When Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre brings their very successful fall concert Alone / Together to Studio5 on Friday, October 13, you'll be seeing layer upon layer of creativity. That's because one of the most imaginative dance companies you can go see, Cerqua Rivera, will be performing in one of the most imaginatively designed venues in Metro Chicago.
There's an old saying that goes a little something like this: "You never know a person until you walk a mile in their shoes". Try dancing a full evening length concert that includes 42 pairs of shoes - that is exactly what the artists at Project Bound Dance intend to do in their upcoming world premiere of 'Imprint'. DancerMusic's Kristi Licera caught up with Co-Artistic Director Ashley Deran to get a sneak peek at what will be hitting Chicago's Hamlin Park Field House Theater on October 19 + 20:
Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre opens its fall concert series, "Alone/Together", at Links Hall, October 5 - 7. DancerMusic's Kristi Licera has been keeping up with the artists at CRDT throughout the season. See what she has learned about this creative, mind-opening evening of dance:
There's more and more talk about a three piece rock band called Lunar Chiefs, and with them appearing this Sunday at the Midwest Musicians Unite for Hurricane Relief benefit, this was a good time for Dancer Music to get an inside look at the band and the benefit. For that, we tracked down Lunar Chiefs founding member and bass player Dank Wellington, and hears what we heard ---
One of the very best places to see what Joe Policastro Trio has got going will be at Studio5, where they take the stage, and a uniquely cool stage it is, on Friday, October 6 (from 8 to 10pm). The group has just released their third album, Screen Sounds, and the trio will be taking advantage of the Evanston venue's excellent production facilities, presenting the music in a multimedia format with experimental film and original lighting design.
'Pushing the boundaries' is always risky, because those boundaries often enclose what works well. Venturing beyond them requires inventing new ways of realizing an artistic vision, and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago's Fall Series presentation of Peter Chu's Space, In Perspective was full of hazards. But what Peter Chu and Glenn Edgerton accomplished was something to see, as they quite literally wove new perspectives of dance into, around, and on top of a very different kind of dance concert.
There are few things that put as much fear and anxiety in our hearts than knowing our loved ones are in need. For Chicago dancer Richard Peña, hearing news and watching coverage of Hurricane Maria did just that. Although unable to leave Chicago and make it to his loved ones, Richard is determined to help his family and his beloved Puerto Rico. DancerMusic's Kristi Licera caught up with Richard to learn more about how Hurricane Maria has affected him, and what steps he has already taken to help Puerto Rico now.
There's already been a lot of great Taylor Mitchell choreography on Chicago stages and beyond, and his latest work, a collaboration with composer Dan Hesler called "Here Comes Treble". will premiere next month at Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre's extensive series of concerts for their fall series Alone / Together. We asked Taylor a few of the many things that you could ask this talented young choreographer, and here's what we learned ---
Lighting design is one of the most important, collaborative and creative contributions in the making of a dance concert. Last July, David Goodman-Edberg worked with Abby Ellison on her achingly beautiful work "Beneath the Clouds, Above the Rest", and with Brennen Renteria on his wildly enchanting "When In Doubt". We asked him to choose two photos from each work, and tell us whatever he wanted about his thoughts, his process and his inspiration. His insights offer an incredibly valuable look into the well-lit, but still mysterious world of Lighting Design.
If Studio5 is not a name that you recognize, that's alright, because you'll be hearing about it more and more. It's an unusual new venue in a lot of ways -- an impeccably designed performance space that opened just last year. This Saturday, The Live at Studio5 Jazz series presents Brazilian Guitarist Paulinho Garcia and Mike Allemana, with special guest Grazyna Auguscik sharing vocals with Garcia.