"Water Stains on the Wall"/ Photo: LIU Chen-hsiang

RECOMMENDED

A slanted stage clad in white is the blank page upon which choreographer Lin Hwai-min draws strokes of remarkable beauty. His brushes: the lithe, razor-thin, flawlessly controlled bodies of the Cloud Gate Theatre dancers. The title comes from a conversation between two Chinese calligraphy masters of the Tang Dynasty—one who takes inspiration from dramatic summer clouds, the other from water stains on the wall. Read the rest of this entry »

Devin Buchanan and Ashley Lauren Smith in “Alloy.” /Photo: Gorman Cook Photography

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When commissioned by Nan Giordano to create a new work for her company, Kiesha Lalama took inspiration from the dancers—including some new faces like Devin Buchanan, fresh off performing with Alvin Ailey in New York. Lalama likes to choreograph with the performers in mind, and this piece, entitled “Alegria” (“joy” in Spanish), capitalizes on the individual athletic talents of the ten company members in series of trios and duets. Read the rest of this entry »

Ana Lopez in "Arcangelo"/Photo: Todd Rosenberg

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With a world premiere by Twyla Tharp and the cover of the current issue of Dance Magazine, all eyes are on Hubbard Street. And well they should be. The company and its leadership have, season after season, demonstrated an unparalleled balance of versatility, virtuosity and imagination, all presented in an appealing package of audience-friendliness.

This imaginative thinking was at play when artistic director Glenn Edgerton invited Tharp to step away from musical theater and revisit her roots in contemporary choreography—a harkening back to the nineties when some of her most inventive work was first placed on Hubbard Street dancers. The resultant piece, set to keyboard sonatas by Domenico Scarlatti, will have the attendant flash of not only the Tharp name, but of brightly patterned costumes from designer Norma Kamali’s fall 2011 collection as well. Read the rest of this entry »

Krithika Rajagopalan/Photo: Amitava Sarkar

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Normally Bharata Natyam, a classical Indian dance form, occurs as a solo performance marked by lively facial expressions, precise gestures and rhythmic footwork. Hema Rajagopalan, founder of Natya, puts the form in an epic context in this full-scale theatrical production for twenty dancers. Rajagopalan worked with a handful of collaborators to develop the concept, her first time doing so. “You have to let go of your ego,” Rajagopalan says of the collaborative experience. Read the rest of this entry »

Monica Cervantes/Photo: Cheryl Mann

RECOMMENDED

By ladies, about ladies, the newest program from Luna Negra features work by Latina (and one Latino) choreographers inspired by famous women through history. Artistic Director Gustavo Ramirez Sansano, now entering his junior year with the company, has introduced Chicago audiences to fantastic work by before-unseen-in-the-U.S. choreographers hailing from his native Spain. This show is no exception; Asun Noales, director of Otra Danza sets a new piece on Luna Negra inspired by the image of Juana la Loca, first queen of Spain, pregnant and following the casket of her young husband, the key to his coffin around her neck. Other pieces on the program include a full company work by Sansano and the revival of Michelle Manzanales’ piece inspired by four self-portraits of Frida Kahlo. (Sharon Hoyer)

At the Harris Theater, 205 East Randolph, (312)334-7777. October 1, 6:30pm. $25-$65.

Here’s the press release from Harris Theater:

HARRIS THEATER FOR MUSIC AND DANCE LAUNCHES FALL 2011 SEASON, PACKED WITH PREMIERES AND DEBUTS BY THE CITY’S MOST ACCLAIMED MUSIC AND DANCE ORGANIZATIONS AND WORLD-RENOWNED ARTISTS AND ENSEMBLES

Highlights of the Harris’ eighth season include the final Chicago appearances of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company; the Harris Theater debuts of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra and Eroica Trio; the return of the nationally acclaimed Sphinx Virtuosi; and a solo performance by Broadway’s original Dreamgirl Jennifer Holliday

The Harris Theater is pleased to announce that UBS is serving as the 2011-2012 Season Sponsor. Read the rest of this entry »

DV&D, Lux/Photo: Phil Knott

In just five years, the Chicago Dancing Festival has grown from a one-night showcase at the Pritzker Pavilion to a five-day multi-venue event encompassing performance, film and lecture. Like Lollapalooza, Dancing Festival tickets are snapped up shortly after they’re released. One difference being that, instead of $190 a pop, it’s all free.

Celebrated New York choreographer and Chicago native Lar Lubovitch along with dancer Jay Franke curate programs that include renowned companies from across the country, giving us the unique opportunity to see Martha Graham’s, Merce Cunningham’s and Mr. Lubovitch’s companies all in the same evening. I spoke with Jay Franke about the birth, growth and future of the festival.

How did you conceive of the festival?

Lar and I danced together at Hubbard Street and I danced in his company in New York later. We both felt there was a need for a dance festival in Chicago. We felt if we were able to give an audience access to the best that was out there, we would attract and grow a new audience for dance. We had our eye on the Pritzker—it’s a very grand performance space and democratic. We had 8,500 people show up to our first performance, so we felt we had an overnight hit on our hands. Read the rest of this entry »

Here’s the press release from Harris Theatre:

PARIS OPERA BALLET LAUNCHES AMERICAN TOUR WITH FIRST EVER CHICAGO PERFORMANCES ACCOMPANIED BY GRANT PARK ORCHESTRA;

MERCE CUNNINGHAM DANCE COMPANY MAKES FINAL CHICAGO APPEARANCES WITH LEGACY TOUR;

CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY OF LINCOLN CENTER KICKS OFF FIRST CHICAGO BASED PERFORMANCE SERIES;

HARRIS DEBUTS BY GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING EROICA TRIO AND VIENNA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA—LED BY METROPOLITAN OPERA PRINCIPAL GUEST CONDUCTOR FABIO LUISI;

LES BALLETS TROCKADERO DE MONTE CARLO BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND;

MOREHOUSE COLLEGE GLEE CLUB CELEBRATES 100TH ANNIVERSARY;

AND MUCH MORE IN GROUNDBREAKING
2011-2012 HARRIS THEATER PRESENTS SEASON

PLUS THE AFFORDABLE AND ACCESSIBLE FAMILY SERIES AND
POPULAR LUNCHTIME EAT TO THE BEAT SERIES RETURN Read the rest of this entry »

Jirí Kylián's 27'52"

RECOMMENDED

Hubbard Street unofficially begins a multi-year collaboration with San Francisco-based LINES Ballet, performing as the highlight of this program LINES founder Alonzo King’s “Following the Subtle Current Upstream.” The coming year will bring joint presentations between the two companies (made possible by a sizable Joyce Foundation grant), but this show is all Hubbard Street, featuring popular repertory work like “27’52”” by Jiri Kylian—a hyper-smart piece with phrases that ripple through dancers bodies from slow-mo to fast-forward as quick as your internet-2.0-shortened attention span can grasp, reminiscent of breakdancing and CGI-heightened action flicks. Also on the program is “Untouched” by Aszure Barton, a piece built for Hubbard Street on personal work with each dancer and inspired by the Spanish dancers in the company. (Sharon Hoyer)

At the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 East Randolph, (312)850-9744. May 19-May 22. $25-$94.

Photo: John Kane

Imitation is the foundation of childhood play. As soon as we humans gain mastery of our limbs we begin to mimic the movements of the other humans and animals we encounter. As imagination develops that mimicry becomes transformation (Mom! I’m not Sharon, I’m a sea otter. Watch this!); our heroes are people that have the physical capabilities of animals or are endowed with superhuman strength or the ability to change shape. The gymnasts, dancers and acrobats in Pilobolus seem to possess all of the above and use them to create eye-popping displays of transformation. Pilobolus isn’t all AP charades, but it’s the shadow theater and skeleton-defying transmogrifications that made them a household name; remember the 2007 Oscars, when they tumbled together behind a scrim to form waddling penguins, the James Bond gun and the shoe on the Devil Wears Prada poster? A higher-brow example is the TED performance of “Symbiosis” in which the dancers appear to locomote via pseudopodia, flowing together and apart like paramecium in courtship before evolving into more complex life forms. Read the rest of this entry »