Ensemble Español will perform "Mar del Fuego" at Dance for Life 2019, and DancerMusic's Crystal Gurrola asked Executive and Associate Artistic Director Jorge Pérez about the piece, its dedication to Dame Libby Komaiko, and the future of this great company. Here's what he told us.
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago dancer Rena Butler's career has a full circle moment at this year's Dance for Life as the company performs an excerpt of Ohad Naharin's "DECADANCE." Here's what she told us about taking the Dance for Life stage with her fellow HSDC artists:
Joffrey Ballet dancers Jeraldine Mendoza and Dylan Gutierrez will perform "Lorelei" at Dance for Life 2019. This pas de deux was originally created for a dance film and will be adapted for the stage. Here's what they told us as they prepare for their performance:
At Dance For Life 2019, Robyn Mineko Williams will present an excerpt from Echo Mine, and we asked Robyn about the work, about Claire Bataille, and about Dance for Life. Here's what she told us:
Four company dancers from Giordano Dance Chicago gives us insight to Ray Leeper's "SOUL," which will be performed at Dance for Life 2019. Here's what GDC dancers Jacob Frazier, Adam Houston, Katie Rafferty and Ashley Downs told us:
Each year, a dozen or more companies of young dancers gather to present the annual benefit Dance for Life's Next Generation, and in twenty five years it has come to be known not only as a showcase for imaginative and talented young artists, but even more as an iconic collaboration of good will. We asked Diane Rawlinson to tell us more about this widely anticipated event, which takes place this year on March 3rd at 5pm at Wheeling High School's Sang Theatre. Here's what she told us:
They say the best gifts are the ones you make yourself. The time, energy and thoughtfulness put into a handmade item is forever ingrained within it, making it truly unique. Here at DancerMusic, some of the best gift makers we know are the ones that create dance. These choreographers often spend countless hours in the studio creating movement, plus an ample amount of time researching and reflecting to refine what they make. No two creations are ever quite the same, and become more unique when you consider that no two performances of the same piece of choreography are identical. As
Dancers have the unique ability to take a piece of music and really show it to you. You may be thinking, how is that possible? Sound is a wave invisible to the naked eye, and even if you were to see that piece of music performed live, you would see the action that creates the sound, but not the sound itself. Here's where the dancer comes in. If a dancer were to create movement to your favorite song, chances are that dancer would pick up on the nuances in rhythm, accents in instrumentation, the subtle meaning behind the lyrics, and
One of the reasons that Hubbard Street Dance Chicago is known all over the world is because they perform all over the world. Just this summer, audiences in Mexico, Canada, and across the United State have seen them, but when it gets to be the middle of August, if you want to see Hubbard Street perform you have to come to Chicago, and it's been like that for twenty-seven years. Thats how long Hubbard Street Dance Chicago has been performing at Dance for Life -- since the first Dance for Life, and once again this year, they'll be at Dance for Life
Giordano Dance Chicago will be performing Ray Mercer's Tossed Around when they take the stage on August 18th for Dance For Life 2018 at The Auditorium Theatre. So much goes into a work like Tossed Around that if you're seeing a work like that for the very first time, it can be a lot to take in all at once. That's why it's so great when somebody can give an audience a better idea of what they're about to see. Michael McStraw is the Executive Director of Giordano Dance Chicago, and he knows Tossed Around better than most, and not just its multiple layers of design. McStraw knows what went into it, and a lot of what has come out of it for audience and artists alike. He's one of those artists who has both danced and directed dance companies, someone who can mix passion and professionalism and never drop a beat. So naturally, we asked Michael McStraw to give us a little deeper look into Tossed Around. Here's what he told us: