Preview

River North on the Landmark Stage

Apr 8, 2014 | By Vicki Crain
Saturday, I go out to play croons Eva Cassidy’s smoky voice in the intimate Katten-Landau studio at Roosevelt University. Dancers Jessica Wolfrum and Ahmad Simmons tangle in an intense, physical, emotive duet – an excerpt from River North Dance Chicago artistic director Frank Chaves’ 2013 ode to the singer. At the end of the second run, Wolfrum literally leans on two lucky audience members, spent. Her character “has issues,” Chaves quips.
 

Edward Gorey Meets Shostakovich in Trey McIntyre Project

Apr 2, 2014 | By Lynn Colburn Shapiro

For someone who had no stomach for “happy nonsense,” only the darkly-twisted variety , Edward Gorey couldn’t have a better name. The Trey McIntyre Project has flown into town, literally on the wings of Gorey’s creepy Victorian and Edwardian-era creatures, for the Chicago premiere of The Vinegar Works: Four Dances of Moral Instruction, commissioned by The Harris Theater. 

Winning Works: Choreographers of Color Awards 2014

Mar 7, 2014 | By Lauren Warnecke

It was a cold and snowy evening last Saturday. The warm and cozy Broadway Playhouse in the Gold Coast (a change of venue from the still out-of-commission Harris Theater) served a fitting backdrop for the 2014 Choreographers of Color Award. Each year, three diverse choreographers are selected by the Joffrey Academy of Dance to present new work on its proficient group of Trainees.  It seems a mutually beneficial arrangement for the choreographers and dancers involved.

Hyde Park School of Dance Nutcracker Wraps Up 20th Anniversary Year

Dec 9, 2013 | By Lynn Colburn Shapiro

By Lynn Colburn Shapiro

How many Nutcrackers does it take to change a lightbulb? For Tye August, the answer is fourteen, the number of years the Lyric Opera Ballet Mistress and choreographer has been staging this version of The Nutcracker for The Hyde Park School of Dance (HPSD), where she is also Founding Artistic Director.

Priming the canvas: Two adventuresome choreographers take a break from empty space.

Oct 14, 2013 | By Zachary Whittenburg

By Zachary Whittenburg

Today the miracle of air travel is a semi-regular chore. Some of us occasionally opt for the thrill of diving deep into a lake, sea or ocean. A family road trip might include a day of beginner-level spelunking. For the most part, however, we humans spend our days and years on terra firma, that massive, spherical border between earth and sky.

Hyde Park School of Dance

Jun 10, 2013 | By Laura Molzahn

By Laura Molzahn

For August Tye, the Hyde Park School of Dance is a family affair. "I love the students, the families, seeing what dance does for people," she says. Tye's 9- and 13-year-old daughters will be performing in the school's upcoming 20th-anniversary show, "En Avant," while her husband, singer Wilbur Pauley, tweaked the score for her premiere, Lorelei. The blowout lineup next weekend also includes guests from the Joffrey, the Joel Hall Dancers, and the Paul Sanasardo Dancers. 

Chicago Dance Month Roundup

Apr 26, 2013 | By Sid Smith
By Sid Smith
 
Chicago Dance Month is winding down and nearing its closing, but that doesn't mean the activity itself is waning--a flurry of events this weekend and next week assures this new April venture will go out with a bang, not a whimper.