Pulsating music, nearly naked bodies and raw, sexual energy. What’s not to love about dance? This year’s Dance Chicago series provides all the thrills of clubbing with your friends plus the opportunity to see the best dance companies Chicago has to offer without breaking a sweat.
Dance Chicago was founded in 1995 by John Leonard Schmitz and Fred Solari with the intention of showcasing established Chicago companies alongside younger groups. This year, Dance Chicago offers audiences a choice of eight different programs and is placing its emphasis on encouraging up-and-coming choreographers with the first Dance Chicago Choreography Award. The award will be presented during the final programs on Dec. 1.
The Dance For Kids, Too! Program features children’s groups as well as professional, but the most spirited performance will no doubt be Dance Slam. For five bucks you can see 20 of Chicago’s most dynamic companies perform a raw, improvisational piece for your applause. The groups vie to be the No. 1 audience pick of the night.
Last Thursday’s DANCE R/EVOLUTION show was an energetic and varied program that included works by Doris Humprey and two Northwestern professors, Melissa Thodos and Billy Siegenfeld.
The program opened with a Ruth St.Denis solo, “White Jade,” produced by Momenta Performance Company, which specializes in the restoration of early modern dance works. St. Denis’ works are minimal in their range of motion and emotion, but their continual performance is vital to maintaining her legacy. St. Denis’ work influenced Oak Park-born choreographer Doris Humphrey.
Three solos that Humphrey choreographed were also shown: “The Call/Breath of Fire” and “Two Ecstatic Themes.” Humphrey expands St. Denis’ use of gesture and pedestrian movement in her exploration of fall and recovery reflected through the breath and torso. Dressed in a simple leotard and flowing skirt, the dancer articulates an expression of joy with her spine and chest. Humphrey’s use of weighted runs reflects the dancer’s deep connection to the earth, while her arms reach from the sternum toward the sky. The result is an awesome emcompassing of space and, at the same time, utter surrender to the weight and oppression of the world. The St. Denis and Humphrey pieces acted as traditional bookends to support the younger choreographer’s work.
Thodos’ dancers sliced the space with sharp arms and off-balance fouettՀ