While spending time combing through past issues of “Dance Magazine” at the Harold Washington Library, I realized for the first time how prolific dancer/choreographer Ruth Page was during her career. She is mentioned in nearly every issue, often covered by longtime Chicago dance writer Ann Barzel. Page is always pushing boundaries, always moving forward, always working on a new ballet, often to rave reviews. Seeing the immensity of Page’s work spread out in front of me instilled a sense of awe and, as a Chicagoan, a sense of pride.

On May 5 at The Myron R. Szold Music & Dance Hall, Identity Performing Arts presented “Fearless,” a series of repertory works and one premiere by choreographer and company artistic director Ginny Ching-Yin Lo. The works were set on a small company of dancers and performed to music both recorded and live, with sweeping soundscapes created by experimental electronic duo “Chromabeats,”—whose members are named Mancho (Marshal Greenhouse) and functionless (Wiebe Dirk)—with the addition of Alex Brinkman on cello and Eli Lu on keyboard.

On Wednesday April 27th the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago premiered its spring program—a split bill consisting of the company debut of George Balanchine’s “Serenade” and the world premiere of Cathy Marston’s adaptation of John Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men.” The two works ran for a total of two hours, but it passed in the blink of an eye. Visions of suspended tulle whipping furiously around the stage and haunting images of grayscale murder scenes linger in my mind, so divided in aesthetic yet bonded in brilliance.