If it's November in Chicago—and it is—the BIG event on the dance calendar is The Athenaeum Theatre's annual festival, Dance Chicago. This year's edition features some 200 Chicago-based dance companies, choreographers and individual artists in nine different program and numerous special events. Dance Chicago 2005 is going on now, and continues through Dec. 4. Full details online at www.dancechicago.com .
As always, Dance Chicago 2005 covers the terpsichorean waterfront in the wide range of its programs, presenting dance in virtually all genres, among them classical ballet, contemporary ballet, jazz, folk dance, theater dance, percussive dance and fusions so new they don't have names yet. While we know that dance always has been a haven for GLBT artists—c'mon, admit it; some stereotypes about us ARE true!—not all dance ventures have reached out specifically to the substantial GLBT audience in Chicago. Well, they should!
As always, one of the most popular programs will be the annual Dance Slam, now extended to two nights, Nov. 15 and 22 ( and it's only $5 ) . This is the event where unknown or lesser-known solo dancers and choreographers get five minutes to strut their best stuff—literally—with the audience deciding the winners from among 40 dance acts. The winners continue to an adjudicated final on Nov. 29, with the top winners invited to develop larger works for a future Dance Chicago.
One of the fundamentals about Dance Chicago always has been to increase audiences for dance by making access easy. For starters, founders and producers Fred Solari and John Leonard Schmitz keep prices low; the top tickets are just $20 and many are less than that. Also, they've developed programs to make dance fun, approachable and engaging, among them family-friendly performances known as Dance for Kids, Too! and the above-mentioned Dance Slam.
Among the Dance Chicago 2005 participants that should be familiar names are: Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre, Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, Hedwig Dances, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Jay-Son Dance Company, the Joffrey Ballet, Jump Rhythm Jazz Project, River North Chicago Dance and Thodos Dance Chicago among many.
The list of participants is long and the list of non-participants is short, at least among name Chicago dance organizations. We wonder, therefore, why such GLBT-friendly companies as Luna Negra Dance Company and the Joel Hall Dancers are missing from this year's list.
A few troupes are missing from the list because they have major dance concerts of their own scheduled for November. Dance Chicago 2005 may be the 900-lb. dancing bear in the room—and such a graceful bear—but it's not the only critter in toe shoes or tap shoes.
Deeply Rooted Productions celebrates its 10th anniversary with Nov. 17-20 performances at the Beverly Arts Center ( 2407 W. 111th Street ) . The concerts will feature the company premieres of Naeemah's Room and Hand to Mouth. Naeemah's Room is the work of founding artistic director Kevin Iega Jeff, set to music by Bjork and Philip Glass. Hand to Mouth is a new work by associate artistic director Gary Abbott, set to music by the Kronos Quartet, and inspired by African victims of last year's great tsunami.
Concluding its 15th anniversary season, the Chicago Human Rhythm Project ( CHRP ) will showcase international tap during Nov. 18-20 performances at the Museum of Contemporary Art ( MCA ) , and Nov. 25-26 performances at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance. Under the title Global Rhythms, the CHRP will present Vata Tap from Brazil and Anybody Can Get It from Los Angeles at the MCA performances, and Vata Tap and The STRiPES from Japan at the Harris. CHRP presented the North American premiere of Vata Tap in 2003, and now CHRP is doing the same for Tokyo-based The STRiPES. The CHRP press release describes the Japanese tappers as a blend of Stomp theatricality, hardcore rhythm tap and African drumming with 'a decidedly Tokyo aesthetic,' whatever that means.
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago has brought four new dancers into its fold. Alejandro Cerrudo ( 25, born in Spain ) and Pablo Piantino ( 30, born in Argentina ) have joined the main company, while Sebastian Matthias Gehrke ( 25, born in Germany ) and Larry Trice ( 22, born in Kansas City ) have been named main company apprentices. Obviously, artistic director Jim Vincent is intent on making Hubbard Street international and exotic in character; witness the dancer from Kansas City. A fifth dancer, Todd McQuade ( 24, born in California ) , has joined Hubbard Street 2. Cerrudo and Piantino replace two departing main company dancers, Brian Enos and Jay Franke. Enos left Hubbard Street for a particularly fine opportunity, a commission to create new choreography for Houston Ballet.
We will return in one month, at which time Dancin' Feats will celebrate the annual rebirth of gay icon Pytor Ilyich Tchaikovsky, his Nutcracker—if you'll pardon the expression—and the Mouse King; an all-together many-headed hydra composed largely of sugarplums and treacle rather than musical notes.
