Sometimes you just take the lead from the crowd. Dressed to the nineteens, the swarm of life filling the Harris Theater’s lobby Saturday night couldn’t prove a better harbinger for a night to remember. Cosmopolitan to the hilt, tuxedo’s and taffeta mingled with sequined sneakers and body hugging couture to set a mood crackling with energy and expectation. There to salute an outstanding achievement in the world of dance, this shimmering horde was chomping at the bit as they waited for the auditorium’s doors to swing open.
From their pioneering days introducing jazz dance to Chicago in the early 60s, to becoming one of the country’s foremost dance companies today; Giordano Dance Chicago (GDC) was primed and ready for them on the other side. Commemorating their 60th season of choreographic innovation and dance excellence, Celebrate Giordano looked more like a supremely gifted protégé being freshly introduced to the world than a stolid doyen of the arts. That energy that had been percolating in the theater’s lobby exploded on the stage as the company presented a program that nodded lovingly to the past while embracing today and the future with passionate intensity.
Beautifully structured to recall the company’s long history of accomplishment and showcasing the breadth of its present-day acumen, the evening’s performance alternated between dazzling dance and superb video tributes.
Michael Taylor’s Celebrate 60 Welcome! captured the voluptuous glamour of the audience and the significance of the moment as couples swirled across the stage ballroom-style in tuxedoes and flowing gowns. Serenaded by a recording of Nat King Cole and his daughter Natalie singing the timelessly romantic, Unforgettable, the dance was like cork flying off champagne as it heralded a spectacular night of entertainment.
Salutes to the company’s founder, Gus Giordano, are always moving. And those delivered from the company’s current leadership; including those from his daughter, Nan, who now heads the organization, were no less impactful. But it’s particularly valuable to see examples of a master’s work to fully comprehend the totality of their contributions. Mr. Giordano choreographed Sing, Sing, Sing in 1983. Epitomizing many of the elements that exemplify the Giordano technique’s uniqueness, it’s inclusion in the gala’s program brimmed with melancholy and delight. Dancing on the rhythmic energy of Alan Silvestri’s and Louis Prima’s music, ten members of the company clad in seductive black moved in jazz contoured harmony. Overwhelming the stage with the grace of panthers, that idiosyncratic Giordano attitude, a sultry blend of daring and chutzpah, could be spotted in every step and gesture. They’re the essence of what it means to be Giordano. Or are they?
With Luminescence., the company made it very clear that it doesn’t take well to being placed in a box. Choreographed by the South Chicago Dance Theatre’s (SCDT) Kia Smith, and enjoying its world premiere this weekend, Luminescence. sinks its roots firmly in the psyche of the 21st century. Explorative, vulnerable, intriguing with an unrelenting commitment to the expression of beauty, it was a triumph of choreography. Impeccably danced by members of both companies, the piece shows how sweet the fruit of collaboration can be. Seeing it performed in this commemorative celebration confirms how seriously GDC takes alliance building within the dance community. A culminating consequence of one artistic director reaching out to another, Luminescence. is a testament to how conscientious cooperation enriches the arts and makes them more expansive.
By telling us how GDC allows her to express her full self, choreographer Liz Imperio in effect introduced her own work, La Belleza de Cuba (The Beauty of Cuba). She completed the piece a decade ago and hopefully it wasn’t her intent to create such a strong reason to emigrate to Cuba. Comprised of fire, grace and passion, La Belleza de Cuba is the kind of party you never want to leave. Women in ruffled hemlines and men in loose linens and Panama hats scorched the stage with swirling hips and bottomless bravado. Soaring on the torridly exultant riffs of Los Van Van, La India and Ozomatli, the dancers may have met their match when it comes to expressions of unfettered energy. It was fascinating to watch individual members of the company lose themselves in the sultry seduction of the music. For a select few, the dance moves looked so reflexive they could almost be called instinctual; adding that unquantifiable something to dance’s eloquence.
Ms. Giordano couldn’t have been more correct when she noted that the dance following intermission sports different charms. With the commanding resonance of Kodo drums as its muse , Prey thrives on power, intensity and trust. Easily the most athletic of the evening’s dances, it also relies on strength, agility, and consummate Giordano precision to extol the rewards of interdependence. Wrapped in an alluring primal mystic only made its appeal more captivating. Choreographed by former GDC dancer, Ron de Jesus; and a perennial favorite of dancers and audiences alike, Prey’s the type of jewel that adds luster to any crown.
The sweep of dance throughout the program had already been broad and marked by constant escalations of excitement. Closing with Randy Duncan’s Can’t Take This Away simply made the totality of its success official. Singing acapella and in shadow at the back of an empty stage, a tiny choir first spun magic over an enthralled house. Exquisite in its perfection and anchored in the plush beauty of early gospel, its music set a tone of remembrance and consecration. Made up of a mother and eight of her children, the Bourné Family Singers specialize in enchantment and captivated the audience well before dancers took to the stage. When they did, the dialogue between music and dance blended seamlessly to inspire notions of hope and possibility.
Celebrate Giordano
March 31 & April 1, 2023
Harris Theater for Music and Dance
Millennium Park
205 E. Randolph Street
Chicago, IL 60601
