IN THE LIMELIGHT
Winning Works: Choreographers of Color Awards 2014 | March 1 at 7:00 PM
$16 Tickets! | Joffrey Academy of Dance, Official School of The Joffrey Ballet presents Winning Works: Choreographers of Color Awards 2014, March 1 at 7:00 PM at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance
FEBRUARY NEWSLETTER
By Vicki Crain
While we’re dealing with the snow and freezing temps of the Polar Vortex part deux, the Chicago dance scene is heating up with its own storm…a performance vortex, if you will, with over 40 performances from companies big and small, local and international, classic and avant garde and everything in between.
Let’s start local. DCASE continues its On Edge series with a performance of Peter Trosztmer’s Eesti “Myths and Machines", Khecari and The Humans share a program at the Dance Center,dropshift dance gets experimental with Imposter/Malleable, Esoteric Dance Project shows four premieres in Shift-ed and The Joffrey Ballet presents three company premiers in its Contemporary Choreographers program. Two companies bring back recent hits with Vision, Faith, and Desire II: Dancemakers Inspired by Martha Graham and Striding Lion’s Dada Gert.
Touring companies coming the Windy City in February include an eclectic array of artists from the States and Europe. Hamburg Ballet returns to the Harris Theater with artistic director John Neumeier’s Third Symphony of Gustav Mahler. Pittsburgh native Kyle Abraham brings his poignant work The Radio Show to the MCA Stage. France’s Compagnie Kafig offers its unique blend of hip-hop, samba and capoeira and hip-hop artist Raphael Xavier performs his The Unofficial Guide to Audience Watching Performance at the Dance Center, while Alonzo King/LINES Ballet presents two programs, Constellation and a Collaboration with bassist Edgar Meyer. And at the tail end of the month, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre comes back for its (now –annual) two-week run at the Auditorium Theatre with new-to-Ailey works like Wayne McGregor’s Chroma and Aszure Barton’s LIFT.
Other events this month include Perpetual Motion, Inc. and Shakura World Theatre hosting a lecture demonstration at the Harold Washington Library featuring the work of choreographer Lin Shook and musician Blanche Blacke, The Dance Center’s new DanceMakers series, B-Real, continues with artists from Compagnie Kafig. The American Rhythm Center's Love 2 Dance event invites singles and couples to a Valentine's Day soiree. Off the Wall Cabaret at Link’s Hall features artists from around the country and Striding Lion collaborates with Link’s for Peep Show: The Instant Choreography Project.The Lou Conte Dance Studio celebrates 40 years with a discussion with founder Conte followed by a dance party and you can catch SHINE, a dance documentary featuring Thodos Dance Chicago on WTTW. The film follows the company during the creative process for the story ballet A Light in the Dark, which the company will be revisiting this month in Skokie.
Stay warm and go see some dance!