Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

Dancin' Feats
by Zachary Whittenburg
2009-07-08

This article shared 4566 times since Wed Jul 8, 2009
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


Pictured: Thodos Dance Chicago.

Summer's for festivals, and this month brings two huge, weeklong events to Chicago's dance fans. Opening Wed., July 22, is a slew of performances programmed as part of the 2009 Jazz Dance World Congress ( JDWC ) . Produced here by Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago and the Department of Cultural Affairs, the JDWC is to jazz dance what Cannes is to film buffs and just as international. Held in locations over its 29-year history as diverse as Japan, Germany, Mexico and Costa Rica, it's nevertheless foremost a Chicago tradition—this will be the seventh time it invites companies the world over to the Windy City.

The "Congress" part is designed to expose attendees as much as possible to the expertise of its guest faculty and panelists. Classes are held daily; teachers, dancers and administrators in the field host discussions; and, new this year, auditions for well-regarded collegiate dance programs ( at the University of Arizona, University at Buffalo, Hofstra University, and Point Park University and others ) as well as performer positions at Royal Caribbean International will give attending dancers multiple opportunities to seek out the next phase of their careers.

Each evening, though, is a celebration of the form open to the public: Each night, seven companies will present dances and—while the full rundown is too expansive to get into here—some highlights are a pair of world premieres by Japan's Masashi Action Machine on the July 23-24 programs: Mexico's Cuerpo Etéreo Danza Contemporánea Friday, and the début of Sherry Zunker's Mature Dance Project ( a who's who of brilliant Chicago artists in their thirty-teens ) ; moreover Philadelphia's Philadanco! will premiere July 25. A choreography competition and the premiere of the documentary Gus, an American Icon July 22 round out the festival's incredible smorgasbord.

Tap dance and the percussive arts are celebrated and honored each year at Rhythm World which, like the JDWC, is composed of opportunities to learn and appreciate. July 27 marks the kickoff of residencies, workshops and master classes by an impressive roster of tap virtuosos like Sam Weber, Derick Grant, Jakari Sherman, Chloe Arnold, Jason Samuels Smith, Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards and Chicago Human Rhythm Project Director ( and Rhythm World organizer ) Lane Alexander. Classes are tiered for offerings for everyone from nine-year-old novices to working professionals. On Sunday, Aug. 2, at 6:30 p.m., a free concert will take place at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park featuring BAM!, Jump Rhythm Jazz Project, Jus' LisTeN, the South Shore Drill Team, Chicago Tap Theatre and Be the Groove. The following evening, there's a free tap improvisation jam at the Cultural Center, Roosevelt University's Ganz Hall hosts a tap-slam competition and Cutting Contest improvisation tournament Tuesday, Aug. 4, and—on Thursday, Aug. 6, and Saturday, Aug. 8—the Museum of Contemporary Art's theater will be home to two performances, including many of the aforementioned master teachers, guest artists and tap ensembles.

—Jazz Dance World Festival is held at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph, July 22-25. For program and ticketing information, visit www.jazzdanceworldcongress.org and www.harristheaterchicago.org .

—Rhythm World is held at multiple locations in downtown Chicago from July 27-Aug. 9. Visit www.chicagotap.org .

Also this month:

—The final program of this spring's Epiphany Dance Experiment is a focus on movement as performance art and features four intriguing practitioners of that approach: JulieAnn Graham, RTG Dance, Britt Posmer and Marissa Perel. It's at the Epiphany Episcopal Church, 201 S. Ashland, July 12 at 6 p.m.; the cost is $12 at the door.

—The Space/Movement Project, recently one of three finalists at The A.W.A.R.D. Show! 2009, will premiere its latest work, Safety in Numbers, over two weekends at Hamlin Park Fieldhouse, 3035 N. Hoyne. Tracking ideas about community through local genealogies of six choreographers ( also dancers ) and three additional performers, this collective of young dancemakers is one to watch. Performances are July 16-17 and 23-24 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 at brownpapertickets.com; more information is at thespacemovementproject.org .

—Thodos Dance Chicago presents new works each year by members of its company and a guest choreographer. Having seen all of it in progress—I'm serving on the program's advisory panel—I can vouch for the accomplishment and incredible variety of its pieces. Performance are at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn, July 17 18 at 8 p.m. and July 19 at 5 p.m. Tickets are $25 each, with discounts for students, seniors and children; see www.thodosdancechicago.org .

—Atalee Judy's Breakbone DanceCo. is a recipient of this year's prestigious Chicago Dancemakers Forum Lab Artist Grant. Although much of her body of work has focused on sociopolitical and feminist issues, Judy is investigating much different territory with her upcoming premiere, Excavation of Remains. Born of a new collaborative approach, seven artists have originated an anthology of dances that reflect thoughts on death and near-death and, in some cases, process past true-life experiences with the end. Also at the Hamlin Park Fieldhouse, Excavation of Remains runs July 29-31 and Au. 5-7, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10-$15; see www.brownpapertickets.com or call 773-841-BONE. Also, visit www.breakbone.com .


This article shared 4566 times since Wed Jul 8, 2009
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

Theater Review: Billy Elliot, The Musical 2024-02-19
- Book and Lyrics: Lee Hall; Music: Elton John. At: Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora Tickets: 630-896-6666 or Paramountaurora.com; $28-$79. Runs through March 24 Billy Elliot: The Musical may nearly be two decades old, but ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ JoJo Siwa, Tom Holland, Bowen Yang, Pet Shop Boys, Mariah Carey 2024-02-02
- In the wake of Nigel Lythgoe exiting So You Think You Can Dance, queer personality JoJo Siwa is returning to the series, per Deadline. Siwa, who was a judge on season 17 of the Fox show, will replace Lythgoe, who left ...


Gay News

DANCE Choreographer Dwight Rhoden talks David Bowie, Alvin Ailey, queerness 2024-01-31
- In "STAR DUST: A Ballet Tribute to David Bowie," Complexions Contemporary Ballet co-founders Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson—backed by their Alvin Ailey lineage—and their dance troupe tackle many of the ...


Gay News

Chicago Dancers United and The Dancers' Fund become Chicago Dance Health Fund 2023-12-14
--From a press release - Chicago Dancers United, which has supported the health and wellness of Chicago's professional dance community through The Dancers' Fund for more than 30 years, announces that, effective January 1, 2024, the organization will operate and distribute ...


Gay News

DANCE 'Sugar Hill: The Ellington/Strayhorn Nutcracker' running Dec. 20-30 2023-12-12
- Tony-winning producers David Garfinkle and Dr. Ron Simons announced the world-premiere of "Sugar Hill: The Ellington/Strayhorn Nutcracker"—a holiday dream told in dance—which will play at Chicago's Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. ...


Gay News

MOVIES Rick Cosnett chats about 'Shoulder Dance,' Molly and Jason Momoa 2023-12-05
- In the new movie Shoulder Dance, which is out on streaming, friends Ira (played by out actor Matt Dallas, looking and sounding quite different than from his days on TV's Kyle XY) and Roger (played by ...


Gay News

DANCE Deeply Rooted performing Nov. 3 at the Auditorium Theatre 2023-09-27
- The Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Ida B. Wells Dr., is presenting Deeply Rooted Dance Theater—a Chicago-based contemporary dance company rooted in traditions of American and African-American dance—in a one-night-only performance ...


Gay News

Chicago Dancers United raises more than $365K at Dance for Life 2023-08-29
- Chicago Dancers United (CDU)—which supports the health and wellness of Chicago's professional dance community—welcomed 1,600 people to the 32nd annual Dance for Life on Aug. 19 at Auditorium Theatre, per ...


Gay News

Teen suspect arrested in killing of gay dancer 2023-08-05
- The New York Police Department arrested a suspect in the fatal stabbing of 28-year-old O'Shae Sibley, who was attacked last weekend at a Brooklyn gas station. According to The Advocate, Sibley, a professional dancer, had been ...


Gay News

NATIONAL Drag news, HIV-bias lawsuit, Disney, Brittney Griner, gay dancer 2023-08-04
- Swastika flag-toting neo-Nazis, some of them armed, were at a Wisconsin LGBTQ+ Pride celebration that included a drag show, The Advocate reported. Members of the neo-Nazi extremist group Blood Tribe joined other right-wing hate groups, like ...


Gay News

Billy Masters: Cattrall passive-aggressively returns just like that 2023-06-06
- "I kinda look like a 200-year-old pole dancer now! I don't think that's gonna happen, but thank you anyway." —Sylvester Stallone's response when Sherri Shepherd asks if he'll wear his tank top and booty shorts in ...


Gay News

ART on THE MART's summer programs include Chicago Black Dance Legacy Project, Pride celebration 2023-05-11
--From a press release - CHICAGO, IL — ART on THE MART, an innovative digital art project that transforms a Chicago architectural landmark into a larger-than-life canvas, will introduce two new commissions this summer. Building Light, a new projection by Gensler, ...


Gay News

South Chicago Dance Theatre to debut 'Memoirs of Jazz' on June 10 2023-05-09
--From a press release - (May 8, 2023) Through the 1960s and '70s, Jazz in the Alley on Chicago's South Side was a hotbed for jazz and a meeting place for some of the country's prominent musicians, visual artists, poets, activists, ...


Gay News

Artemis Singers presents June 10 "Better Times Will Come" Pride Concert and Dance 2023-05-03
--From a press release - CHICAGO─Artemis Singers, Chicago's lesbian feminist chorus, will present "Better Times Will Come" Pride Concert & Dance, Saturday, June 10, at the Irish American Heritage Center, 4626 N. Knox Ave. ...


Gay News

Andersonville Midsommarfest to return June 9-11 in its 57th year 2023-04-30
--From a press release - CHICAGO (April 27, 2023) — The Andersonville Chamber of Commerce (ACC) is pleased to welcome summer with Andersonville Midsommarfest, one of Chicago's oldest and most beloved summer street festivals. Now in its 57th year, the ann ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.