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:
...what happens when you are at the helm of an artistic operation for decades? How do you stay inspired, motivated and fight the burnout? If you happen to be the Artistic Director of a dance company, your responsibilities are monumental and seemingly endless. Those responsibilities are centered around the all-important preservation and growth of the company’s artistic vision, which can mean lending your own choreographic voice to the repertoire. This is in addition to finding other dance makers, both seasoned and up-and-coming, to keep the season’s programming diverse while still functioning in support of the original vision. Then comes curating
Marinda Davis is a phenomenal choreographer who continues to fight against phenomenal odds. This past May, Marinda shared her story on the CW's My Last Days, which detailed her battle against a series of diseases that compromise her health and how dance has played a major role in fueling her resilience and healing. We are humbled and send our heartfelt love as she continues to fight for her health, but here we choose to focus on the light she brings to our world through choreography. In more recent years, Marinda has had her company and choreography featured on NBC's World of Dance and has taken a dive into the commercial side of the art form. Through the years, she never forgot about the connection she made as a dance convention assistant to the legendary Gus Giordano, and now has the opportunity to choreograph on the legacy company that he left behind. There is something incredibly satisfying and elusive about life coming full circle, and for Marinda, this experience with Giordano Dance Chicago was just that. DancerMusic Dance Editor Kristi Licera caught up with Marinda to learn more about how she formed her relationship with the company, as well as the creative process behind her work for GDC, titled "Flickers." Here's what she 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:
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:
Since 2001, Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble has presented multidisciplinary theater works with a focus on storytelling. These works include elements of theatre, music, movement, visual arts and literary text. "Getting Old Sucks" combines a variety of these elements along with an age-diverse cast to create a theater experience that we can all relate to. Such a vast variety of disciplines included in the creation of CDE's repertoire requires artists with equally diverse skill sets, making Scott and Michele the perfect pair to add to their list of creators. Scott currently serves as the Educational Manager at the Actors Gymnasium in Evanston, is an active contributor to the Improv Olympics and has earned a black belt in traditional martial arts from ISKA. Michele is an experienced director, performer and puppeteer currently working to hone her circus and movement skills in the Professional Training Program at the Actors Gymnasium. She has appeared in professional theater productions across Chicagoland with roles that include Seryohza in Anna Karenina at the Lifeline Theatre and Martha Washington in The American Revolution for Theatre Unspeakable. So how did these two dynamite artists create "Getting Old Sucks"? DancerMusic Dance Editor Kristi Licera caught up with Scott and Michele to learn more about the inspiration and creative process behind the production. Here's what they 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: