Winter took a while to officially land in Chicago; the dance scene, on the other hand, has yet to take a break. The winter season for dance audiences is notoriously slownot so in 2015!
The Cambrians is a brand new company with Benjamin Wardell at the helm ... sort of. Wardell has a surrounded himself with a strong team of artists ( Jamie Meek, Autumn Eckman, Melinda Jean Myers and Michel Rodriguez Cintra, who, with Wardell, developed The Nexus Project last year ). The Cambrians is an umbrella company supporting The Nexus Project and some lofty future endeavors, and a spin-off of Wardell and Cintra's dueling duets returns for a month long run Jan. 9-Feb. 1 at the brand-new Dovetail Studios in Albany Park. The show is pay-what-you-can, with tickets available at brownpapertickets.com/event/879622.
Dovetail is the newest brainchild of Joanna Rosenthal, artistic director of Same Planet Different World Dance Theatre ( SPDW ), who will share a bill with The Cambrians at Links Hall less than a month later. Two world premieres by Rosenthal and The Cambrians' Melinda Jean Myers round out the Feb. 26-March 1 program. linkshall.org
After her recent retirement from a remarkable 30-year career with New York City Ballet, Wendy Whelan's Restless Creature finally makes its way to Chicago. The one-night-only might be on a school night, but the Jan. 21 engagement is not to be missedif you can get a ticket! Restless Creature features Whelan's choreography in collaboration with an all-star cast that includes Kyle Abraham, Joshua Beamish, Brian Brooks and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago's resident choreographer, Alejandro Cerrudo. harristheaterchicago.org
The Joffrey Ballet celebrates its annual Choreographers of Color Awards with works by Jennifer Archibald, Abdul Latif and Stephanie Martinez. The three world premieres, performed by Joffrey Academy Trainees and the Joffrey Studio Company, take place at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago Stage March 7-8. ( See mcachicago.org . )
Also on the Joffrey's calendar is the Feb. 11-22 program Unique Voices at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University. The bill features three contemporary ballets by Episode 31 choreographer Alexander Ekman, Canadian choreographer James Kudelka and Stanton Welch. Joffrey.org
The Auditorium Theatre continues to celebrate its 125th anniversary with the season-long Made in Chicago series featuring homegrown dance not often seen on the Auditorium's stage. The series showcases Giordano Dance Chicago Jan. 31 for a one-night-only performance that includes the world premiere of Shirt off My Back, by award-winning choreographer Ray Mercer, alongside audience favorites Exit 4 and Feelin' Good Sweet. Tango Buenos Aires is also in for one night at the Auditorium, performing the critically acclaimed Songs of Eva Peron Jan. 25. Auditoriumtheatre.org
Kicking off Feb. 6 at Instituto Cervantes of Chicago, the 2015 Chicago Flamenco Festival will feature an impressive line-up and equally impressive beefy list of producers, including Arte y Vida Chicago, City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events ( DCASE ), Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Old Town School of Folk Music, Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater and more. Running through March 7, festival details are available at chicago.cervantes.es.
Per usual, Links Hall is packed with a variety of offerings from established companies and up-and-comers. Veteran choreographers Colleen Halloran and Ann Boyd join forces for Finding Peaceand Wanting Popcorn Feb. 13-15, followed by Sarah Gottlieb work exploring birth and death through movement with Yolk Feb. 20-22. March brings a new friendship between RE|Dance and Denver-based Evolving Doors Dance. The two companies split a bill March 7-9, followed up by Links' annual fundraiser THAW on March 19. After two consecutive years at the Dankhaus, THAW takes its big night downtown this year to Block Thirty Seven. LinksHall.org
3 Singers is the latest creation of Erica Mott, running Jan. 22-Feb. 1 at the newly opened National Museum of Health and Medicine Chicago, 175 W. Washington St. Mott interprets her "singers" in multiple ways as she explores women's rights in the textile industry through a multimedia production that includes music, voice, projections and three Singer sewing machines. ericamott.com/3-singers
The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago rounds out its season with performances from Los Angeles-base David Rousseve Feb. 5-7, local fusion dance company Chicago Dance Crash Feb. 19-21, contemporary south Indian dancer Shantala Shivalingappa March 5-7 and Urban Bush Women ( celebrating its 30th-anniversary season ) March 19-21. See colum.edu .
Winifred Haun and Dancers re-stage the acclaimed full-length ballet "Promise," on March 20-21, at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts. Meanwhile, The Seldoms complete a years long project inspired by the life of Lyndon B. Johnson. Dubbed Power Goes, Artistic Director Carrie Hanson's latest evening length work enjoys a two week run at the Museum for Contemporary Art March 20-29. mcachicago.org
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago's Spring Series kicks off March 12 for four days at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance. The anticipated return of Gustavo RamÃrez Sansano to Chicago for I am Mr. B completes a beefy program that includes Alejandro Cerrudo's Cloudless, Jirà Kylian's Fallen Angels and Sarabande, and Crystal Pite's A Picture of You Falling, a company premiere. Visceral Dance Chicago also returns to the Harris for a spring series marking the end of its second season March 21-22. Hubbardstreetdance.com/spring
Chicago Tap Theatre ( CTT ) kicks off its spring season with an evening length story performance inspired by the traveling circus of the 1930s. Per usual, CTT treats its audiences to original music written by Kurt Schweitz for a two week run March 20-29 at Stage 773.
Speaking of tap, Tristan Bruns' newly formed company Tapman Productions premieres the family friendly Adventures of Tapman, featuring a tap-dancing superhero inspired by Bruns' love for comic books at the Athenaeum Theatre Jan. 29-Feb. 8. Additionally, the Chicago Human Rhythm Project hosts its annual Winter JAMboree Feb. 13-15 with classes, workshops, and special events for tappers of all levels. Chicagotap.org .