Kaleidoscope Choreographers Festival

Alliance Dance Company presents our 2nd Annual Choreographers Festival - Kaleidoscope.

Last year was a big success with the final show a sellout.  This year is even bigger.

If a Kaleidoscope operates on the principle of multiple reflection,
then this dance festival is truly such!

You will not want to miss a chance to see one of the most diverse dance festivals
in Chicago with works created by 25 choreographers from the Midwest region.

Over 60 pieces were submitted for consideration by committee to bring you
a different show each night!

NYCB's "21st Century Choreography" continues Balanchine's legacy of innovation

 

Established institutions struggle with how to stay fresh and current without losing their signature identity. New York City Ballet (NYCB) combats outdatedness by hiring celebrated contemporary choreographers while staying true to the philosophy of its founder, George Balanchine, who said: “If you don’t feel challenged, it’s because you’re not doing enough. Ballet should never be comfortable.”

Sip and Savor: Anjal Chande’s “The Next Cup of Tea” at Steppenwolf

 

Anjal Chande, a multidisciplinary artist, performed a work of solo dance-theater last Friday at Steppenwolf's 1700 Theater. Initially planned as a collaboration with the Museum of Contemporary Art, the performance was rescheduled due to injury and is now featured as part of the Steppenwolf’s “LookOut Series” highlighting experimental Chicago artists.

Tap is a joyful tower of Babel in "Liaison" at Den Theatre

 

The word liaison commonly refers to a person acting as an ambassador, tour guide, or escort—someone who serves to establish a connection between two entities unable to connect due to cultural, linguistic or other barriers.  Not often do we think of an artform serving as this intermediary, but at the Den Theatre three professional, transatlantic tap companies demonstrated how tap dance can transcend human obstacles such as language to create an evening of joy and laughter, married through the celebration of rhythm in motion.  

LaTasha Barnes and company explore “The Jazz Continuum” at Columbia College

 

Imagine a grey plate on a spinning platform being scored by dribbles of paint of different textures and colors—hot pink, orange, Kelly green, royal blue and mustard. Swirling. Combining. Splattered. Rising up? Yes! Nimble dancers emerge with time-altering powers. They dip in and out of the timestream, alive in multiple eras at the same moment. It’s a trip, a fantasy, an illusion… No!

The decadent storytelling of Nejla Yatkin “Ouroboros” at Links Hall

 

When I hear the word Ouroboros, I imagine myself at the beach. Rotating in the breeze as I carve endless circles in the sand with a stick or my finger. Listening to waves return and go endlessly.

Ouroboros, a word that commands the entire mouth, is an ancient Greek and Egyptian symbol of a serpent eating its own tail. Possessing a meaning as fluid and complex as its pronunciation, it is a fitting title for Nejla Yatkin’s latest theatrical solo performance premiering at Links Hall March 8-10.

“There Is Still Magic Here” creates a dreamscape of emotion

 

A trio of dancers hold long, luminescent rods of white light. The space feels cold and empty. Suddenly, it’s dark. One by one, as each rod turns back on, a trio of dancers are caught static in a forward moving pose, holding poles as walking sticks. It’s like we are driving down a road, and our headlights happen to flash upon sole wanderers in the night.