On a wintery Thursday, throngs of people lined up outside the Harris Theater eager with anticipation of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s epic return to live performance. After a 20-month pause, “RE/TURN” marks the start of a new era for the 44-year-old dance company.
The below piece is part of Critical Context, a paid writing residency created in partnership with the Harris Theater. The initiative engages past SCD Critical Dance Writing Fellows in a three- to six-month residency in mentorship, research, and deep exploration of Harris Theater Presents dance programming.
Bharatanatyam choreographers Ranee Ramaswamy and Aparna Ramaswamy’s Fires of Varanasi: Dance of the Eternal Pilgrim evokes an elaborate ritual where time is suspended and humans merge with the divine. Through images that reflect the cosmic trinity of Varanasi, India — sacred pilgrimage routes, the Ganges River, and the patron deity Shiva, heightened by the chants of Vedic priests — the choreographers imagine a metaphorical crossing place where one may leave the mundane and enter into the world of immortality.
She speaks no Korean, he speaks little English, but the language of dance transcends all cultural barriers in the collaboration at the center of the third annual South Chicago Dance Festival. Sponsored by South Chicago Dance Theatre (SCDT), the festival’s mission is to foster cultural diplomacy through movement, a language that needs no translation.
After a series of great small group connections at our last couple of convenings, we are switching it up. This month, please join us to meet some new faces in our community. Guests include:
Join us for Common Ground, an in studio show at The Rooted Space highlighting the artists who rehearse and teach with us.
Deeply Rooted Dance Theater (DRDT) concluded its 25th anniversary season at the Auditorium Theatre Oct. 23 with “Roots & Wings,” a one-night only program of viscerally transformative dance and dance theater works. The momentous show ignited the space between tradition and innovation, featuring classic repertory pieces by co-founders Gary Abbott and Kevin Iega Jeff, a company premiere of Ulysses Dove’s “Episodes,” and a preview of DRDT’s latest interdisciplinary collaboration, “Goshen.”
The Shows Ya Gotta see is a monthly series highlighting "must-see" performances curated by See Chicago Dance critics.
Ya gotta see Poonie’s Cabaret on Nov. 1
The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation announced the 2021 cohort of dance artists Thursday, including distinguished award-winning choreographer and performance artist Cynthia Oliver. Oliver is the only Illinois-based artist to receive the grant, an unrestricted $275,000 award supporting artistic exploration.
This weekend, Giordano Dance Chicago (GDC) enthusiastically opens its 59th season, celebrating its return to the Harris Theater stage after almost two years. While welcoming six new dancers (now 12 dancers total) to its roster, GDC also says farewell to company dancer Zachary Heller. It will be a bittersweet moment 14 years in the making.