The name Gus Giordano, especially in Chicago, is synonymous with jazz dance.
His namesake company, now run by daughter Nan Giordano, celebrates its 50th-anniversary engagement at the Harris Theater later this month. A few tweaks and changes—it officially dropped the "jazz" from its title and now goes by Giordano Dance Chicago (GDC); a new logo; and a move from Evanston downtown to the Fine Arts Building on Michigan Avenue—and 50 has never looked so good.
The company has already had a busy 2013 with tours to Missouri, Wisconsin, New York and Hawaii. Right after the Chicago performances, the dancers leave again, this time for performances in Istanbul, Turkey. Dancer Joshua Blake Carter, 26, is excited to be a part of such a milestone: "It's going to be epic."
The three March performances include works from GDC artistic associate Autumn Eckman; former Hubbard Street Dance Chicago dancer Ron de Jesus; former GDC dancer and BeMoved founder Sherry Zunker; and one of Chicago's favorite choreographers, Randy Duncan. A world premiere by L.A. choreographer to the stars Liz Imperio (Jennifer Lopez, Madonna) is also on the bill.
The show opens with Giordano Moves, a tribute to the company's founder by his daughter and former GDC dancer John Lehrer. "Even though it was created recently (2005), the movement was generated over the last 50 years," Carter said. "It's timeless and it's something no one else gets to do."
Buena Park resident Carter said his first jazz dance was to Destiny's Child's "Bootylicious," but he later found a solid foundation and a successful career path in the Giordano style. Always a choreographer, he recalledputting on his mom's bathrobe and putting on a show for his family in front of the fireplace as a child. "I was clearly different," said Carter. "I was wearing crazy plaid outfits in eighth grade."
At a parent-teacher conference, his teacher suggested to his father that he audition for the local performing arts school for theater, but to be good at musical theater, she said he needed to learn how to dance. "I was shocked when my Dad said, 'OK, let's get you into dance class'. I think he just wanted me to be interested in something." He was accepted to the Cobb County Center for Excellence in the Performing Arts and quickly learned that his real passion was for dance, not theater. By his senior year, he was dancing in the school's company, performing all over Georgia and taking classes in New York.
One of his high school teachers danced with GDC's second company and encouraged him to audition at her alma mater, the University of Arizona, where the entire jazz faculty was composed of former GDC dancers. Each year a scholarship to GDC was awarded through a West Coast dance conference, and although Carter never received one, he attended twice when other dancers couldn't go. "The first year, I had jet black hair with a red stripe in front and wore a red unitard," he said. "I guess that look didn't work for Nan. When I went again two years later, I had cleaned up my look by shaving my head and wearing all black." Two weeks after graduation, Carter moved to Chicago and joined GDC's second company for one season. He's now dancing in his third season with the main company.
Carter came out at age 16. "I came out by accident," he said. "I was riding to school with a friend and I 'butt dialed' my house. I can't remember what the conversation was, but it was enough to out me! Later that night I had a tear-filled conversation with my mom—her tears, not mine. I was relieved to get this secret out! When she said, 'Don't you know you can get AIDS?' I responded, 'Don't you know YOU can get AIDS?' This exchange of words stuck with me. I wanted to be part of educating people about HIV/AIDS. Not only is prevention important, but people knowing the truth and facts about the virus is equally important to me."
Carter's senior project in college, Dance in the RED, was inspired by Chicago's Dance For Life. He also loves performing in charity performances, most recently in TPAN's Chicago Takes Off burlesque show earlier this month and last weekend at Dance For Life in Palm Springs.
Giordano Dance Chicago presents its 50th-anniversary engagement at the Harris Theater, 205 E. Randolph St., Thursday-Saturday, March 21-23, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15-$60; call 312-334-7777 or visit www.harristheaterchicago.org .
More March performances:
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performs at the Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Congress Pkwy., Wednesday-Sunday, March 13-17. Performance times vary. Tickets are $32-$92; call 800-982-2787 or visit www.ticketmaster.com/auditorium.
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago + Alonzo King's LINES Ballet perform at The Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph St., Thursday-Sunday, March 14-17. Performance times vary. Tickets are $25-$99; visit www.hubbardstreetdance.com .
Megan Adams Dance and Through the Body present Surface Stained at the Fasseas Whitebox Theater at The Drucker Center, 1535 N. Dayton St., Friday-Saturday, March 15-16, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, March 17 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 (Students and Seniors $10); visit www.fanfueled.com/venue/details/509-fasseas-whitebox-theater.
The Chicago Moving Company celebrates its 40th-anniversary season at The Dance Center of Columbia College, 1306 S. Michigan Ave., Thursday-Saturday, March 21-23, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $21-$30; call 312-369-8300 or visit www.colum.edu/Dance_Center.
Montreal-based Compagnie Marie Chouinard presents The Rite of Spring and Henri Michaux: Mouvements at the MCA Stage, 220 E. Chicago Ave., Thursday-Saturday, March 21-23 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $35; call 312-397-4010 or visit www.boxoffice.mcachicago.org .
LinkUp artist Thom Pasculli presents Core of the PUDEL at Links Hall, 3435 N. Sheffield Ave., Saturday-Monday, March 23-25 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 ($12 online); call 773-281-0824 or visit www.linkshall.org .
