The end of summer approaches, but there is good news! The transition into fall means the return of dance companies seasons and tons of performances to attend. This month starts off the great dancing with the annual Chicago Dancing Festival, as well as a premiere from two young choreographers tackling the subject of gender. Check out both of these opportunities to engage with the language of movement in Chicago.
One of the best things about Chicago summers is the free festivals and events throughout the city. August brings some free dance to the summer fun with The Chicago Dancing Festival returning for a fourth year, offering a chance for everyone to enjoy quality dance performances. The span of the festival includes ticked performances and lectures at the Harris Theater and The Museum of Contemporary Art, and a free closing-night performance in Millennium Park. Each event is filled with virtuosic dances by some of the nation's esteemed choreographers. And the audiences for this festival are loyal. The Modern Masters event at the Harris Theater sold out in a record two hours after tickets were released late July. However, the closing night performance at Millennium Park is still an option, as it is free and open to the public. Titled "Celebration of Dance," this showcase brings together a diverse range of dance styles for an outdoor dance experience at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion. The Joffrey Ballet, Alvin Ailey II, The Royal Ballet and Mark Morris Dance Group are among the companies to show work at this free event. Be advised to show up early and grab a spot, the crowds are expected to show up in full force.
The Chicago Dancing Festival presents "Celebration of Dance" at The Jay Pritzker Pavillion in Millennium Park, Michigan and Randolph, 7:30 p.m., Aug. 28; free. Visit www.chicagodancingfestival.com .
Emerging choreographers Phillip Elson and Samantha Spriggs have taken a long, hard look at the construction of gender and sex in our society. Their response? A collaborative self-produced project, titled "Under Construction: Socio-Analytical Perspectives on Gender Culture Through Dance." Or to put it in fewer words, Elson and Spriggs plan to deconstruct gender through movement. The show will take place at Links Hall, and features four world-premiere pieces as well as a duet between the choreographers.
The works combine highly physical movement, subtle gesture, spoken text and social commentary. Debates and conversations between Spriggs and Elson concerning issues of gender, sexuality and culture informed the duet piece, entitled "The WOMP is Always Gayer on the Other Side." One of Elson's pieces, "Big Boys Don't Cry," is an all-male dance-theater piece that draws upon the experiences of three performers in their early 20s as they recount and challenge perceived notions of manhood and masculinity at what is currently a pivotal point in establishing their identities as men. "Active Passivity," an exploratory movement abstraction by Spriggs, uses a contemporary feminist outlook on the ways in which women's and men's bodies are affected and shaped by the gazes and expectations of others to create an uncomfortable world of people straining and contorting themselves for each others' approval.
Windy City Times talked with Spriggs about her views on gender, Under Construction Dance Project, and the fusion of dance and theater:
Windy City Times: Can you speak a bit to the infusion of spoken text and theater into your choreography?
Samantha Spriggs: Philip and I each have a dance that includes some element of spoken text. All of the text in the show is generated by the performers based on prompts we have given them. As this has been a highly collaborative process we've asked our dancers to thoroughly investigate their own perspectives on and relationships to their genders and sexualities. Sometimes a message cannot be spoken, and so we use our bodies to demonstrate an idea or feeling. Text and other theatrical elements are natural to human interaction, and as we are trying to depict our opinions and ask questions honestly, it seemed appropriate to include those elements into the work.
WCT: What three words describe your show?
Samantha Spriggs: Inquisitive, diverse, risky.
WCT: The works being presented speak to and about gender. What are your views on gender, and why dance about it?
Samantha Spriggs: There are so many gender constructs and restrictions that apply to our physical forms. They manifest themselves in people's posture, physicality, activity and influence the way our bodies communicate with one another. As a woman, I have actively worked towards being viewed and treated on equal terms with men in all arenas of my life, dance included. I'm not your traditional passive lady, I'm not small or waif-y like the perfect ballerina. I'm a strong, tall, opinionated woman and it has taken a lot of work for me to be able to accept all of those qualities. Now I know that they are of the utmost value to my being and my dancemaking.
WCT: What would you like people to know about your work before they see it?
Samantha Spriggs: We just ask that people come into the theater ready to observe, think actively and challenge their own beliefs. We hope to provoke discussions with our work and if one person in the audience begins to reexamine their own relationship to gender roles, we've succeeded.
WCT: How did the Under Construction Dance Project come about?
Samantha Spriggs: The project began out of some conversations and debates that Philip and I had about gender roles in society and how that relates to Western concert dance. We then decided to investigate further and look at issues surrounding gender in many different arenas and how we would choose to choreograph those perspectives.
"Under Construction: Socio-Analytical Perspectives on Gender Culture Through Dance" will take place at Links Hall, 3435 N. Sheffield, 8 p.m., Friday-Sunday, Aug. 20-22; $10, $7 students/seniors. For tickets visit www.brownpapertickets.com/event/117836 or call 773-281-0824. For more information visit www.underconstructiondanceproject.com .
