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.

Wanna see something rooted, swinging and soulful?
Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre presents “Celebrating Black Excellence,” May 7

Zephyr, an experimental dance company and Chicago arts mainstay, made its return to live, in-person performance at SITE/less with “Not Dead Yet,” a shared evening of new work by Michelle Kranicke (Zephyr), Joanna Read (Same Planet Performance Project), and Tom Brady (Sartori).

When asked what drew her to John Steinbeck’s 1937 novella, “Of Mice and Men,” British choreographer Cathy Marston said, “It asks all the questions that invigorate me—faith in friendship, why people are so isolated…”

See Chicago Dance reached Marston by phone during a break in rehearsals at Joffrey Tower where she is putting the finishing touches on the world premiere production, opening April 27th at the Lyric Opera House. (See below for details.)

As I walk into the lobby of the Chicago History Museum, I hear bells echoing between the high ceilings and marble floor of the lobby. Young girls dressed in brightly colored saris and wearing jingling, ankle-bound ghungroos darted in and out of the crowd assembled to see The Choreographer Showcase presented last Sunday by Mandala South Asian Performing Arts in the McCormick Theater. The showcase featured works of dance by artists Ashwaty Chennet and Shalaka Kulkarni, and an acoustic musical interlude by Krissy Bermark.

See Chicago Dance, the dance industry's nonprofit service organization, is proud to announce that this June will see the return of its popular annual offering, Chicago Dance Month. Now in its tenth year, Chicago Dance Month provides a multitude of performance opportunities for artists and companies that are eager to get back in front of audiences.

For the first time ever in her 23-professional-years, Sara Juli is performing in the Windy City and she’s bringing an elaborate Pepto-Bismol pink bathroom set in tow.