Heated politics take the stage in October, but the presidential debates aren’t the only arena for political discourse. Dance theater offers graphic interpretation of a variety of highly-charged political issues in several major productions this month, from Joffrey’s production of Krzysztof Pastor’s reimagining of Romeo and Juliet to The Seldoms' hackstory, “The Fifth,” Natya’s investigation of cultural miscommunication at the root of discord, and Nora Chipaumire’s examination of black maleness.
OCTOBER HIGHLIGHTS:
Natya Dance Theater’s “The Incomplete Gesture” (North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, Oct. 1) explores the tension of miscommunication. Created by Natya Founder and Artistic Director Hema Rajagopalan in collaboration with Eri Mefri, Artistic Director of Indonesia’s Nan Jombang Dance, the centerpiece of “The Incomplete Gesture” is the lack of a common cultural vocabulary and our struggle to be not only welcomed, but to be understood. “The Incomplete Gesture” expresses the frustration of misunderstanding and communication lapses: gaps that are bridged only when we connect as people committed to loving each other. This production brings together rhythmic footwork and geometric, lyrical movements rooted in Bharata Natyam with contemporary dance rooted in Indonesian martial arts.
"Natya Dance Theater
If you didn’t catch The Joffrey Ballet in Krzysztof Pastor’s critically acclaimed reimagining of “Romeo and Juliet” in 2014, or even if you did, you won’t want to miss this unforgettable depiction of Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers as they fight against a 20th-century Italian society awash in political strife and war. Rendering Prokofiev's heart wrenchingly beautiful score to contemporary relevance, along with historic film footage, Pastor sends his fated pair across the political turmoil of three separate time periods, portraying an impossible love at its most defiant. (Auditorium Theatre, Oct. 13-23)
Christine Rocas and April Daley in Romeo and Juliet
The Seldoms, always at the cutting edge of political theatre, presents its first ever commission of a full-length work by an ensemble member. Philip Elson’s “The Fifth” (The Dance Center of Columbia College, Oct. 13-15), pulls the curtain back on cyberspace in a highly charged multi-media dance experience, exposing the players in the newest domain of war. “The Fifth” bears Elson’s signature movement language full of vigorous geometry, quick direction changes, evocative imagery, and complex physical exchanges between dancers— using elasticized bands that connect and complicate relationships. “The Fifth” was the first project to be supported within a pilot Production Residency program at the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago with support from The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation.
The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago welcomes choreographer-performer Nora Chipaumire (The Dance Center of Columbia College Oct. 20–22) with her most recent artistic investigation of the black body, Africa and the self, “portrait of myself as my father” (“father” is crossed out in the title), co-commissioned by the Dance Center. Performed by Chipaumire, Senegalese dancer Kaolack (who danced with Compagnie Jant-Bi for many years) and Shamar Watt, the evening-length “portrait” considers the African male through the lens of cultural traditions, colonialism, Christianity, liberation struggles—and how these ideas might impact the African family and society on a global scale. portrait is timely in its examination of black maleness as it asks, “What is it about the male body, which happens to be black, that we are afraid of?” The work takes place within a boxing ring and invites the audience to sit close as well as at a distance in witnessing the performance.
Nora Chipaumire
Giordano Dance Chicago may not have a political agenda, but you won’t want to miss its fall engagement (Oct. 28-29, Harris Theater) with the debut of an exciting new full company work by choreographer Peter Chu (“So You Think You Can Dance”). In addition to Chu’s new work, the program will include three revivals plus two favorites from GDC’s acclaimed repertoire: “Yes, And…” (2010) by Autumn Eckman [Revival]. The choreography for this high energy contemporary jazz dance work was inspired by the theater/comedy improv exercise of building off of surprises and boasts a cast of 16 dancers; Sam Watson’s “Hi Jinks” (1998) [Revival] is an entertainingly goofy tribute to ‘60s TV shows; Jon Lehrer’s “Cesura” (2000) [Revival]. “Cesura” is Latin for a brief pause or interruption. This provocative duet examines a “can’t live with, can’t live without” relationship; Shirt Off My Back” (2015). Award-winning choreographer Ray Mercer’s work explores the inherent sacrifices people make as they enter into a relationship; Kiesha Lalama’s “Alegría” (2011). This full company work uses jazz, modern, contemporary and ballet movement to examine the universal human experience of searching, finding and ultimately accepting joy.
Giordano Dance Chicago
MORE EXCITING OCTOBER PERFORMANCES:
Cerque Rivera Dance Theatre continues its season (Links Hall, Sept. 29-Oct. 1) with the world premieres of four brand-new works:
Sherry Zunker collaborates with CRDT co-founder Joe Cerqua to create “Between Us,” a sexy new piece that explores issues of intimacy and our closest personal relationships. Award-winning choreographer Stephanie Martinez and acclaimed jazz violinist James Sanders explore breaking up and moving on in “Shiver,” a visceral and emotional new piece. In “American Catracho” CRDT co-founders Wilfredo Rivera and Joe Cerqua take on immigration to America – the reasons people move, their harrowing journeys, and the complicated relationship they find when they arrive. Stu Greenspan’s arrangements of Miles Davis’ music combine melodies from the legend's early work and rhythms from late in his career in “Corner Sketches, A Tribute to Miles Davis,” with new choreography by Monique Haley, with Marc Macaranas and Raphaelle Ziemba. Chicago trumpet great Pharez Whitted takes up the role of Davis.
Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre
Lucky Plush continues its Dance Center residency of "Trip The Light Fantastic: The Adventures of SuperStrip" (Dance Center Columbia College, Oct. 1) SuperStrip follows a group of washed-up superheroes attempting to reinvent themselves by starting a nonprofit think tank for do-gooders. Complex training missions and specialized movement techniques bring structure to their collective, but the unlikely supers are unable to find a shared mission and brand. In the struggle to achieve consensus, they discover that real-world problems are far more complex than singular forces of evil, and having power is part of the problem.
“Raks Terror III” (Arabesque Dance and Fitness, Oct. 1) is about pushing boundaries and telling stories through belly dance. This will be a showcase of Chicago (and elsewhere!) belly dance talent and artistry, and the show features all styles of belly dance. All pieces have a theme of ritual, horror, or camp, just in time for Halloween!
Visceral Dance Chicago opens its fourth season (Harris Theater, October 1st) with an evening of dance that includes new works by LA Choreographer Erica Sobol, and “Atlas,” a new duet by Artistic Director Nick Pupillo. Returning are two audience favorites: “Vital” by Nick Pupillo, with live music by Peter Ferry, and Marguerite Donlon’s “Ruff Celts.”
Visceral Dance Chicago
Ballet 5:8 presents “The Stor(ies) of You and Me” (Oct. 7, Ruth Page Center for the Arts) featuring works by Julianna Slager and Caleb Mitchell that explore love, the power of words, unexpected joy, perspectives, and the stories of everyday people.
Tapman Productions Presents THE MODERN MARVELS DANCE COMPANY (October 13-14, Hamlin Park Fieldhouse Theatre). The Modern Marvels Dance Company makes its premiere evening-length performance as the resident modern dance ensemble of Tapman Productions. Under the direction of Kate O'Hanlon, the Modern Marvels work collectively to create art rooted in personal experience that engages audience members emotionally and intellectually. This performance travels throughout the course of a night, touching on the wide spectrum of emotional, phsycial, and mental experiences an individual has from the time their head hits the pillow until the first moments of the day. Choreographers include tap dancer Tristan Bruns and Modern Marvels company members Hannah Bailey, Ashley Chung, Teresa Leahey, Gloria Mwez, and Kate O'Hanlon. Additional performers include company members Deirdre Dillon, Julie Ferrell, and Sarah O'Keefe, and members of The Tapmen Dance Company.
Modern Marvels dance Company
In collaboration with Chicago Children's Theatre, Thodos Dance Chicago presents “A Light in the Dark: the story of Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan,” which was co-choreographed by Founder and Artistic Director Melissa Thodos and Tony Award-winning Broadway legend Ann Reinking. The dance tells the intimate story of Helen Keller, the extraordinary woman who was deaf and blind yet went on to become a world-famous writer, political activist and inspiration to all and her teacher Anne Sullivan, who led Helen into a world of education, activism and intellectual celebrity.
A Light In The Dark
"enra" is a visual dance troupe from Japan performing animation-based live digital performances to create the ultimate union between motion graphics and live performance. (Oct. 15, North Shore Center for the Performing Arts) Straddling the line between contemporary art and engaging live presentation, enra’s artistic innovations seamlessly unite genres such as ballet, Kung-fu and martial arts, acrobatics, juggling, rhythmic gymnastics, street dance and motion graphics. With fewer than a dozen engagements on their US fall tour, and further limited appearances in the Midwest, this is one special live experience you don’t want to miss. Enra challenges different modes of expression and creates a more complex work in order to present a different outlook on the world through the combination of images, dance presentation and live performance. The projected images used in their presentations are not limited to just graphics, but extend to writing and interactive staging, which used to be nearly impossible to express before recent advances in graphics and video technology.
enra
A-Squared Theatre and Links Hall present “The A-Squared Asian American Performing Arts Festival,” (Oct. 20-21, Links Hall) curated by Hope Kim, Cary Shoda, and Giau Truong, the festival features four evenings of contemporary dance, music, performance art, puppetry, sound art, spoken word, and theatre by American artists of Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese descent.
Zephyr Dance Artistic Director Michelle Kranicke collaborates with architect and husband David Sundry on the world premiere of Valise 13, (Defibrillator Labs, Oct. 20-21) an interactive series of vignettes that invite audience members to forge their own paths in an exploration of movement and space. Valise 13 is a succession of separate forays, trajectories, linkages and fleeting formations that chart our inability to tie one moment to another moment, to follow a trail, to dissemble a whole, to adhere to a line of visual argument or adequately involve ourselves in a disparate, continuous unfolding of sound, texture, image and movement. Zephyr dancers migrate along individual pathways, interacting with transformative materials that allow shifts in physicalities and personas. Audience members are challenged to account for the unseen parts and spaces between the fragments, and the movers themselves, as they make decisions about who to follow (or not to follow) and which path to take throughout the evening.
Bringing together a diverse body of new and developing works from Chicago choreographers, Project Bound Dance presents “.concenter.” (Oct. 20-21, Hamlin Park Fieldhouse Theatre). The performance features two world premiere dance works: Inaugural guest choreographer Robert Mckee offers a look at magnetic attraction in a full company work “Present Tense” and in-house choreographer Connor Cornelius brings a hint of humor with a frisky trio “Digging for Gold.” Continuing experimentation within collaboration, Bound artistic directors Ashley Deran and Ericka Vaughn Lashley repurpose and reimagine each other's choreographic repertory with “Irascatur” and “Minu5one.”
Project Bound Dance in ".concenter."
The Danish Dance Theatre brings “Black Diamond” to Chicago (Oct. 21, Harris Theater). With Black Diamond, Tim Rushton returns to a more conceptual and futuristic universe, where focus has been set on graphic aesthetics, scenes and geometrical forms. Black Diamond is a new creation by Tim Rushton, made for Danish Dance Theatre’s 16 international dancers. To the sounds of the violinist Alexander Balanescu, the beat king Trentemøller and the classic composer Philip Glass, small pockets of sound are created — from fragmented and noisy to tempo-filled electronic beats to lyrical and romantic tracks.
Danish Dance
The Philadelphia Dance Company, (Oct. 21, Northeastern Illinois University) PHILADANCO, presents professional dance performance and improves the skills of emerging and professional dancers and choreographers in a nurturing environment, while increasing the appreciation of dance among its many communities. Across the nation and around the world, PHILADANCO is celebrated for its innovation, creativity and preservation of predominantly African-American traditions in dance.
Philadanco
The Chicago Repertory Ballet’s five-year anniversary GALA! (Oct. 22, The Fassaes White Box Theater at the Menomonee Club for Boys and Girls). There will be a special performance celebrating five years of beauty and innovation, followed by cocktails, an opportunity to meet the dancers, and your chance to support Chicago Repertory Ballet.
“Quantum Monk” (Oct. 24, Links Hall) is an interdisciplinary performance presenting dancer/choreographer Fujima Yoshinojo, with the sounds of prolific experimentalist artist and musician, Tatsu Aoki, and the impassioned stylings of Rami Atassi. “Makasho”, an Edo-period travelling monk, was originally a Japanese classical dance piece that presented a less than pious character, and has now been infused with more contemporary elements which balance the equation of advancing the exposition concept of Japanese classical dance in today’s differential environment.
The Body Wails, The Body Restores (Oct. 28, Links Hall) will present two solo performances: #SAYHERNAME (2015/2016) by Vershawn Sanders Ward from Red Clay Dance and CONTINUUM OF ACTION (2015/2016) by Lela Aisha Jones from FlyGround. Ward's riveting new solo work, #SAYHERNAME examines the criminalization of female black activists Angela Davis and Assata Shakur, drawing parallels to the present day arrest and subsequent death of Sandra Bland. The solo dancer finds herself in a confined space; both physically (inside a prison cell) and mentally, bound by her condition and perceived loss of POWER. CONTINUUM OF ACTION (2015/2016) Lela Aisha Jones | FlyGround (Solo Work) Continuum of Action is a contemporary reflection upon the MOVE organizaiton’s efforts to live autonomously by growing their own food (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., 1985), The Craddock Four’s (Craddock, South Africa, 1985) efforts to give agency to their community against South African Apartheid, and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission transcripts created after the Greensboro Massacre (North Carolina, U.S., 1979)—particularly the voices of the children.
The Body Wails, The Body restores
DanceWorks Chicago is excited to partner with the Lou Conte Dance Studio on DanceChance, (Oct. 28, Lou Conte Dance Studio) a one-hour event designed to offer opportunities for choreographers to show their work informally, create a forum for dialogue among artists, and build audience for dance.
Danceworks Chicago
For Details and Tickets, go to seechicagodance.com, and click on “Upcoming Events.”