Get ready to hear some stories.
Story/Time, Bill T. Jones' by-chance mix of dance set to music and his short stories, comes to the Dance Center of Columbia College this month with the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company. Jones, who has been awarded a MacArthur "Genius" award, two Tony Awards and was a Kennedy Center honoree, will be performing on stage with his company. "It's a treat for us and the audience to have him in that capacity again on stage," said veteran dancer LaMichael Leonard Jr., 32. "In this piece, he's telling stories and he's just as alive as if he were moving. He's just sitting there at a desk telling stories and you're completely enthralled."
It's clear Leonard and his fellow dancers are enthralled with their legendary boss too. "Bill is one of the most passionate directors I've worked with and it rubs off on you. His brain works in ways that I will never be able to connect with and that's exciting. Having him in the room directing and coaching, you're hanging on his last word wondering what he's going to say next."
Leonard—"a Southern boy"—grew up in Florida and started dancing when he attended a performing arts high school, where he came out at age 15. Originally in the journalism program because he wanted to be on TV, he transferred to the dance department and has been dancing ever since. He was a self-described "Graham baby" in college, referring to the technique codified by iconic dancemaker Martha Graham. "Something about the technique really spoke to me," he said. "Not that it was necessarily physically easy, it was very challenging, but it was something I really took a liking to."
He joined the Martha Graham Dance Company right out of college and the Southern boy moved to New York City. "I couldn't wait to get out of there," said Leonard. "No offense to Sarasota, it's a nice town, but as far as art is concerned, there was nothing there at the time." After a year with the Graham Company, performing a number of solo works, he joined Jones' company in 2007.
One of his career highlights so far is performing for President Obama at the Kennedy Center Honors in 2010 in honor of his boss. "To look out and see people like Oprah Winfrey, Paul McCartney and Aerosmith…these are people I look up to as an artist," Leonard said. "Just to be in the same room with them was incredible, but to perform for them on top of it and for them to get a chance to see what I do was amazing."
So what makes Jones and his work so award-worthy? Leonard thinks it's the process. "We're always investigating," he said. "We work a lot of times in a two-dimensional idea. There's an attention to the metaphysics of movement, so things tend to be more dry, more clear. It's black and white; there's no gray area. We cut straight to the point."
In Story/Time, Jones throws in an element of surprise for the dancers with a "menu list" of items and sequences of movement to perform that changes in every performance. The stage is divided into 12 "boxes" and the dancers look at their menu to see what to perform when and where. "Every show is different," Leonard said. "You never get really comfortable with it as a performer, so it creates this raw energy. You have to be super focused, super aware. Sometimes you're booked for five to seven minutes and that's when it gets really difficult."
Does dancing with the man himself on stage make Leonard nervous? "Yes. Yes, yes and a capital Y.E.S.," he said. "Well, maybe nervous isn't the right word…anxious and excited. There's already a high level of expectation as a dance when he's not on stage. When he's on stage with you, you fell like you have to up your game and match his intensity."
Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company are at the Dance Center of Columbia College, 1306 S. Michigan Ave., Thursday-Friday, Oct. 24-25 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 26 at 3 and 8 p.m. The show contains nudity and mature content. Tickets are $26-$30; call 312-369-8330 or visit www.colum.edu/dance_center.
Other October performances include:
Lucky Plush Productions at Link's Hall/Constellation, 3111 N. Western Ave., Thursdays-Sundays, Oct 10-13. Performance times vary. Tickets are $20; call 773-281-0824 or visit www.linkshall.org .
Same Planet Different World and Peter Carpenter Performance Project at the Dance Center of Columbia College, 1306 S. Michigan Ave., Thursday-Saturday, Oct. 10-12 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $26-$30; call 312-369-8330 or visit www.colum.edu/dance_center.
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago Fall Series at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph St., Thursday-Sunday, Oct. 10-13. Performance times vary. Tickets are $25-$99; call 312-334-7777 or visit www.harristheaterchicago.org .
Dance Chance Redux 5.0 at the Northeastern Illinois University Auditorium/Fine Arts Building, 3701 W. Bryn Mawr Rd., Friday, Oct. 11, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20; visit www.boxoffice.neiu.edu/dance_chance.
The Joffrey Ballet presents La Bayadere at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University, 50 E. Congress Pkwy., Wed., Oct. 16, through Sunday, Oct. 27. Performance times vary. Tickets are $31-$152; call 800-982-2787 or visit www.ticketmaster.com .
The 19th annual Dance Chicago festival opens at the Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport Ave., Saturday, Oct. 19. Performance times and days vary. Tickets are $15-$47; call 773-935-6875 or visit www.athenaeumtheatre.org .
Giordano Dance Chicago's fall engagement at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph St., Friday-Saturday, Oct. 25-26, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15-$60; call 312-334-7777 or visit www.harristheaterchicago.org
