Moonwater Dance Project Founder and Artistic Director Mackenzie King has been pushing the aesthetic of the company in its second season. Here's what she told us about the company's upcoming performances of "MOONWATER II."
DancerMusic caught up with Trifecta Dance Collective Associate Artistic Director Joanna Paul to learn more about their collaboration with Cocodāco Dance Project. Here's what she told us:
MDC Company Manager Josh Fletcher gives us the inside scoop on the magic of Matter Dance Company's "Once Upon" at the Den Theatre. Here's what he told us:
ABT Dancer Rachel Richardson compares "Whipped Cream" with beloved classic "The Nutcracker" to give us an in-depth look at the whimsy that choreographer Alexei Ratmansky and visual artist Mark Ryden will bring to Chicago's Auditorium Theatre. Here's what she 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:
Gavin Sutherland is the Music Director of English National Ballet, and he's a master of an invisible art. He knows how a dancer moves to sound, and how to keep the sounds that come from an orchestra of musicians moving perfectly with a stage full of dancers. He knows every part in detail, and he knows how to make each of them part of all of the others. DancerMusic wanted to learn more about all of this --- about the complex choreography of collaborations that are the heart of Gavin Sutherland's art. So we asked him if he would give us a look inside the art of bringing music to dance, and here's what he 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:
If you go to see Trinity Irish Dance Company at Chicago's Auditorim Theatre (on Saturday, February 2nd at 7:30pm), you may very well be enchanted by the riveting visual pageant of intricately imagined movement, and you may be mesmerized by the complex rhythmic score. But if you've read any of the things people have said about this company, you might not be entirely surprised; their performances from New York to Tokyo and a lot of places in between get big time respect. What is more likely to surprise you is how unique, how completely in its own space this exceptionally creative performance is. Mark Howard is the founder and Artistic Director of Trinity Irish Dance Company, and the process, patience, and unending possibilities for inspiration that have become Trinity Irish Dance Company were something that we wanted to learn much more about, so we asked him. Here's what he told us: