Now in its 33rd year, Dance for Life has grown from an inspired idea to an invaluable tradition. Both a performance showcasing the breadth of Chicago’s dance talent, and a benefit raising funds to promote the well-being of dance professionals; the concept has exploded to become a force on both counts. Saturday night’s dance gala …
Annual Gala Revels in the Invincibility and Wonder of Dance Read More »
Has there ever been a time in history when significant human migration wasn’t occurring? Headlines these days continue to blare about migrants at the border. In the US, they’re talking about the southwestern borders of California and Arizona. In England, France, Italy and Germany, they refer to the watery borders of the English channel and …
When an opera about a spirited and sensual gypsy debuted on a Paris stage in 1875, audiences were disdainful and offended. Some were even outraged. Deviating from convention can have that affect. A decade after that opening, Carmen had achieved international renown. It now stands as one of the most enduring pieces of performance art …
Visceral Brilliantly Brings Carmen’s Kinetic Fire to Dance Read More »
Sometimes walking out of a dance concert leaves you feeling as if dancers are divinely endowed creatures with natures, qualities and abilities that set them far apart from not only “the rest of us”, but also from all other artists. Those feelings were surging like hurricane force winds at the end of Hubbard Street Dance …
Hubbard Street’s Spring Program Dusts Brilliant Dance with Va Va Voom! Read More »
For the 55 years Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre (AAADT) has been returning to the Auditorium to share its unique contributions to the arts community, audiences have consistently been captivated by its unerring commitment to dance excellence. Spanning that half century plus, AAADT has showcased the timeless resonance of works created by its founder, Alvin …
Some things, no matter how wonderful, seem to only get better over time. Giordano Dance Chicago (GDC), with 61 years of formidable dance legacy under its belt, is still finding ways to make its art form more imaginative, more beautiful and increasingly relevant to our times. Unlimited, the company’s biannual concert performed at the Harris …
Giordano Dance Chicago Raises the Bar in Unlimited Read More »
Cirque du Soleil’s recent visit to the NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates proves the entertainment colossus hasn’t the slightest interest in resting on its many well-deserved laurels. Quite to the contrary, Cirque du Soleil’s CRYSTAL seems to be forging new paths in the organization’s pursuit of delivering sumptuous world class spectacle grounded in compelling theater …
CRYSTAL Moves Cirque du Soleil’s Excellence to the Ice Read More »
Two southern cities show how the arts can be a powerful lens to view both the past and its relevance to the present. This Land Calls Us Home, a special exhibition at Atlanta’s Hartsfield International Airport, honors the legacy of the indigenous tribes that once dominated America’s Southeast. The relationship Native Americans have with their …
Many would hardly consider a highly acclaimed ballet company to be a leader in dance innovation. The popular mind tends to lock ballet into an art form of the past. Joffrey Ballet’s Studies In Blue, a trio of wonderfully conceived works now in performance at the Lyric, shatters such outdated notions. Inviting three exceptionally gifted …
Joffrey’s Studies In Blue Traffics in Total Perfection Read More »
The creative offspring of two dance professionals, one an acclaimed dancer and the other a celebrated choreographer, New York’s Complexions Contemporary Ballet has had a few decades to establish its identity. Since its debut in 1994, the company has become known for exciting innovation, choreographic daring and dance virtuosity. Some have gone so far to …
Complexions Contemporary Ballet’s Toast to Bach and Bowie Brimming with Eclectic Energy Read More »