Chicago, Illinois – Historical and Happening
Chicago, Illinois, like any big city, has its share of famous sites and infamous people, its list of disasters and triumphs. There was the infamous Mafia boss Al Capone, America’s best known gangster; the disastrous fire of 1871 that left at least 300 dead and 100,000 homeless; George Pullman’s triumphant career due, in large part, to the success of the luxury Pullman car in cross-county railroad travel; and the famously beautiful architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Oak Park residence. With such a splendid history, it’s little wonder that Chicago’s arts have also contributed to a rich heritage and a continuous evolvement of a dynamic city.
Start with the venerable Hubbard Street Chicago, a dance company begun in 1974. They offer classes in everything from ballet to jazz, modern to hip-hop and African to tap. Its second company, Hubbard Street 2, is an ensemble of young dancers between 17 and 25 years old who get to perform works by the country’s most promising choreographers. They have a performance tentatively set for May 2 at the Metropolis Center for the Performing Arts. If you miss it, they’ll be in Monterrey, Mexico on May 6 but back for a performance in Peoria, Illinois on May 17.
Spring in Chicago also brings the annual tap festival that began in celebration of National Tap Dance Day. Catch the “Windy City Rhythms” performances at the Vittum Theater May 22-24 as performed by the Chicago Human Rhythm Project. Tickets are $25, $20 for students and seniors and $15 for children under 12. As a bonus, one hour before each concert, CHRP’s audience members are invited to a free tap class, no tap shoes required.
“Windy City Rhythms” features CHRP’s artist-in-residence, Guillem Alonso, first prize winner of the 1993 World Tap Championship in Switzerland and founder of Barcelona’s Tap Olé. Windy City Rhythms will also have Tre Dumas’ new ensemble, JustLisTeN; Be The Groove, an evolvement from Northwestern University’s Boomshaka; artists Jabowen Taylor and Nico Rubio’s “IllNoise”; Julie Cartier’s ensemble, The Cartier Collective; the Huntley Hoofers, a group of over 100 women; and new works by CHRP’s performing group BAM!
If you’re more interested in contemporary dance, there are two troupes offering May performances. First, there’s Hedwig Dances at the Ruth Page Theater on May 16-18. Tickets are $22 and $15 for students and seniors. The world premiere performance of “Earthly Tongues” is choreographed by Hedwig Dances’ founder and artistic director Jan Bartoszek. “Earthly Tongues” “mines the rich terrain of ancestry and memory. With hearty doses of humor and pungency, the dance examines what we know, what we don’t know and what we fantasize about our collective and individual origins.” Also included in the program is “Ache of the Arc.” Danced on ladders and walls, “Ache of the Arc” “contrasts the human capacity for extraordinary kindness and profound cruelty.”
There’s also DanceWorks Chicago’s “Lunch-Time Dance Bytes” at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts on May 2. DanceWorks Chicago is a company of 3 men and 3 women “who refine their craft and share their art form through classes, rehearsals, showings and performances.” Check it out to see if you fit their dance profile. DanceWorks Chicago is looking for “dancers with technical ability, mental agility, emotional availability and a sense of adventure.” Their vision is to foster a more progressive take on dance by cultivating all aspects – artistic, technological, logistical, emotional and financial.
Civic Ballet of Chicago tara snyder, Salpi Spkarian, Stella Wiering
Cheryl Mann Photography
Of course, if you’re a ballet lover, spring has some great things for you, too. The Civic Ballet of Chicago has performances May 9-10 at the Ruth Page Center ($25/$15 students) and again May 17-18 at Northeastern Illinois University Auditorium in the Fine Arts Building ($20/$15 students/seniors). Entitled “Black Tights and Spanish Rhythms,” it promises to sizzle.
On May 14, May 16-18 and May 23-25, the Joffrey Ballet will be performing “American Moderns” at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University. The Joffrey Ballet’s first major performance took place in Chicago in 1957. Since then, they’ve performed “in over 400 cities in all 50 states and internationally in Afghanistan, Australia, Austria, Canada, China, Denmark, Egypt, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Iran, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Korea, Mexico, Portugal, Russia, Scotland, Singapore, Spain, Syria, Taiwan and Turkey.” They’re known for “original and socially relevant ballets,” as well as a repertoire of historical ballets.
And then there’s jazz. Inaside Chicago Dance “is a fresh and innovative company that promotes the performing arts on and off stage with integrity, passion, and pride. Inaside offers new perceptions of movement with a limitless repertoire that implements artistic spirit and the authentic joy experienced through dance.” The performances of “Inaside Dance Project: In The Painting,” are slated for May 2-3 at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts. Tickets are $20 and $15 for students/dancers. The project is based on the painting technique of Jackson Pollock, a major figure in the abstract impressionist movement.
“Lord of the Dance,” the quintessential spirit of the Irish, made famous by Michael Flatley, will be at the Rosemont Theatre from May 16-17 with tickets priced at $25, $45 and $55. Or on an ongoing basis, Chicago’s Broadway musicals are a good bet for entertainment value. In May and June, pick up performances of “Jersey Boys,” “Wicked” and “Avenue Q.”
If you stay long enough, you might want to check out a few resident companies for classes and auditions. They include Thodos Dance Chicago (contemporary); Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago (an original jazz dance company that continually expands the boundaries of jazz); Muntu Dance Theatre of Chicago, whose name, “Muntu,” means “the essence of humanity” in the Bantu language and that strives to promote a better understanding of African culture; and Baladina Dance Company with its strong elements of Egyptian and African tribal dance techniques.
Chicago has long been on the leading edge of breathtaking dance. Spring of 2008 promises to be no exception.