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Joffrey Ballet’s Studies In Blue, a trio of wonderfully conceived works now in performance at the Lyric, shatters such outdated notions.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 »
For purists, there’s only one version of a classic that’s worthy of widespread regard and admiration. Tchaikovsky’s 1892 lighter, more whimsical adaptation of E.T.A. Hoffmann’s short story, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King may well fall in that category. In 1960, two musical titans and collaborators looked at Tchaikovsky’s masterful score, saw it in a …
You don’t ordinarily think of this time of year as a period of discovery, but a concert of dance and music at Harold Washington Cultural Center recently changed that notion. Using the holidays to bring a wide assortment of tap artists together for a celebration of the season, Winter Wonderland delivered plenty of dance fire …
After being gob smacked by the televised production of Kate Prince’s Message in a Bottle, one thing’s certain. Dance has taken a giant leap forward in the way its presented and in the way its perceived. That Prince’s dance tour de force was inspired by a chance “I bet…” moment makes its reality all the …
The Future of Dance? English Dance Company Charting New Horizons Read More »
Kicking off this season’s Made in Chicago Dance Series Friday night at Chicago’s venerable Auditorium Theatre, Deeply Rooted Dance Theater (DRDT} proved something startling. That it could be, in its own unique way, all things to all people. You had to recall the explosive energy that marked another of the company’s one night only visits …
Deeply Rooted Dance Theater Delivers Bountiful Fall Harvest Read More »