Preview

“Time flies,” Ida Velez said as we discussed her long career at Le Ballet Petit (LBP), a neighborhood dance studio in Ravenswood Manor. Founded in 1954 by ballerina Kitty LaPointe, LBP has overcome many challenges becoming the little studio-that-could. It is still chugging along, most recently adapting to the reality of virtual teaching (Velez is not a fan) and performing during a pandemic. This weekend you can watch the studio’s free live stream of the annual holiday favorite, “The Nutcracker.”

Even though we are still in the throes of the COVID-19 global pandemic and witnessing the majority of dance virtually, the Loyola University dance program has found a way to showcase the things that brings us all together—the common denominator of humanity. “Spectral Heartbeats” is an apt title for a program which takes personal stories literally to heart creating a ghostlike vision of what we are missing during this pandemic: human connection.

The Loyola dance program presents “Spectral Heartbeats” Saturday and Sunday online.

The South Chicago Dance Festival puts legs on the words “cultural diplomacy,” reaching across cultures, ideologies and movement idioms to celebrate the unifying spirit of dance.

The second annual festival, offered virtually this year due to the pandemic, is hosted by the South Chicago Dance Theatre, presenting top professional and student dance companies from Chicago’s South Side in five days of master classes, seminars, and performances beginning Tuesday, and culminating Nov. 21 with a gala concert dance showcase.

Much will be said about Jenn Freeman (A.K.A. Po’Chop) and her latest works, “Litany” and “The Brown Pages.” Paying homage to humble praise dance beginnings and dipped in the brilliance of burlesque, Freeman delivers a two-part, multi-disciplinary experience through the mediums of dance on film and a digital "blogzine." Freeman, a master in the art of seduction, delays gratification with titrated film releases over the course of the fall.

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Sink or swim appears to be the mantra of several Chicago dance organizations who are pressing ahead with planned expansions despite a global pandemic that continues to cripple the performing arts.

This Fall, the Dance Center of Columbia College presents a virtual series called “The Dance Buffet,” a smorgasbord of workshops and performances from over 30 Chicago artists. Tap dancer Jumaane Taylor wants to assault your senses and leave you with a so-bad-it’s-good taste in your mouth with his new work, “Ugly Flavors.” Ironically, it is one of the main offerings in the “dessert” portion of the buffet.

Chicago had cast its spell on dancer/choreographer Nejla Yatkin long before “The Other Witch” called out to her imagination. Connections that gave birth to Yatkin’s newest multi-media, multi-lingual creation transcend international and historical boundaries, from World War I Germany to a remote village in East Anatolia, Turkey, to 20th-century Berlin and ultimately to its realization in Chicago.

More than a year after Heather Hartley’s departure, See Chicago Dance once again has a permanent executive director.

A quarter of a century is a long time and to have a dance company survive and to thrive in these times is no small feat. Deeply Rooted Dance Theater (DRDT) has done just that and is celebrating with a virtual and in-person fundraiser and performance this Saturday at the Athaneaum Theatre. “Deeply 25: Beyond Dance…The Celebration Begins” highlights the journey and the mission of the company and its founders Kevin Iega Jeff and Gary Abbott and includes all the voices and creativity it has picked up from collaborating artists along the way.