The next few months of winter may not be what most people look forward to, but in the Chicago dance world this is some of the best times of the season. With performances (sometimes overlapping ones) happening every weekend, there is so much dance to see in Chicago. Check out some of the highlights of the winter dance season, featuring collaborations in theater, puppetry, sound and visual stimuli. This is the time of year to see some great dance!
Collision Theory is a serious of improvised performances that pairs musicians and dancers. The twist is that the performers meet for the first time at the show, navigating what is described on the Links Hall site as "an unpredictable landscape of spontaneous collaboration." This particular episode of Collision Theory will feature the sounds of Male, an abstract ambient trio featuring Benjamin Mjolsness, Jonathan Krohn and Todd Matteithat. This group, creating dark, effects-laden soundscapes, collaborates with many improvisers in Chicago's jazz and creative music scene, and exists as an open-ended ensemble. Paired with this trio is dancer Adam Rose, artistic director of Antibody Dance, which specializes in movement arts and occult research. Dan Mohr and Links Hall present Collision Theory: Male vs. Adam Rose at Links Hall, 3435 N. Sheffield, Suite 207, 7:30 p.m., Jan. 17; tickets ($12, $10 students/ seniors) and more information are available at www.linkshall.org or 773-281-0824.
Celebrating 15 years this season, The Dance COLEctive will present three world premiers at their annual winter concert. Artistic Director Margi Cole collaborates for a second time with choreographer Jeff Hancock in a duet. Liz Burrit's piece, I, looks at five women falling into and out of themselves, weighing in on failure and being failed. Cole's group work, Pull Taut, comes from Malcolm Gladwell's (Blink) ideas about "the power of thinking without really thinking." Also included in the program is Menz Dance of New Trier High School in Winnetka, performing a piece entitled Maelstrom, choreographed by Cole, that a press release says is "an exploration of the balance between chaos and organization." The Dance COLEctive will present Balancing Act at The Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn, 8 p.m. Jan. 20-22; tickets ($22, $18 students/seniors) or more information are available at www.dancecolective.com or 773-604-8452.
In a rare appearance in Chicago, Pilobolus Dance Theatre comes to The Harris Theater for Music and Dance. Celebrating 40 years of acrobats, athletics and superhuman flexibility, Pilobolus creates dances that are visually stunning and challenge the limits of the human body. The program for its limited engagement at the Harris features a selection of the company's works from throughout the past four decades, such as The Transformation (2009), a collaboration with Steven Banks, the head writer of SpongeBob SquarePants. Other works in the program include one of Pilobolus' very first works, Walklyndon (1971), a silent dance with roots in physical humor, slapstick and vaudeville; and a Pilobolus classic for a quartet of men, Gnomen (1997). This company has revolutionized the dance world by incorporating elements of acrobatics, gymnastics, wit and intense physicality, and has been featured in The Academy Awards and Oprah Winfrey show among numerous other international stages. Pilobolus Dance Theatre will perform at The Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph, 7:30 p.m., Jan 28-29; tickets ($25-$55) or more information are available at www.harristheaterchicago.org or 312-334-7777.
The Joe Goode Performance Group returns to Chicago with works that mix dance, theater, music and spoken word. On the program for its February concert is Wonderboy, a collaboration with master puppeteer Basil Twist that tells the tale of a strange superhero and his gift of super-sensitivity. Also being shown is 29 Effeminate Gestures, a solo providing an insightful exploration into the paradox of gender language. Joe Goode Performance Group will be presented at The Dance Center of Columbia College, 1306 S. Michigan, 8 p.m. Feb. 3-5; tickets ($26-$30) or more information are available at www.colum.edu/dancecenter or 312-369-8330.
River North Chicago Dance Company, in its 21st season, presents its annual Valentine's weekend engagement. The program includes the world-premiere suite of tangos by Argentinean dancers and choreographers Sabrina and Ruben Veliz, as well as Artistic Director Frank Chaves' Duets, a compilation of his most celebrated and sensual duets, The Mourning, Fixe and At Last. The engagement is at The Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph, 8 p.m. on Feb 11-12, and 3 p.m. on Feb 13; tickets ($30-$65) or more information are available at www.harristheaterchicago.org or 312-334-7777.
The Seldoms present Stupormarket, a new dance-theater work choreographed and directed by Artistic Director Carrie Hanson about the economic blowout and the ongoing recovery. This culmination of a three-year long project about the economy, expands upon two previous short works—Thrift (2009) and Death of a (Prada) Salesman (2009). The pieces also features sound design by Richard Woodbury and lighting design by Julie Ballard. The Seldoms will present Stupormarket at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont, 8 p.m. on Feb. 17-19, and 3 p.m. on Feb. 20; tickets ($18) or more information are available at www.theseldoms.org or 773-327-5252.
Showcasing his new work that explores the complexities of identity, love and parentage in non-traditional families, Robert Moses' Kin comes to Chicago. Entitled The Cinderella Principle: Try these on, see if they fit, the piece originated from in-depth interviews with families throughout the San Francisco Bay area. Collaborations for the piece include award-winning playwright Anne Galjour, violinist/composer Todd Reynolds and DJ/beat-boxer Kid Beyond. Robert Moses' Kin will be presented at The Dance Center of Columbia College, 1306 S. Michigan, 8 p.m. Feb. 24-26; tickets ($26-$30) or more information are available at www.colum.edu/dancecenter or 312-369-8330.
The Chicago premiere of three of Mark Morris Dance Group's newest works, The Muir, Petrichor, and Socrates, will take place at The Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph, 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 25-26, and 3 p.m. on Feb 27; tickets ($45-$95) or more information are available at www.harristheaterchicago.org or 312-334-7777.
Same Planet Different World Dance Theater will showcase three works at The Dance Center this March: Joanna Rosenthal's Grey Noise, inspired by film noir; Minnesota choreographer and Black Label Movement Artistic Director Carl Flink's new work, HIT; and Shapiro & Smith Dances' To Have and To Hold. Same Planet Different World Dance Theater will be presented at The Dance Center of Columbia College, 1306 S. Michigan, 8 p.m., March 10-12; tickets ($26-$30) or more information are available at www.colum.edu/dancecenter or 312-369-8330.
Luna Negra Dance Theater's spring program features the North American premieres of works by up-and-coming Latino choreographers Fernando Hernando Magadan and Luis Eduardo Sayago Alonso. The evening also features artistic director Gustavo Ramírez Sansano's critically acclaimed piece, Flabbergast. Luna Negra Dance Theater will perform at The Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph, 8 p.m. March 12; tickets ($25-$55) or more information are available at www.harristheaterchicago.org or 312-334-7777.
Hubbard Street Dance Company's spring series unites the company with Batsheva Dance Company in an evening featuring work from Israeli choreographers from Batsheva, Artistic Director Ohad Naharin and Resident Choreographer Sharon Eyal. Hubbard Street will perform at The Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph, 7:30 p.m. on March 17; 8 p.m. on March 18-19; and 3 p.m. on March 20; tickets ($25-$94) or more information are available at www.harristheaterchicago.org or 312-334-7777.
