April is Chicago Dance Month, with several particularly jam-packed weeks of dance leading up to National Dance Week on April 24-May 3. It's the time of year in which we are still high from inspiring performances by our big resident companies such as The Joffrey Ballet and Hubbard Street Dance Chicagowhose spring programs brought audiences quickly to their feetand from the touring companies like Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Grupo Corpo, who did very much the same. April and May are typically reserved for "the little guys," with everything except the kitchen sink, dance-wise, at venues all across the city.
A few lingering engagements at the big houses include Giordano Dance Chicago ( GDC ) March 27-29 at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance ( 205 E. Randolph St. ). Artistic Director Nan Giordano worked with Giordano 2's company director and leading GDC man, Joshua Blake Carter, for the world premiere of "The only way around is through," a refreshingly personal and tender work inspired by human connections in dealing with chronic illness. Also included on the program are the acclaimed show stoppers "Feelin' Good Sweet" by So You Think You Can Dance's Ray Leeper ( 2014 ), and the recently premiered "Shirt Off my Back" by Ray Mercer ( 2015 ). Tickets are available through the Harris Theater website at www.harristheaterchicago.org .
The Auditorium Theatre at Roosevelt University ( 50 E. Congress Pkwy. ) offers its final installments to the "Made in Chicago" series of one-nighters, with River North Dance Chicago on March 28 ( including the world premiere of "Beast," a new work for the company's six woman by company member, Elgin native, and Princess Grace Awardee Hannah Brictson ) and the Chicago Rhythm Fest ( presented by the Chicago Human Rhythm Project ) on May 13. The Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg caps off Auditorium's spring season with the U.S. premiere of "Up & Down" May 8-10. Tickets may be purchased at auditoriumtheatre.org .
The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago ( 1306 S. Michigan Ave. ) finishes its 2014-15 season with the 30th anniversary of Urban Bush Women ( UBW ) March 19-21 and the B-rooted Festival April 3-4. Favorite works from UBW's archives are presented alongside Artistic Director Jawole Willa Jo Zollar's new "Hep Hep Sweet Sweet," which pays homage to her upbringing in Kansas City and the migration of African American culture from south to north. Tickets are available by calling the Dance Center box office at 312-369-8330, or online at colum.edu/dancecenterpresents. B-rooted is a free hip-hop dance festival featuring 10-year-old crew Venus Fly and NINJACHURCH.
Links Hall ( 3111 N. Western ) is ramping up for a very full docket this spring, beginning with its 2015 LinkUp Artist Showcase March 27-29. Featuring Christine Shallenberg and The Impossible! Collective, the showcase is the culmination of six-month residencies for each artist. Princess Grace Awardee Nejla Yatkin of NY2 Dance presents "What Dreams May Come" April 3-5. Yatkin's choreography often explores topics related to freedom, oppression and identity in a unique combination of Turkish and contemporary dance forms. "What Dreams May Come" is a multimedia collaboration with video artist Enki in a work inspired by the intersections and interactions between public and private spaces.
Ananya Dance Theatre ( ADT ) visits Links April 17-19 in a special presentation titled "Neel: Blutopias of Radical Dreaming." The evening-length work is the product of over a year of research investigating the dreams of women from indigenous cultures and communities of color. Included in the hefty list of collaborators is Sharon Bridgforth, the woman at the helm of last summer's meaty theatrical jazz installation "River See."
On April 24-26, the long-running LGBT-friendly performance series Poonie's Cabaret hosts "Post Q," a multi-disciplinary series aimed at performance-based discussion on the "politics of a post-queer world" and featuring dancer/performance artist Darling Shear, among nine others. Josh Anderson finishes what he started May 8-10 with the brilliantly cheeky "Levels of Acetylcholine," which first made its in-progress debut at the Chicago Moving Company's summer series titled D49 in 2014. The following weekend, May 15-17, The Space/Movement Project ( TSMP ) celebrates its 10-year anniversary with two new works, and some old favorites. In a surprising diversion from the company's "all-for-one" collaborative choreographic process, one of the two premieres is from a single choreographer: TSMP ballet mistress Emily Stein. Tickets for Links Hall performances are often available at the door, or online at www.linkshall.org .
Chicago Tap Theater ( CTT ) continues its spring tradition for evening-length tap-infused narratives with "Tightwire" March 20-29 at Stage 773 ( 1225 W. Belmont Ave. ). Tickets for a spectacle of live music and dancing inspired by 1930s travelling circuses are available at stage773.com or by calling 773-327-5252. At the Storefront Theater ( 66 E. Randolph St. ), Peter Carpenter Performance Project presents its 14th installment of Rituals of Abundance for Lean Times, an ongoing series that, in this iteration, brings Carpenter together with The Dance COLEctive for an exciting collaboration May 1 and 2. Tickets are available at 773-604-8452 or online at brownpapertickets.com/event/1126399.
Choreographer Monica Thomas breaks into dance film with "A Screendance Event" at MANA Contemporary ( 2233 S. Throop St. ) on March 27. Film works by Thomas and Jason Chiu, Jason Elewski and Lizzie Leopold and Brian Mazzaferri will be shown with live music and performances by composers Will Huff and Doug Kaplan, and Maxwell Allison of Good Will Smith. Tickets can be purchased at the door, or online for a discounted rate at montom-arts.ticketleap.com/a-screendance-event/ .