Giordano Dance Chicago Launches New Season with Bold Changes and Deepening Jazz Dance Roots

Sep 26, 2023 | By Lynn Colburn Shapiro

 

“Change” is this year’s theme as Giordano Dance Chicago dives into its 61st season, dubbed “Unlimited,” with changes in administration, artists, and board of directors. The company held a cocktail reception to introduce new Executive Director Erica Lynette Edwards, and new Board President Chris D'hondt, at the Whitehall Hotel on September 7th.

Edwards joins the Giordano team replacing Executive Director Michael McStraw, who transitions into the role of mentor to Edwards.

Screendance Club: "blk ark"

Join See Chicago Dance at the 21c Museum Hotel Chicago on October 18th for first ever in-person  Screendance Club, a radically casual watch-party and discussion of short dance films. Different from a typical talk-back, Screendance Club aims to create an environment of open conversation and exploration--with artists, filmmakers, and viewers on an equal footing. SCD writers curate and facilitate conversations on viewing and interpreting dance on screen.

Gerald Arpino Centennial Celebrates the Genius of Joffrey Ballet’s founding Co-director

Sep 22, 2023 | By Lynn Colburn Shapiro

 

“The Arpino Chicago Centennial Celebration” honors the legacy of Joffrey Ballet Co-Founder Gerald Arpino (1923-2008) with a three-day festival of events, featuring his innovative choreographic contribution to 20th-century dance.

Two performances at Chicago’s Auditorium Theatre comprise the centerpiece of the festival with seven ballet companies performing some of Arpino’s best known works on Saturday, September 23 at 7:30 PM, and Sunday, September 24 at 1 PM. (Go to seechicagodance.com for program details)

Hubbard Street Creates Space for Patience With Aszure Barton Residency

Sep 13, 2023 | By Lynn Colburn Shapiro

 

A modest table of hors-d’oevres and an ample array of alcoholic beverages greeted me when I arrived at the Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (HSDC) headquarters, tucked away on the 4th floor of Water Tower Place, for a reception to welcome choreographer Aszure Barton as the acclaimed Canadian/American dance artist begins a three-year artist’s residency with HSDC. The come-and-go residency will include creating new work and setting some of her established repertoire on the company.

The Museum of Contemporary Art celebrates three emerging artists in "Chicago Performs 2023"

Sep 5, 2023 | By Tristan Bruns

 

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.

CRDT's "The Island" Tells A Different West Side Story

Aug 28, 2023 | By Tristan Bruns

 

 

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 (Work-in-Progress)

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.

“Dance For Life” Rocks the Rafters of The Auditorium Theatre

Aug 24, 2023 | By Lynn Colburn Shapiro

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.

DIWALI: ILLUMINATION

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. 

Frankenstein

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.