Review: At Adler Planetarium, a Heavenly Collaboration of Dance and the Universe in Cosmic Rhythms
A star is born, and none of them is one of four movies with the same title. A star in the sky comes from dust, gravity, collision, and heat in […]
Review: Complexions Contemporary Ballet Expands the Horizons of Dance with Star Dust: From Bach to Bowie
Complexions Contemporary Ballet emerged in 1994 as the creation of two Alvin Ailey alumni Desmond Richardson and Dwight Rhoden. They moved the parameters around ballet with their careers and then […]
Review: A Harlem Reverie in Sugar Hill: the Ellington/Strayhorn Nutcracker
Harlem. The name evokes a sense of place, time, and for some, the halcyon days of the Harlem Renaissance. Sugar Hill is a section of Harlem where the strivers lived, […]
Review: Joffrey Ballet’s The Nutcracker Blends Holiday Cheer and Wonder With Its 1893 Chicago Backdrop
The basic plot of the famous The Nutcracker ballet is a familiar story. A young girl, Clara, receives the gift of a Nutcracker on Christmas Eve. That night, she has […]
Preview: Deeply Rooted Dance Theater Kicks Off Made in Chicago Series November 3 at the Auditorium Theatre
Chicago is an arts town and home to some of the finest dance companies in the world. Deeply Rooted Dance Theater was co-founded by Kevin Iega Jeff and Gary Abbott […]
Review: The Joffrey Ballet Flawlessly Dances the Frankenstein Story
I am still in awe from watching the Joffrey Ballet’s Frankenstein at the Lyric Opera House. Choreographer Liam Scarlett stayed closer to Mary Shelley’s book Frankenstein or Modern Prometheus than […]
Review: Joffrey Ballet Celebrates Life in Dance with the Arpino Chicago Centennial Celebration
The Joffrey Ballet took up residence in Chicago in 1996. After nearly four decades in New York and the death of Robert Joffrey, Gerald Arpino, his partner in life and […]
Review: Memoirs of Jazz in the Alley Is a Powerful Tribute to the South Side, Then and Now
Memoirs of Jazz in the Alley is a tribute to a decade-plus of people jamming in a garage near 50th and Champlain, created by artistic director and choreographer Kia S. […]
Review: The Memory Place at Pivot Arts Looks at Life Through Different Cultures in a Promenade Performance
The Memory Place is a multidisciplinary collection of vignettes that begins in the lobby of the Edge Theater. The audience is welcomed, asked to turn off their phones, and most […]
Review: Eloquent Blend of Words, Music and Movement Tells the Story in Antonio’s Song / I Was Dreaming of a Son at Goodman Theatre
Antonio Edwards Suarez tells the story of his Latino/Black/Irish family in 80 poetic and emotional minutes of story and dance. The one-man play—Antonio’s Song / I Was Dreaming of a […]
Review: Visceral Dance Chicago Portrays Eroticism, Power, and Celebration in SPRINGTEN
SPRINGTEN is the tenth-anniversary celebration for Visceral Dance Chicago. Under the tutelage and artistic vision of founder Nick Pupillo, Visceral has reached an international audience with stunning choreography. The beautiful […]
Review: Ballet 5:8 Presents Myths, Faith, and Post-Apocalyptic Love in the Premiere of BareFace at the Harris Theater
BareFace is a new ballet from Ballet 5:8, created by artistic director Juliana Rubio Slager. It is an intriguing blend of myths from the Greeks, Romans, and the blended classical […]