Chicago Dance Crash's signature blend of concert and street dance styles paints a colorful picture of life, strife and relationship goals after the end of the world with Booms Day, a two-act, world premiere dance production marking the company's 20th anniversary August 26—September 10, 2022 at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn Ave., Chicago. Tickets and information are available at ChicagoDanceCrash.com .
After a vague and expansive "boom" takes the fun out of everything, the eight-year-old narrator, whose memory and grasp of her surroundings are questionable, keeps it simple in the apocalypse by keeping her distance—no partners, no playmates, just her and her boombox. When events join her with one person, then another (and another), she has to make choices: friends or family, love or blood, peace or freedom. Add a greedy gang of marauders and a distant city beyond the wastelands, and the result is a world premiere combining comedy and suspense with stylistic, high-energy movement.
Booms Day, which is appropriate for all ages, is directed by Chicago Dance Crash Artistic Director Jessica Deahr, written by Mark Hackman and choreographed by artists from across the country, including Deahr, Crash Rehearsal Director KC Bevis, Archangels Chicago Artistic Director Annie Franklin, hip hop and street dance specialist Jimmy Weeden and LA-based dancemaker James Gregg. Costume design is by Jeffrey Hancock with original lighting design by Erik S. Barry.
Said Deahr, "This has been a fun one! I don't think we've ever had this strong and large a creative team both onstage and in studio. The show is epic—it's colorful, it's fast, it's hilarious and sad all at the same time. With all that's happened in the world, it's been sort of cathartic figuring out how to tell this story about what a child would actually value during a time of chaos. Can't wait to show everyone!"
Molly Harris and Christian Castro provide pre-recorded narration. Leading the cast are featured performances by KC Bevis, Diamond Burdine, Logan Howell, Jimmy Weeden, Monternez Rezell and Kelsey Reiter along with Anna Goetz, Jack Halbert, Jordan Ordonez, Jessica Leyva, Ibrahim Sabbi, Phill Wood, Molly Harris and introducing Seye Magat-Carr.
Performances of Booms Day are sponsored, in part, through the Ruth Page Center Subsidized Theater Rental Program.
Chicago Dance Crash presents the world premiere of Booms Day
Aug. 26—Sept. 10, Fridays and Saturdays at 7 p.m.
at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn Ave.
Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for children 12 and younger,
available at ChicagoDanceCrash.com .
All programming is subject to change.
About Chicago Dance Crash
Founded in 2002, Crash has emerged as a critical staple of the local and national scene, engaging audiences and broadening the exposure of contemporary dance. With a unique union of classic and contemporary styles, including ballet, capoeira, breakdance, acrobatics and contemporary dance, Crash burst onto the scene in its first season with the new and innovative movement play concept and has grown to receive critical acclaim throughout its 19+ years of groundbreaking dance.
