From September 7-10, The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago presents “Chicago Performs 2023.” The performing arts festival gives emerging artists entering a new phase of their practice an opportunity to explore new ideas and directions, expand their scale of work, and reimagine their art in a new space and for new audiences.
On Wednesday, Aug. 30, Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre returns to Links Hall with “The Island,” a new work by Michelle Manzanales, featuring an original composition by composer and violinist, James Sanders, and based on a true story.
“The Island” premiers as part of “Inside Out,” the work-in-progress series which offers insight into the choreographer’s process of creation. The program is also a part of CRDT’s “Stories from the West Side”, a series that focuses on stories from Chicago residents who are people of color from that part of town.
The Righteous Beauty of the Things Never Accounted For explores Black Fugitivity, the ongoing and historical resistance to systems of oppression that Black people face and the ways in which we have sought to escape or evade those systems in order to preserve our autonomy, dignity, and freedom. In Righteous Beauty, J’Sun Howard uses movement as an anchor and source for practicing freedom, allowing us to discover unexpected beauty that’s typically hard to experience in a carceral state. It is an embodied look into existing when the cosmos does not want us to exist.
The 32nd Gala performance of “Dance for Life” rocked the walls of Chicago’s Auditorium Theatre, packed to the gills with a cross-section of glitterati from the dance world, high society, Chicago politics, dance-lovers, donors, cheerleaders, dance students, and dance companies. The mood was festive, the energy electrifying, both on stage and in the audience.
October 12 and 13, 7:30 PM
Harris Theater, 205 E Randolph St, Chicago
Directed by Mandala Founder Pranita Nayar
Choreographed by Nejla Yatkin and ensemble
Indo-jazz score by acclaimed guitarist Fareed Haque
This evening-length work combines contemporary dance, jazz, ballet, and influences from South Asian dance genres to depict the victory of light over darkness, inspired by the mythological gods of fire, water, wind, and earth prevalent in many world cultures.
The critically acclaimed adaptation of Mary Shelley’s gothic masterpiece, Frankenstein, is a visceral, profoundly emotional tale of life, death, love, and identity. Set to Liebermann’s original sweeping score and immersed within the stunning stage design by world-renowned artist John Macfarlane, this must-see Chicago premiere is one of the most innovative works of ballet today.
It’s rare that the story behind the formation of a dance organization rivals the beauty of their dancing. Boykin Dance Project is a new company whose motives are as lofty as their movements and combines phenomenal dancing with a philanthropic spirit.
For over a century, Black dance has been a vital artistic force in Chicago. From traditional African dance to contemporary choreography, modern jazz to hip-hop ballet, Black dance in Chicago encapsulates a broad spectrum of artistic expression rooted in the Black experience.
“It’s a joyous celebration of dancers!” says Chicago Dancers United board member, Lynne Belsky, about the organization’s annual performance gala, “Dance For Life.”
Belsky, an MD and former dancer with the Joffrey Ballet, is co-founder and ballet teacher at CBG institute for Dance and Health, and owner of Living Well Medical Associates, LLC.
Chicago Performs returns to the MCA with new works by local artists Jonas Becker and Irene Hsiao. This annual festival of live arts celebrates the wealth of innovative work being made by Chicagoans today by inviting three to four local artists to share new works of performance.