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:
Teaching is everything, it's the future and the past. Each moment is a pivot in time, where what has been experienced becomes a guiding light for experiences not yet encountered. Teaching is more than just an important part of Dance, it's part of every process in Dance, and it's an art that Ethan Kirschbaum has studied carefully. We asked Ethan about why he loves teaching, how he understands the art of teaching, what he hopes for in teaching, and what he's learned about teaching dance. Here's what he told us:
Although nobody talks about it very much, courage is an important part of dance. It takes courage to go on stage and perform of course, but it also takes courage to keep facing the reality of imperfection, a reality that in some ways becomes more vivid the more you find the courage to improve. Then there are even more intimidating, more difficult challenges, some of them very frightening, and that's when you need courage just to keep going. Paige Fraser has always done that and more. When she was awarded a Princess Grace Award, when she was named by Dance Magazine to their prestigious 25 to Watch, and all of the other times that her work has been so widely admired, many people might have thought that it was because of her exceptional gifts as a performer, and of course it was. But the only reason anyone ever got to see Paige Fraser's always-impressive performances is because she kept going, even when anyone with less courage might have given up. Fraser has begun to turn more of her attention to choreography, and her latest work is a twenty-five minute piece entitled ASCENSION for Northwestern University. We wanted to hear more from Paige about her work as a choreographer, and especially about ASCENSION, so we asked her to give us an idea of what we'll see in March at Northwestern's Josephine Louis Theater. Here's what she told us:
Community is important. When people pay attention to what community is, what it can be, and who it is exactly that they're talking about, it can also be a dynamic, inspiring, unpredictable wellspring of creativity. Especially in dance. The Big Muddy Dance Company is quite a community in and of itself, but in their performance on Saturday, January 26 at St. Louis' Grandel Theatre of their "Home Grown" program, Big Muddy is reaching out to an even wider community, and we wanted to hear more about it. We asked Artistic Director Brian Enos and Executive Director Erin Warner Prange about "Home Grown", and here's what they told us:
This year, Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre celebrates its 20th anniversary season. Every dance company dreams of celebrating such a milestone, so what is the secret to the success? It might have something to do with the incredible blend of live dance and music that the company continues to curate, but more likely it is the passionate and consistent commitment to their artistic mission that co-founders Wilfredo Rivera and Joe Cerqua demonstrate year after year. Despite the challenges of building and maintaining an audience, procuring funding, and pushing the boundaries of both music and dance, CRDT has nourished the creative talents
They say hindsight is 20/20, but sometimes looking into the past by yourself is not always enough to take full advantage of the lessons to be learned. Now and then, it is wise to have those you trust take that retrospective journey with you, if only to gain some clarity for the future. This is how the artists at Trifecta Dance Collective are approaching their upcoming performance of Moving Forward, Looking Back, with guest company Project606. The program features previous works from both companies, as well the premiere of a collection of new works by guest choreographers and company members of TDC. What we end up with is an evening of dance that takes audiences on a journey of Trifecta Dance Collective's three part mission - to Engage, Empower, and Expand - and how these talented artists have embraced their commitment to its realization, as well as their vision of things to come. DancerMusic's Dance Editor Kristi Licera caught up with Associate Artistic Director and TDC Dancer Joanna Paul to learn more about Moving Forward, Looking Back. Here's what she told us:
We live in a world of that has become accustomed to instant gratification and yearns for it. The speed of achievement seems to be just as important as the achievement itself, but if we take a step back, we may just discover that the things that require patience can be the most rewarding of all. Taking time to reflect and observe can provide us with insights and opportunities that can come to us no other way, and that is exactly what the choreographers, dancers, and visual artists at Still Inspired(?) aim to do. For the last five years, Still Inspired(?)
When you think of "Gaga," the first thing to come to mind probably isn't dance. In fact, it probably reminds you more of a sound that you made when you were an infant and less of the movement language that has become a phenomenon in the concert dance world. Originally developed by choreographic phenomenon Ohad Naharin for his works with Batsheva Dance Company in Tel Aviv, Israel, this form of movement discovery and exploration has taken the dance world by storm. For many dancers, it's reminiscent of Isadora Duncan discovering modern dance. There was something so pure, so human about
One of the last things you would expect to experience during a contemporary dance concert at a prestigious theater is Lil Wayne's hottest new single, bass bumping over the speakers, as some of the world's finest dance artists take the stage. Well, that is only part of what you are in for if you can make it to the Harris Theater for Music and Dance December 6, 8, or 9 in Chicago for the world premiere of Rena Butler's latest choreographic work for Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, "III.Third." Rena and the dancers of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago use "III.Third" to examine identity through culture and customs, using references to popular urban culture. DancerMusic's Kristi Licera caught up with Rena during the final week of rehearsal for III.Third to learn more. Here's what Rena told us:
Darryl Joseph is an independent producer with an intricately careful sense of how to put beats together. Originally from New York and now living in Chicago, his solo tracks are often sparse and electronic, and always elegantly designed. He's found himself more and more in demand as more and more people have heard his work, not only as a sought-after collaborator for vocalists, but also for choreographers. His gift for enthusiastic collaboration as much as for composition has led to recent projects with Stephanie Martinez, Christopher Huggins, Nick Pupillo, and now with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago Choreographic Fellow Rena Butler. We asked Darryl about a lot of different things --- composing for dance, working with Rena Butler, what's up next for him, and more -- and here's what he told us.