Many good ideas in the arts start and end with a grant. The seed – the concept and vision – that grows into a production is, for many artists, reliant on institutional, state, or local funding. And once that dance has blossomed, it often must be put on a shelf until it withers, as the artist looks to the next idea and the next grant.

December is Nutcracker month the world over, with Chicago’s Joffrey Ballet leading the annual Nutcracker parade and no fewer than five local productions following, but December also brings a rich array of contemporary dance, tap, belly dance, and mixed media to enliven your holidays. 

DECEMBER HIGHLIGHTS:

After a stunning world premiere last year, The Joffrey Ballet’s uniquely Chicago Nutcracker returns for a second season (December 1-30, Auditorium Theatre). 

The star of the show was the historic Auditorium Theatre, the golden-hued palace itself, celebrating the 50th anniversary of its restoration and re-opening, but a star-studded program treated its audience to a glittering array of virtuoso dance that did its stage proud. 

If you want to experience something really different, refreshing, and thought-provoking, go see The Seldoms’ latest multi-media installment, “The Making,” (7:30 PM, November 9-18, Pulaski Park Field House, 1419 W. Blackhawk. Note: next Thursday is free, but space is limited, and reservations are advisable). 

(The following essay continues seechicagodance's ongoing project, "WRITE ON DANCE: OUR READERS WRITE!")

Steppenwolf Theatre’s chic new 1700 Theatre is the perfect venue for Lucky Plush Productions’ “Rooming House,” an inquiry into why people make life-altering  choices. Presented as part of Steppenwolf’s LookOut performance series, “Rooming House” is created and co-directed by Lucky Plush artistic director/choreographer Julia Rhoads and dramatist Leslie Buxbaum Danzig (varied times, through November 18th, 1700 N. Halsted, enter through Front Bar).

Collaborations across disciplines fill November with a veritable cornucopia of interdisciplinary dance events. Look for exciting new work from some of Chicago’s most innovative dance makers this month, including forays into spoken word, visual art, live music, theater, photography, literature, fashion, and storytelling. Read on for a calendar of events you won’t want to miss!

NOVEMBER HIGHLIGHTS:

Whoops and cheers, gasps and applause punctuate Giordano Dance Chicago’s run-through of its upcoming Fall Season (7:30 PM, this Friday and Saturday, October 27-28, Harris Theater for Music and Dance) as dancers clustered on the sidelines of the rehearsal studio waiting for their entrances acknowledge each other’s special moments—a deliciously prolonged balance in arabesque, breathtaking lifts, spot-on multiple pirouettes, and stunning group geometry.