On Friday and Saturday July 26th and 27th, Aerial Dance Chicago brings their latest production, "Higher Ground" to Chicago's Ruth Page Center for the Arts. We asked Company Dancer Hannah Rosenfeld to give us an inside look at what we'll see. Here's what she told us:
Boston's Urbanity Dance presents "Fragments", including Jenna Pollock's "the promenade (in progress)" and new works by Shura Baryshnikov, Chantal Doucett, Mike Esperanza , Andy and Dionne Noble, and Jacob Regan. DancerMusic asked Jenna about her work, and here's what she told us:
if you wanted to learn more about dance, or more about music, a very good place to start would be to talk to David K. Israel. DancerMusic's Johnny Nevin did just that, and asked David about working with Bernstein, Robbins, Tharp and Taylor, not to mention his new film about Ballanchine. Here's what he told us:
Florian Lochner and Alice Klock understand the importance — and possibilities — of collaboration. For their first full length show “A FLOCK Evening", they shared not only insightful information about all four pieces in the show, but their exciting future plans for FLOCK. Here’s what they 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:
From his hometown Pescara, Italy to Chicago to New York City, Riccardo Battaglia has experienced a successful career as a professional dancer, which most recently landed him a company position with Alvin Ailey Dance Theater. We asked Riccardo to tell us about his journey to Ailey, which celebrates its 60th Anniversary this year. Here is what he 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:
What do you want to do with your life? It is a question we are asked time and time again through our childhood and at every pivotal turn in our lives. While there are many answers to the question, some of us are able to give a response that creates a vision of the future for others. Those special individuals are the ones with limitless dreams, who carry the will and determination to see those dreams through, and whose hearts bear the passion to inspire others. That is the kind of person that Vershawn Sanders-Ward is. It is clear that Vershawn’s vision of the future is limitless, her passion infectious, and her dedication as solid as her unwavering work ethic. All of this has spread beyond the studio and stage in Chicago and most recently brought Red Clay Dance Company artists to Kampala, Uganda for the “TransAtlantic Project.” This journey to Africa marked RCDC’s first international collaboration with Keiga Dance Company, and if the world premiere of their collaborative work this past November was just the beginning of what’s to come, it is more dazzling proof of Vershawn’s ability to continue to dream big and achieve something even bigger. DancerMusic’s Kristi Licera recently caught up with Vershawn to get an inside look at the product of Red Clay’s first collaboration with Keiga Dance Company, “EKILI MUNDA | What Lies Within.” Here’s what Vershawn told us:
A lot of different ideas can inspire choreography, and when designed by a great choreographer, dance can express all kinds of thoughts and concepts and emotions. But when it comes to creating a full-evening work, the idea behind the ballet has to be rich enough, embracing enough, to keep an audience leaning forward for a full evening. For their November 16th and 17th performances at St. Louis' Edison Theatre, The Big Muddy Dance Company has found an exceptionally rich subject for their full-evening presentation of Lemp Legends: A Ghost Story. The work is a dynamic collaboration between Enos and six other choreographers, all company members with Big Muddy, and in researching and creating the story of St. Louis' famous Lemp family, they found the story to be even more intriguing that they had originally imagined. We asked Brian to let is in on more of the story behind this project, and the multi-layered process that led to its accomplishment, and here's what he told us:
Concert Dance is not an art form that sustains itself easily; it needs a lot of care and it needs a lot of community. See Chicago Dance is the source for a lot of both, and although we know them best for their excellent website, SeeChicagoDance.com, the Chicago based not-for-profit supports dance in many other ways as well. On Tuesday, September 25 (from 6 to 10pm at City Winery, 1200 W. Randolph Street, Chicago) they're hosting their Fourth Annual Gala, a celebration of accomplishment past and future. The event will honor two important contributors to Concert Dance in Chicago; Angelique Power receives the Distinguished Service to the Dance Field Award, which recognizes "outstanding philanthropic leadership and honors someone who has made tremendous contributions to the health and vibrancy of the Chicago dance sector". Shirley Mordine, founder and artistic director of Mordine & Co. Dance Theater and founder and past director of the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago, receives the Legacy Award, which honors "someone who has demonstrated extraordinary leadership in the field and made a momentous impact on the Chicago dance community". We asked Shirley Mordine to tell us a little more about at least some of her extraordinary accomplishments, and here's what she told us: