Let's paint a picture of Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre's Inside/Out: Ameican Catracho. In the foreground of the picture is Cerqua Rivera's performance on Wednesday, June 20th at 7pm, at Evanston's beautiful new dance and music venue Studio5. There Artistic Director Wilfredo Rivera, CRDT Co-founder Joe Cerqua, and other participants in the creative process will offer a look into the making of American Catracho, the large-scale work that Rivera launched in 2016, and which will be completed this year. American Catracho explores the experience of immigrants and refugees who, like Rivera himself, venture to leave what they know to find a new life in a new land. It's been a major, three year project for the Company, and although there's a lot in the foreground, there's even more in the background. Taken all together, it turns the whole picture into a kind of magic painting, because each time you look closely at what is in the background, what you see in the foreground will change. Knowing that, we asked Noelle Kayser to give us even more background on the process of making American Catracho, and here's what she told us.
Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre is not quite like anything else that we can think of. It's certainly a Dance Company, and by any standard an excellent one, and the Company has attracted an astonishing group of superb dance artists. That's only part of Cerqua Rivera, thought; CRDT is also a fearlessly imaginative musical ensemble. Led by Joe Cerqua, there is a musical depth to CRDT that fully balances the choreographic depth brought by Artistic Director (and along with Cerqua, one of Cerqua's co-founders) Wilfredo Rivera. To get us ready for their Company Showcase and Sneak Preview on Thursday, April 17 (at Old Town School of Folk Music's Szold Hall), we asked both Artistic Director Wilfredo Rivera and CRDT Executive Director to give us an even more inside look at how Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre looks at their world. Here we go:
When Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre brings their very successful fall concert Alone / Together to Studio5 on Friday, October 13, you'll be seeing layer upon layer of creativity. That's because one of the most imaginative dance companies you can go see, Cerqua Rivera, will be performing in one of the most imaginatively designed venues in Metro Chicago.
Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre opens its fall concert series, "Alone/Together", at Links Hall, October 5 - 7. DancerMusic's Kristi Licera has been keeping up with the artists at CRDT throughout the season. See what she has learned about this creative, mind-opening evening of dance:
Chicago Sinfonietta's Trademark really has to be one of the most creatively imagined concerts you've ever heard of. Besides the World Premiere of Wilfredo Rivera's collaboration with Clarice Assad, Trademark also includes performances from Liam Teague and the NIU Steelband alongside performances of Mozart and Smetana. Teague also performs with harpist Faye Seeman in her composition Fayed to Blue.
Cerqua Rivera Dance Theater (CRDT) will be hosting its Annual New Works Preview & Mid-Season Fundraiser on Thursday, July 13. KLic Creative had a chance to attend CRDT's Season Kickoff event in April and caught up with Artistic Director Wilfredo Rivera to get his thoughts on the upcoming season.