Deeply Rooted Dance Theater has long been a leader in Chicago dance, recognized for its impeccable technique, choreography and storytelling abilities. As they enter a new age of leadership with their rotating artistic leadership model, Nicole Clarke-Springer takes the reigns and promises to maintain, nurture and push the company's creative legacy forward. Here's what she told us:
As a current or potential audience member, you may catch a review of the show in the local paper. But one there is one thing about a review that you will never be able to skirt around; those words in that newspaper did not come from the mouth and heart of the artist or creator. That's where DancerMusic comes in. We pride ourselves in giving artists like Reesie Davis, Founder and CEO of Praize Productions, Inc. NFP, the opportunity to share reflections and discoveries of the work that she, her company and school of dancers work so hard to achieve and realize. We recently caught up with Reesie and asked her to share her reflections on PPI's recent production of REVIVAL: The Answer was Healing! Here's what Reesie shared with us in her 4PHOTOS:
After closing their twentieth anniversary with a massively successful series of performances at Chicago's Logan Center (their performance of Fana Tshabalala's INDUMBA was named Dance of the Year by the Chicago Tribune's Lauren Warnecke), Deeply Rooted Dance Theater is already right back at it. They're performing at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts on Friday, February 24 at 7:30pm in a program entitled "Looking To The Future". The program includes works by Kevin Iega Jeff ("Church of Nations" and "In a Child's Eye"), Gary Abbott ("Desire"), and by Nicole Clarke-Springer. Clarke-Springer's "Femme" was featured, and widely admired, in Deeply Rooted's Twentieth Anniversary concerts, but their "Looking To The Future" presentation at the North Shore Center will also include the World Premiere of her work "Alice". DancerMusic's Johnny Nevin asked Nicole about "Alice", Deeply Rooted, and about what she sees moving forward from here. Here's what Nicole told us ...
Deeply Rooted Dance Theater's Deeply Free performances will include works from two of the artists most closely associated with Deeply Rooted's accomplishments, Dance Education Director Nicole Clarke-Springer's "Femme" and Associate Artistic Director Gary Abbott's "Desire". Here are four closer looks at moments from each of these pieces, with thoughts from the choreographers ---
Deeply Rooted Dance Theater is celebrating their 20th Anniversary with a series of concerts entitled Deeply Free (December 8th, 9th and 10th at Chicago's Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts). The Company was founded in 1995 and first performed in 1996, building year after year into what they are now: a widely traveled and even more widely admired Dance Company. DancerMusic begins its coverage of "Deeply Free" by asking Deeply Rooted's Artistic Director and co-founder Kevin Iega Jeff to tell us a little more about Deeply Rooted and about their upcoming performances ...
