Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

Winter dance preview
by Scott C. Morgan, Windy City Times
2012-01-18

This article shared 6888 times since Wed Jan 18, 2012
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


The weather outside may be chilly, but temperatures are bound to rise indoors if you catch performances by any one of the local and visiting dance companies this winter season. There's plenty of ballet, contemporary and even participatory dance events for you to get the blood flowing.

Ballet: On your toes

If you want laugh with your classical dance, then you can't miss the return engagement of Les Ballets Trockaderos de Monte Carlo, the famed troupe of men in ballet drag who also perform en pointe just like the women do. These masters of comedy ballet perform 7:30 p.m. Jan. 24 at Millennium Park's Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph Dr. Tickets are $45-$75; call 312-334-7777.

The State Ballet Theatre of Russia brings two classical ballets to two Chicago-area locations in the next few weeks. Fans of the film Natalie Portman's Black Swan (or of Tchaikovsky's classic score) might be keen to take a trip up north to see Swan Lake at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 21, at the Genesee Theatre, 203 N. Genesee St., Waukegan. Tickets are $23-$53; call 847-782-2366.

Then The State Ballet Theatre of Russia performs Prokofiev's famed 20th century score for Romeo and Juliet at 8 p.m. Jan. 28 and 2 p.m. Jan. 29 at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University, 50 E. Congress. Tickets are $30-$87; call 800-982-2787.

The Joffrey Ballet of Chicago offers a mixed repertory program called "Winter Fire," and it features three pieces by some of the world's most important contemporary ballet choreographers. First on the bill is U.S. choreographer William Forsythe's challenging In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated set to an electronic-punk score by Thom Willems. Next are works by two British choreographers: Christopher Wheeldon's After the Rain set to music of Arvo Pärt, then the U.S. premiere of Wayne McGregor's high-tech multimedia piece InfraChoreography.

The Joffrey Ballet's Winter Fire plays Feb. 15-26 at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University, 50 E. Congress Pkwy. Tickets are $25-$149; call 800-982-2787.

The Joffrey Ballet also shows off the winners of its Choreographers of Color Awards 2012 at 4 p.m. March 11 at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph. On the bill are world premiere contemporary works by choreographers Bennyroyce Royon, Carlos dos Santos, Jr. and Ray Mercer performed by Joffrey Academy dancers, plus academy artistic director Alexei Kremnev's piece Le Roi s'Amuse: Dances in Ancient Style. Tickets are $15-$18 and can be reserved at http://www.joffrey.org/winningworks.

Contemporary courtesy of Columbia College

As always, The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago continues its artistic mission of hosting both national and homegrown dance companies. See plenty of Chicago premieres at this venue this winter at 1306 S. Michigan Ave.; call 312-344-8300 for more information on these performances and special family matinees attached to each run.

The Margaret Jenkins Dance Company performs its namesake choreographer's evening-length piece, Light Moves, which is a collaborative multimedia piece featuring a score by Paul Dresher, poetry by Michael Palmer and multimedia projections by Naomie Kremer. Performances of Light Moves are at 8 p.m. Feb. 9-11. Tickets are $26-$30.

Local choreographer Molly Shanahan and her dance company, Mad Shak, present a hypnotic piece called Stamina of Curiosity that is part of a three-year project to explore the terrain between planning and spontaneity in movement. Performances are 8 p.m. Feb. 23-25. Tickets are $26-$30.

The Space/Movement Project, Rachel Damon/Synapse Arts & Erica Mott is a shared program of premieres. The dance-making collective The Space/Movement Project explores social dancing in its piece, Kiss Kiss Missles, while choreographer Rachel Damon uses improvisation and the live drumming of percussionist Frank Rosaly to challenge her collaborators in the piece Without Pause. Rounding out the program is Mott, who utilizes object manipulation and sculptural costuming for her piece Five Gaits, Four Walls, Fourteen Knots. Performances are 8 p.m. March 8-10, and tickets are $26-$30.

Going modern in Millennium Park

Millennium Park's Harris Theater for Music and Dance is another hive of dance activity this winter as the host of many local modern and jazz dance companies. These performances are at 205 E. Randolph Dr.; call 312-334-7777 for more information.

We're not sure if we should take The Seldoms at its word for its upcoming show, This is Not a Dance Concert, at 7, 8:15 and 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 4. What we do know is that any perceptions you have of a dance concert should be put on a shelf with this full-immersion performance that breaks down barriers between audiences, musicians and dancer as any space in the theater (backstage, the lobbies and the auditorium) become performance spaces. Tickets are $20 for each performance and $100 for the 8 p.m. 10th-anniversary gala in the Harris Theater Donor Room.

River North Dance Chicago, once again, has prime Valentine's weekend scheduling with its winter performances at 8 p.m. Feb. 10-11 and 3 p.m. Feb. 12. What's being offered is the U.S. debut of choreographer Mauro Astolfi (artistic director of Italy's Spellbound Dance Company) who is creating a world premiere. Another world premiere on the bill is by Frank Chaves who joins forces with conductor/composer Josephine Lee of the Chicago Children's Choir for an original piano suite. Tickets are $30-$75.

Thodos Dance Chicago celebrates its 20th anniversary with revivals of choreographers Ann Reinking and Melissa Thodos' one-act story ballet The White City: Chicago's Columbian Exposition of 1893 and company signature works including Getting There, a modern take on Thodos' 1988 piece Reaching There. Performances are at 8 p.m. March 2 and 3. Tickets are $25-$60.

Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago then takes to the Harris Theater for its winter engagement titled Passion and Fire featuring many company repertory pieces at 8 p.m. March 9-10. Tickets are $15-$60.

Hubbard Street happenings

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago is offering a new festival called danc(e)volve: New Works Festival, featuring world-premiere works by choreographers and dancers from both its main company and Hubbard Street 2. The festival runs Jan. 19-22 and 26-29 at the MCA Stage of the Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E. Chicago Ave. Tickets are $35, but may be harder to come by since the Jan. 19-22 dates are already sold out; call Hubbard Street Dance Chicago at 312-850-9744 or the MCA Stage box office at 312-397-4010 for more information.

Big dance musicals

Fans of Broadway dance musicals have plenty to be thankful for this winter with two major tours and one home-grown professional regional show.

The Paramount Theatre in Aurora continues its first full season of locally produced professional musicals with a staging of the classic 1970s audition musical A Chorus Line Jan. 18-Feb. 5. It will be interesting to see how closely the show hews to the original staging by late director/choreographer Michael Bennett. Tickets are $34.90-$46.90; call 630-896-6666.

Choreographer Twyla Tharp's Frank Sinatra-inspired dance musical Come Fly Away continues its run at Chicago's Bank of America Theatre through Jan. 22 ($32-$95), while the international Irish step dancing hit Riverdance makes another return to Chicago at the Oriental Theatre from March 13-18 ($30-$85); call 800-775-2000.

Get moving yourself

Get into the action yourself with fundraisers and festivals this winter, too.

Tie on your tap shoes for the Chicago Human Rhythm Project's Winter Tap Jamboree Feb. 2-6. It features master classes, scholarship auditions and performances to celebrate African-American History Month in a variety of Chicago-area venues ranging from the DuSable Museum, the Athenaeum Theatre and Elgin Community College. For more information, visit www.chicagotap.org .

The Dance Colective teams with Big Hearts Fund for a family-wellness fundraiser titled Wholehearted Wellness Jam 2012: Zumbathon 5:30-8:30 p.m. Feb. 23 at Grossinger City Autoplex, 1530 N. Dayton. Advance registration is $35; call 773-377-5560 for more information.


This article shared 6888 times since Wed Jan 18, 2012
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

City Lit Executive Artistic Director Brian Pastor talks theater, comics, queerness
2024-03-26
City Lit Theater has announced its programming for the 2024-25 season—which will be the company's 44th. It will also be the first season to be programmed under the leadership of Brian Pastor (they/them), who will assume ...


Gay News

The Jeff Awards announces the 50th anniversary awards for non-equity theater
2024-03-26
--From a press release - A complete list of recipients can also be found online in the Non-Equity and News and Events sections at www.jeffawards.org. (March 25, 2024 - Chicago) — Celebrating its 50th anniversary awarding recognition for Non-Equity theater, the ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Queer musicians, Marvel situation, Elliot Page, Nicole Kidman
2024-03-21
Queer musician Joy Oladokun released the single "I Wished on the Moon," from Jack Antonoff's official soundtrack for the new Apple TV+ series The New Look, per a press release. The soundtrack, ...


Gay News

THEATER Chicago's City Lit has anxiety on tap with 'Two Hours in a Bar'
2024-03-21
Two Hours in a Bar Waiting for Tina Meyer by Kristine Thatcher with material by Larry Shue Text Me by Kingsley Day (Book, Music and Lyrics). At: City Lit Theater, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave.. Tickets: ...


Gay News

Jamie Barton brings nuances of identity to her Lyric Opera 'Aida' performance
2024-03-18
Chicago's Lyric Opera is currently featuring a production of Giuseppe Verdi's Aida starring Michelle Bradley as Aida, Jamie Barton as Amneris and Russell Thomas as Radamès. The opera runs through April 7, 2024, with Francesca Zambello ...


Gay News

Queer Eye's Jai Rodriguez is set to slay at The Big Gay Cabaret
2024-03-05
Out and proud performer Jai Rodriguez is set to play at The Big Gay Cabaret this March for three days. Presented by RuPaul Drag Racer Ginger Minj, this monthly series highlights the wide world of cabaret ...


Gay News

THEATER 'R & J' puts a female, queer spin on Shakespeare
2024-03-05
Romeo and Juliet is the theatrical gift that keeps on giving. It's been reworked for the masses numerous times, whether in direct adaptations or musicals such as West Side Story. Shakespeare's plotline points have even inspired ...


Gay News

Center on Halsted hosts 6th Annual Intergenerational Talent Show
2024-03-03
On the evening of Feb. 29, Center on Halsted held its 6th Annual Intergenerational Talent Show in front of a packed audience at the Hoover-Leppen Theater. The event brought together participants of the Center's youth and senior ...


Gay News

THEATER When growth is paramount: Jim Corti helps fuel Aurora theater expansion
2024-03-01
Out actor/director/choreographer Jim Corti made his Broadway debut in 1974, in the ensemble of Leonard Bernstein's musical Candide. Director Harold Prince's acclaimed Tony Award-winning revival is often cited as a ...


Gay News

Theater Review: Billy Elliot, The Musical
2024-02-19
Book and Lyrics: Lee Hall; Music: Elton John. At: Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora Tickets: 630-896-6666 or Paramountaurora.com; $28-$79. Runs through March 24 Billy Elliot: The Musical may nearly be two decades old, but ...


Gay News

'West Side Story' gets a sex-positive spin with new burlesque show
2024-02-19
In partial observance of National Condom Day, which was Feb. 14, Los Angeles-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) presented A West Side Story Burlesque at the Harris Theater for two hour-long performances on Feb. 17. The show, ...


Gay News

Second Glance Productions hosts LGBTQupid Soiree
2024-02-16
In celebration of Valentine's Day, Chicago based film and media production company Second Glance hosted The LBGTQupid Soiree. The event, which was focused on spinning attitudes on this particular day, was presented at The iO ...


Gay News

Carisa Hendrix mesmerizes as Lucy Darling in Teatro ZinZanni
2024-02-12
Since 2019, Teatro ZinZanni has gathered together amazing performers from all over the world to create an experience in Chicago under the Spiegeltent in the Cambria Hotel building, 32 W. Randolph St. Over the years, ticket ...


Gay News

THEATER Dot-Marie Jones talks Goodman production, 'Glee,' 'Bros'
2024-02-12
Running through Feb. 18 at the the Goodman Theatre, the production Highway Patrol works with a script conceived entirely from Emmy-winning actor Dana Delany's (TV's China Beach) digital archive of hundreds of tweets and direct messages ...


Gay News

Dr. Lady J explains how opera can be a drag
2024-02-10
On Feb. 8, Center on Halsted, in partnership with Lyric Opera of Chicago, presented a lecture by historian, drag activist, podcaster and curator Dr. Lady J. The event, titled "Castrated Superstars, Cross Dressed Divas, and Queer ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS






Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.