The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre has been entertaining Chicagoans for generations, and their impact has inspired countless of our dancers; in fact, some even go on to join the ensemble.

Veteran company member, Vernard Gilmore, and recent inductee, Isaiah Day, are both Chicago South Side natives whose talents were fostered by some of the city’s most prominent artists and institutions. In an interview with See Chicago Dance, these hometown heroes share what it’s like to be a dancer in one of the country’s most prestigious dance companies.

Creating a platform for artistic development from scratch is a monumental task requiring earned respect and trust from your community. To gain that esteem takes hard work and dedication, and there is no better organization in the Chicago dance community to do so than Trifecta Dance Collective. 

Chicago is fortunate to have a vast dance scene, with various companies encompassing a wide variety of genres that audiences can enjoy. However, this access to professional dance is not a universal experience. Boykin Dance Project is trying to bridge this gap between a city-centric dance world and rural areas not yet acquainted with the true potential of live professional dance.

Have you ever watched a dance performance and wondered how the dancers learned the steps?  Maybe you were curious about what inspired the piece?  Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre (CRDT) pulls back the curtain in their recurring Inside/Out performance series. The company performs works in progress, gives a glimpse into the rehearsal process, and allows for the audience to input their own ideas and observations.

Those who have experienced a fever dream can tell you that it is often a bizarre, vivid, or unpleasant experience. Those who wake up from these dreams are often discombobulated, unsure of whether what they encountered was fact or fiction, and some may even have a change of perspective from the ordeal—popular culture examples being “The Wizard Of Oz” or “Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland.”

Gender Fucked Productions’ dance ensemble, “Queer Dance Freakout,” returns with “Spring Fling” at Elastic Arts on April 5-7. Last year, this company of diverse artists surprised audiences with their combination of skits, solos, duets, group numbers and audience interaction, presented in a format which has the audience voting for what comes next. In “Spring Fling,” QDF retains their unique choose-your-own-adventure formula but with a few tweaks.

The name Gus Giordano is synonymous with jazz dance, as composer George Gershwin is to jazz music.  Both Giordano and Gershwin were pioneers in their fields, bringing liveliness, excitement, and a daring boldness to their works. Not only did Giordano codify his own jazz dance technique but he also wrote the renowned Anthology of American Jazz Dance (1976), still in use today.  Students of jazz dance have been affected by his foundational teachings for decades.

The phrase “work in progress” can take on many meanings within the context of dance. It may indicate previewing a performance’s rehearsal process months before the polished premiere. Or, seeing a work that will eventually be extended, adapted and performed again in a new light. What it certainly means is meeting movement with an open, flexible mind; whatever you see in the “now,” may shift.