We asked the five participating choreographers one question each about their works in Red Clay Dance Company's La Femme Dance Festival. Here's what L. Graciella Maiolatesi, Brittany C. Winters, Jasmin Williams, Marceia Scruggs and Linsday Renea Benton told us:
CTT Founder and Artistic Director Mark Yonally shares his personal tap journey and how it continues to influence the nature of the company's work and productions. Here's what he told us:
In Urban Bush Women's Hair and Other Stories, hair is used as the jumping off point to begin a conversation about colorism and racism. Since its founding in 1984 by Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, UBW has sought to "bring the untold and under-told histories and stories of disenfranchised people to light through dance." To this day the company stays true to its mission and artistic vision, and audiences can see the evidence of their drive and passion to push that mission and vision forward in Hair and Other Stories. Furthermore, upon learning more about the performance or physically being present for it, you'll soon discover that each of UBW's core values is also represented in the work. One such example is UBW validates the individual by recognizing the importance of hair stories from people of all backgrounds and ethnicities. They are an ear that is eternally and openly listening to anyone who has a story to tell; you can even submit a story to them at anytime via the Story Booth on their website. The company also has an long standing partnership with The People's Institute of Survival and Beyond (PISAB) - an organization devoted to undoing racism community programs, workshops and other educational experiences. To learn more about Hair and Other Stories, DancerMusic Dance Editor Kristi Licera caught up with Urban Bush Women Associate Artistic Director Chanon Judson. Here's what she told us:
...what happens when you are at the helm of an artistic operation for decades? How do you stay inspired, motivated and fight the burnout? If you happen to be the Artistic Director of a dance company, your responsibilities are monumental and seemingly endless. Those responsibilities are centered around the all-important preservation and growth of the company’s artistic vision, which can mean lending your own choreographic voice to the repertoire. This is in addition to finding other dance makers, both seasoned and up-and-coming, to keep the season’s programming diverse while still functioning in support of the original vision. Then comes curating
The saying 'opposites attract' is most often used to describe a phenomenon that draws people together. It's something you may have experienced yourself at one time or another -- you butt heads with someone on some level, or perhaps you find complete disagreement across the board. Perhaps it's the excitement of a good debate that gets your blood flowing, or maybe learning about the other side strengthens your argument against it. For some it may simply be the excitement of something new -- of exploring a perspective outside of your own. Whatever the reason, the age old saying has some
Marinda Davis is a phenomenal choreographer who continues to fight against phenomenal odds. This past May, Marinda shared her story on the CW's My Last Days, which detailed her battle against a series of diseases that compromise her health and how dance has played a major role in fueling her resilience and healing. We are humbled and send our heartfelt love as she continues to fight for her health, but here we choose to focus on the light she brings to our world through choreography. In more recent years, Marinda has had her company and choreography featured on NBC's World of Dance and has taken a dive into the commercial side of the art form. Through the years, she never forgot about the connection she made as a dance convention assistant to the legendary Gus Giordano, and now has the opportunity to choreograph on the legacy company that he left behind. There is something incredibly satisfying and elusive about life coming full circle, and for Marinda, this experience with Giordano Dance Chicago was just that. DancerMusic Dance Editor Kristi Licera caught up with Marinda to learn more about how she formed her relationship with the company, as well as the creative process behind her work for GDC, titled "Flickers." Here's what she told us:
You may not be able to physically see something, but that does not take away from its existence. Take for instance, what happens behind the scenes to create and produce a dance concert. As an audience member, you see the magic of movement and theater before your eyes; what you do not see is the countless hours of rehearsal, research and refinement necessary to present what appears before you. Furthermore, in today's financial climate (especially in regards to the arts), limits on funding mean that a company may only be able to produce concerts on an annual basis. So what happens to these artists between shows? They keep creating! And that is part of the message behind J. Lindsay Brown Dance's production of "Alive & Well: Dances about Resilience." "Alive & Well: Dances about Resilience" seeks to redefine resilience by presenting a wide range of creative concepts from an equally wide range of perspectives. The program features three choreographic works by J. Lindsay Brown herself, along with a collection of new works from up-and-coming choreographers from the Chicago area. DancerMusic Dance Editor Kristi Licera recently caught up with Linsday to learn more about how the program aims to accomplish redefining resilience, as well as more about the concepts and visions behind the works to be presented. Here's what she told us:
Since 2001, Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble has presented multidisciplinary theater works with a focus on storytelling. These works include elements of theatre, music, movement, visual arts and literary text. "Getting Old Sucks" combines a variety of these elements along with an age-diverse cast to create a theater experience that we can all relate to. Such a vast variety of disciplines included in the creation of CDE's repertoire requires artists with equally diverse skill sets, making Scott and Michele the perfect pair to add to their list of creators. Scott currently serves as the Educational Manager at the Actors Gymnasium in Evanston, is an active contributor to the Improv Olympics and has earned a black belt in traditional martial arts from ISKA. Michele is an experienced director, performer and puppeteer currently working to hone her circus and movement skills in the Professional Training Program at the Actors Gymnasium. She has appeared in professional theater productions across Chicagoland with roles that include Seryohza in Anna Karenina at the Lifeline Theatre and Martha Washington in The American Revolution for Theatre Unspeakable. So how did these two dynamite artists create "Getting Old Sucks"? DancerMusic Dance Editor Kristi Licera caught up with Scott and Michele to learn more about the inspiration and creative process behind the production. Here's what they told us:
There is no magical solution to getting out of a creative rut. All we can do is try and listen to the needs of our bodies and minds and make the most of the resources around us to achieve the desired effect. That is the approach that Artistic Director of Spectrum Dance Theater, Donald Byrd, has taken in the creation of a three part choreographic series titled Rambunctious. Donald's resume includes so much more than award-winning dance choreography; it includes operas and theater works for world renowned companies including the New York City Opera and the Dutch National Opera. There is also a certain creativity needed to fund these numerous projects, and Donald's consistent brilliance and work ethic has garnered grants and awards from many national foundations to support his work including the Rockefeller Foundation, New England Foundation, New York Foundation for the Arts and The National Endowment for the Arts. Between the countless dance, opera, and theater works, this incredibly accomplished choreographer and leader must continuously find new ways to keep the ball of innovation and creation rolling. To find out more about Donald's creative process, DancerMusic Dance Editor Kristi Licera asked for a behind the scenes look at Rambunctious 3.0: The Immigrants, which Spectrum Dance Theater will soon present at The Dance Center at Columbia College. Here's what Donald told us:
If you missed Giordano Dance Chicago's Fall Series at the Harris Theater back in October, have no fear; the company is doing an encore performance of their Live in the Momentum program Saturday, February 2 at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts. For the last 56 years, Giordano has worked to preserve and invigorate the legacy of jazz dance they have so carefully and lovingly built. As the company continues to grow, so does their network of support, including those whose task it is to curate the programs that a theater presents. At North Shore Center for the Performing Arts this task falls upon General Manager Michael Pauken. For the last 16 years, Michael has searched far and wide to bring the best of the best into a theater that falls into the same category. With such an abundance of artists and performances to choose from locally, nationally, and internationally, there has to be something unique, almost magical that makes a company or artist standout from the pack. DancerMusic's Kristi Licera caught up with Michael to learn more about why Giordano Dance Chicago fits the standard, and how his relationship with GDC has grown over the years. Here's what he told us: