Dance for Life did not disappoint.
The 22nd Annual Dance for Life sold a record amount of tickets for the performance, filling the breathtaking Auditorium Theatre. Once again, the event raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for 28 different charities including the AIDS Foundation of Chicago, The Dancers' Fund, Making a Daily Effort and Agape Missions, NFP.
Dance for Life featured six Illinois-based dance companies including Giordano Dance Chicago, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Joffrey Ballet, River North Dance Chicago, Ensemble Espanol Spanish Dance Theater and Visceral Dance Chicago.
Also, the event showcased two world-premiere dance numbers: Harrison McEldowney and Jeremy Plummer debuted stunning choreography in the first act opener, and award-winning artist Randy Duncan's finale number earned a standing ovation.
Ensemble Espanol Spanish Dance Theater performed excerpts from Mil Clavos, paying homage to the company's founder and artistic director Dame Libby Komaiko. By far, this company's performance exuded the most passion, revealing Latin fire that sparked the audience's energy,
Both Visceral and Giordano Dance Chicago performed modern-dance pieces. Pirouetting to gritty beats and post-modern rhythms, the companies entranced attendees and afforded audience members a glimpse into the bright and boundless future of dance and dance culture. Giordano either reinterpreted human evolution or the apocalypse on stage, but no matter one's theories, the performance was spellbinding.
Joffrey presented classic ballet routines, flawlessly performing excerpts from Tchaikovsky's Pas De Deux. The couple leaped around stage in a hypnotic fashion, earning applause after almost every difficult move because the techniques were so impeccably executed.
Without exception, the dance companies displayed spectacular numbers, and co-hosts Michael Anderson and Andy Kafer performed better than expected. Overall, however, the strength and beauty of Chicago's dance and LGBTQI communities uniting to fight the AIDS disease were constantly evident.
As mentioned throughout the show a few times, people should mark their calendars for the 23rd annual Dance for Life to take place on Saturday, Aug. 8, 2014 at the Auditorium Theatre.
