Past, Past, Present - Kristina Isabelle, Charlie Vernon, Bob Eisen

Kristina Isabelle will present a reconstruction of Chicago area modern dance master Sybil Shearer's 1969 group work "Judgement Seeks It's Own Level", set to the classic rock anthem In-A-Gadda-Da-Vita by Iron Butterfly. Presented courtesy of the Morrison-Shearer Foundation.

Charlie Vernon will show a video of his seminal 1981 work, "That Fall", featuring text by Vernon, music by Fred Simon and performed by five male dancers. The piece debuted as part of "The Seasons" at Columbia College and was seen subsequently at New York City's Dance Theater Workshop and the Riverside Church 1982 Men's Dancing Festival. The showing of the video will be preceded by a short presentation by Vernon where he will talk about the process of creating the piece.

Bob Eisen will present a new duet, created and performed with Minneapolis dancer Dolo McComb. It will be a continuation of the exploration of movement and structure that Eisen has been investigating for the last 30 plus years.

Following these Past, Past and Present performances there will be a party/gathering/celebration with drinks available at the bar, food, and a continuous showing of excerpts from Charlie Vernon's older pieces. 

Co-produced by Bob Eisen and Roell Schmidt

In the late 70's and throughout the 80's Charlie Vernon was one of Chicago's more prolific choreographers, creating over 30 plus works, which were presented nationally at the Walker Arts Center, the Portland Center, and Tangente, Montreal, as well as at numerous local venues. He was the recipient of four NEA Choreographic Fellowships and commissions from the American College Dance Festival in Durham, N.C.

Bob Eisen was an active and prominent member of Chicago's performing arts/dance community from the mid 70's until 2000, receiving numerous awards and grants both for his artistic work and his contribution to the community. For one full year, 2004-2005, he danced and traveled his way around the world. Presently he divides his time between living in Russia, where he dances, travels, teaches, studies the language and lives; and New York City which has been home for the past 16 years.