Picture in your mind a dancer who you love to see perform. Now, imagine that dancer... in drag! If you're having trouble picturing this, then grab a ticket to Dance Divas 2018, where male dancers from some of Chicago's most recognized professional dance companies take on a fabulous, new persona for an even more fabulous cause. Dance Divas is the kickoff event to Dance for Life 2018, an event that Chicago Dancers' United describes as the "annual benefit performance that showcases the city’s unique diversity of talent, dance traditions, and styles." Both events directly benefit The Dancers' Fund, which supports dancers in the local community affected with critical health issues. DancerMusic's Kristi Licera caught up with one of the choreographers and original Dance Diva, Harrison McEldowney, to learn more about Dance Divas 2018. Here's what Harrison told us:
First impressions are important . There's no denying it, especially when you are debuting a brand new dance company in a city that has an abundance of them. There are many ways to make a great first impression, but often, the best way to do so is to stay true to who you are and to step into the light with a kind and open heart. This is exactly what Founder and Artistic Director of South Chicago Dance Theatre, Kia Smith did. This past May, Smith curated SCDT's first evening-length performance at University of Chicago's Mandel Hall. What may not
The reason Giordano Dance can keep bringing it year after year, decade after decade, is because they're always bringing so much that's so new. Their Summer Series at Chicago's Auditorium Theatre on June 9th is a gleaming example of that; the Company will perform works by Ray Mercer, Joshua Blake Carter, Ray Leeper and Christopher Huggins in a multichromatic display of contemporary voices in choreography. Even the two legendary works on the program by Giordano's founder, Gus Giordano, represent what is new as much as they do what is classic. We asked Cesar Salinas to give us a little closer look at the performance, and here's what he told us:
If you had just happened to walk in on one of Chicago Human Rhythm Project's annual STOMPING GROUNDS performances, that would have been amazing enough. STOMPING GROUNDS is a series of concerts that Chicago Human Rhythm Project has presented across the city of Chicago for the past four years, and it's not like anything else. Chicago Human Rhythm Project brings together a real all-star lineup of percussive dance companies, and to see the bright, energetic, irrestible enthusiasm of percussive dance in so many different forms, from so many different artists, steeped in the heritage of so many cultures, well that wouldn't just be amazing, that's more like a waterfall of amazing experiences, moment after cascading moment. But the Grand Finale of STOMPING GROUNDS promises to be all of that and more. There was so much that we wanted to learn about all of the dimensions of this multifaceted event that we asked Lane Alexander, Founder and Director of Chicago Human Rhythm Project, to give us a little more insight into STOMPING GROUNDS. Here's what he told us:
Trifecta Dance Collective's upcoming production Solstice features the premiere of "In.grained" - a special collaborative piece inspired by five senior women from the Glenview area. The tales of these women create the context for the choreographic vision of Co-Artistic Directors Krissie Odegard-Geye and Carrie Patterson, and includes the muses on stage as part of the performance. In addition, the performance features two other Chicago-based dance companies - Nomi Dance Chicago and Valerie Alpert Dance Company - truly making this an event that includes and invites a sense of community. DancerMusic's Kristi Licera caught up with TDC's Co-Artistic Director Carrie Patterson to learn more about Solstice. Here's what Carrie told us:
Chicago Dance Crash covers so much ground that you just kind of expect they'll always be up to something different than whatever you saw the last time. But right along side of all those wide ranging adventures in choreography and concert dance, has a rock-steady tradition that's been going strong for a long time. It's their Keeper of the Floor series -- KTF, the second longest-running live show in the history of Chicago. Founded in 2007, it's been hosted for the last ten years by Matthew Hollis, or as he's better known when he takes charge of KTF, Matrick Swayze. Words cannot do justice to the Crash-infused, Mattrick-Swayze-curated good-natured mayhem of KTF, so instead of writing one more word about it, we asked Matthew to tell us all about Mattrick and ten years of KTF with Chicago Dance Crash. Here's what he told us --
On Saturday, May 12 at 8pm Evanston's excellent new dance and music venue Studio5 will present an evening called Ballet Now -- a joint performance of two of the Chicago dance scene's most imaginative and convincing independent contemporary ballet companies. We asked CRB's Wade Schaaf to tell us a little about Ballet Now and here's what he told us:
Five thousand miles is a long way to be from home. When you're this far away, especially for years at a time, you may find yourself searching for that something that will always keep you connected. For dance artist Riccardo Battaglia, that something comes from within. It is an undeniable light and joy - a warmth forever fueled by the sunshine he carries with him from his home in Italy. Since making the solo move from Pescara, Italy to New York City just over seven years ago, Riccardo's career has blossomed in tandem with his incredible talent. And if the height
Cocodāco Dance Project has a lot of new ideas about dance -- how to make dance, how to be a dance company, and how to make dance for a dance company. Under their new Artistic Director David Maurice, Cocodāco is ready to push what was already a boundary-pushing vision a little further, and that all starts on Friday, April 20 at Foster Dance Studios, when they will present their three company program, HEADS / TAILS. We spoke to Artistic Director David Maurice about the company and about HEADS / TAILS, and here's what he told us:
Noumenon Dance Ensemble was founded in 2014, and since then the company has worked steadily to increase their impact on, and their outreach to, the community they are part of as the resident company at Dance Avondale. They are especially dedicated to their "mission to elevate female dance artists", and at their Spring Preview (Wednesday, April 18 at 7:30pm at Chicago's Links Hall), they will present works by choreographers Kristi Andarcia, Kristi Licera and Artistic Director Alia Montijo, along with guest dance company South Chicago Dance Theater. We asked Alia to tell us more about this unique company and their dedication to a very positive, proactive view of the art of dance. Here's what she shared with us: