself will engage audiences with choreography, costumes, and music in response to Chicago’s iconic neighborhood murals.

Mural Dances are intended to enliven neighborhood settings, connecting residents and visitors to the urban environment with the comforts and celebration of visual art, music, dance, and food. This series will celebrate the neighborhoods of Chicago through murals, dance, and music, bringing together local artists of many types.

By bringing joyful and intriguing professional dance-theater to under-appreciated and pedestrian spaces, we foster neighborhood pride and help to build more connected communities. Public performances of professional dance exemplify our core belief that everyone can dance and dance can happen anywhere, anytime.

Mural Dances is a series of three performances which take place on Saturday afternoons on “third Saturdays” of July 17, August 21, and September 18, 2021.
Performances will be created in response to murals at Barrett Park in Pilsen, at Jessie "Ma" Houston Park in Kenwood, and at Loyola Park in Rogers Park, representing the South, West, and North sides of the city.
In collaboration with The Chicago Park District, Synapse Arts will present a series of original dances – performed with live music in front of three of the city’s iconic murals. Featuring professional, local artists, these three events are free to the public and promise a safe way for residents to come together and celebrate their neighborhoods.

On July 17 finds Mural Dances in Pilsen at Barrett Park where choreographer Amanda Ramirez will respond to a mural of cultural luminaries including Frida Kahlo. On August 21 in Kenwood’s Jessie “Ma” Houston Park, in front of the 2-story mural celebrating the eponymous civil rights leader, directors Tim Tsang and Kara Roseborough will debut a work that reflects their personal BIPOC experiences. On September 18 at Loyola Park in Rogers Park, area resident Rachel Damon will direct a piece celebrating the neighborhood’s rich diversity of heritages and queerfolx. With 600 feet of lakefront murals as the backdrop, the dancers will highlight colorful paintings of peace and unity while performing alongside live percussionist Tom Benko.

Synapse Arts is a multidisciplinary arts nonprofit founded in 2004, based in Chicago. Led by award-winning director Rachel Damon, Synapse creates original works and presents free dance education programs. The company makes high-quality art accessible to people of all ages, incomes, identities, and abilities.
Mission statement: Synapse Arts creates, performs, and educates to nurture individual identities and challenge social norms by engaging artists and audiences in the making of dance-theater.

Running Time
2 hours
Dance Styles
Modern / Contemporary

Location

Chicago Park District

541 N. Fairbanks
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 742-7529

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