Reaching all the way back to ancient Rome, city governments have long understood the rejuvenating power of the creative arts. Just as they did then, music and dance still serve as potent salves to the barrage of stimulus showering the average city dweller. In places like Chicago, summer’s the perfect season to relieve the frustrations of winter confinement and sooth the tensions of big city life.
For the past ten years, Chicagoans have had a reliable ally helping “neighbors to laugh, dance, sing and engage” with each other and the arts. Through its Night Out in the Parks program, the Chicago Parks District brings live entertainment directly into peoples’ lives by placing it in our public parks. Over 700 events, including the Night Out in Parks performances, are scheduled this summer. Taking advantage of the vast artistic talent saturating America’s powerhouse by the lake, many of these concerts showcase arts excellence. A recent performance in Garfield Park underscored how well these performances can be produced and how genuinely they’re appreciated by everyday people.
Thursday night found the perennially satisfying Deeply Rooted Dance Theater (DRDT) creating a little star dust magic in front of the park’s majestic Gold Dome field house. Partnering with popular vocalist Sam Thousand and his hand selected band, the worlds of dance and music joined forces to delight a small army of spectators in collapsible camping chairs.
Deeply Rooted had long envisioned creating a tribute honoring the musical genius of Quincy Jones. Tailoring new choreography to music Jones either wrote, arranged or produced has resulted in Q After Dark, a new work the dance company is premiering this season. Joining forces with Thousand and his splendid band of musicians allows the company to dance to live music; adding another surge of vitality to a performance already overflowing with energy.
Positioned just a few feet from their assembled audience, nine impressive dancers commandeered the provisional stage and immediately launched into a whirlwind of captivating dance. Cars and motorbikes traveling along Central Park Ave.’s busy thoroughfare pulled over to take in the spectacle. Dancing to chart smashing classics like, Body Heat MJ’s Human Nature, Stuff Like That and Stomp, the company used the discipline of dance and gold-plated R&B to make something brilliantly electrifying and flat out fun. An unanticipated surprise was being close enough to feel as if you were peering into the mind of the dancers. That nearness allowed you to get a small sense of the intelligence, innate responsiveness, physical proficiency and dedication needed to make dance your chosen craft.
The musical side of the equation was just as enthralling. Thousand with his trio of ace back-up singers and that sizzling band infused “Q’s” timeless music with fresh snap and an avalanche of soul.
The short 45 minute performance only included excerpts from the full Q After Dark repertoire and will be repeated July 21st at Palmer Park at 201 E. 111th Street. A more expanded production with more musicians and a longer program will be held Wednesday, July 27th at South Shore Cultural Center.
All performances are free and begin at 7:30pm.
https://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/events/night-out-in-the-parks
