Jump Rhythm Jazz Project. Image by William Frederking. Lane Alexander. Photo by Kristie Kahns_____
By Eric Eatherly
Billy Siegenfeld has been many things to the dance community over the years: dancer, choreographer, teacher and jazz innovator. Now he can also add award recipient and documentary subject to that list.
Last year, Siegenfeld received the Ruth Page Award for Choreography and Contribution to the Field of Dance, a prestigious recognition of his accomplishments both on and off the stage. This year, Siegenfeld and his jazz-based company are the subject of a new dance documentary called Getting There: Jump Rhythm Jazz Project, created by multi-Emmy-Award-winning HMS Media. The show gives the viewer a unique look inside the rehearsal process of Siegenfeld's Jump Rhythm Jazz Project ( JRJP ) , his thoughts on dance and his creative inspiration. Both strangers to the company and longtime fans will be surprised and delighted to see a side of the company to which most people are never privy. Siegenfeld says he hopes the show 'might help people to understand the internal engine driving the company.' The documentary airs on WTTW Channel 11 on May 17 at 8 p.m. and again on May 20, at 3 p.m.
These exciting events all lead up to JRJP's spring concert at the end of May. The three-act program features repertory pieces and two premieres, The News From Poems and god of dirt ( sic ) .
The News From Poems serves as a before-during-after representation of going through war, or any intense, life-changing experience. 'Despite how it might be perceived,' Siegenfeld explains, 'this is not an anti-war piece. It's me trying to contend with my own feelings about war and the extraordinarily irrational states induced by war.'
The other new work is god of dirt, which takes its title from the poem 'One or Two Things' by Mary Oliver. This world premiere is a celebration of dirt in all its forms, both the dirt that needs to be cleaned away and the dirt, like soil, that is fertile and life-giving. The piece is in five parts, including duet and ensemble sections, and has a ritualistic quality, focusing thematically on the dichotomy of individuality and community. The movement fuses folk dance-inspired spatial patterns and hand gestures with JRJP's signature style of rhythmic vocalization and percussive footwork, portraying an environment interspersed with points of solemn introspection and outbursts of exuberance and humor.
For the music of his new piece, Siegenfeld says, 'I wanted to find another kind of music as rhythmically vigorous as jazz, though not actually jazz or blues based.' This challenge led him to the work of Goran Bregovic. Bregovic's music also has a folk-inspired feeling, but incorporates different cultural sounds with the fluidity of an ethnic chameleon. At times it has Polish, Greek, or Jewish folk dance melodies. At other times it has African or Tango-inspired rhythms, culminating in a richly diverse soundscape.
Siegenfeld has forged an ensemble of rhythmic virtuosos to execute his choreography, which is no doubt challenging due to the musical counterpoint it incorporates. Though such precision work demands that unity and group awareness be paramount, Siegenfeld's dancers bring their own personality, humanity and intimacy to the work. Such dedication creates an invigorating energy and reads as palpable enthusiasm both on screen and on stage.
JRJP is presented by the Ruth Page Dance Series May 23-25 at Northeastern Illinois University, 3701 W. Bryn Mawr; 773-442-4636; $15-$25.
National Tap Day is May 25, so May is the perfect month to get out and see some of the city's most exciting tap-fusion dance groups ( among others ) , including these upcoming events:
For two weekends, May 11-20, Chicago Tap Theatre brings their sultry and sophisticated take on tap dance to the Athenaeum Theatre Studio 1, 2936 N. Southport, in Mixology: A Fizzy Cocktail of Tap Dance and Live Music. Technically demanding choreography is combined with smooth renditions of jazz standards and edgy interpretations of pop, rock and tango rhythms. 312-902-1500; $15-$25.
Chicago Human Rhythm Project ( CHRP ) celebrates National Tap Day with Windy City Rhythms, a tap concert showcasing a variety of Chicago artists as well as special guest French 'claquettiste' Roxane Butterfly. Other featured artists include CHRP founder and artistic director Lane Alexander and his company, BAM!; Julie Cartier's Especially Tap Chicago; Reggio 'The Hoofer' McLaughlin; Jimmy Payne, Jr.; Soul to Soles Youth Tap Ensemble; and live music by the Jeremy Kahn Trio. May 24-26, Vittum Theatre, 1012 N. Noble. 773-281-1825; $15-$25.
For the audience still hungry for modern dance, Hedwig Dances presents its spring concert at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn, May 18-19. The show features artistic director Jan Bartoszek's new work, Night Blooming Jasmine, and the Chicago premiere of New York-based Bill Young's piece, Rein/Bellow. 312-337-6543; $15-$22.
Keen for ballet in the month of May? Ballet Chicago celebrates its tenth anniversary with a spring engagement, S'Wonderful! The program offers two classics by dance icon George Balanchine as well as premieres by artistic director Daniel Duell and Ballet Chicago alum Ted Seymour. May 19-20, Athenaeum Theatre; 312-251-8838; $12-$30.
Lastly, Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre presents Latin Fire at the Vittum Theatre on June 8-9. The performance features premiere works focusing on the Latino and Latin-American experience and includes live musical accompaniment that interacts with the dancers. 773-342-4141, $25-$30.
