NEWSLETTER
February Newsletter
2012-02-02 3:20:30 PM
By Sid Smith
So much for arctic chill. Not only is this turning out to be a winter of our content, weather wise, but, with the arrival of February, the dance scene catches fire with multiple Valentine offerings and plenty of other attractions for a busy and colorful month.
It is by no means all about hearts, flowers and love, however. Events begin Feb . 2 with BONEdanse's "This is a Damage Manual," a piece exploring mental illness and its treatment over multiple decades, playing through Feb. 12 at Theatre Wit. Atalee Judy and company, including guest choreographer Jyl Fehrenkamp, offer a number of works, including some scored to the Chicago-based band Damage Manual.
Most likely on a happier note, the Chicago Human Rhythm Project offers a bill starring various troupes Feb. 2 and 3 at the DuSable Museum, part of the organization's Winter Tap JAMboree. Tamboula Ethnic Dance Company, M.A.D.D Rhythms, the Mexican Folkloric Dance Ensemble, Mr. Taps and CHRP's BAM! are on the line-up. In "10 Years of WAR--Fighting for the Dream," the Alliance Dance Company celebrates its 10th anniversary in a bill featuring seven other companies Feb. 3 and 4 at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts.
"The Sweet Goddess Project," a multimedia dance work exploring women's issues in music and culture, returns Feb. 3 and 4 to the Marjorie Ward Marshall Ballroom Theater on the Northwestern University campus in Evanston. On Feb. 4, the Seldoms make their Harris Theater debut with "This Is Not a Dance Concert," featuring two dozen dancers and musicians, held at various locales throughout the Harris (winding up onstage), with three separate curtain times: 7 p.m., 8:15 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
CHRP's BAM! returns Feb. 6 for two free one-hour performances (at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m.) at Elgin Community College in that northwest suburb. Later that week, the Margaret Jenkins Dance Company brings Jenkins' ambitious program "Light Moves," combining her choreography, music by Paul Dresher, text by poet Michael Palmer and animation from innovative multimedia artist Naomie Kremer, Feb. 9-11 to the Dance Center of Columbia College. That weekend also inaugurates the round of Valentine's Day festivities. River North Dance Chicago offers a program including new works by Frank Chaves and Italy's Mauro Astolfi Feb. 10-12 at the Harris, the troupe's annual Valentine engagement. "Duets for My Valentine," featuring a potpourri of Chicago dancers, plays Feb. 11 at the Athenaeum Theatre.
In a valentine of another sort, and part of a series of match-ups, the modern-tinged Thodos Dance Chicago and Latino-oriented Luna Negra Dance Theater team up for a shared program Feb. 11 and 12 at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie. In "Ratio of Mindsey to Kelpin," Mindy Upin and Lindsey Kelley are the choreographer-dancers in this program Feb. 10-12 at Links Hall.
Returning to the Athenaeum Theatre, Dance Chicago presents "Dances from the Heart" Feb. 14, a Valentine's Day compendium of choreographers and troupes who've been associated with the project over the years, including a premiere by Kate Jablonski, featuring more than three dozen dancers, and the return of ballroom superstars Tommye Giacchino and Gregory Day. Then, the Joffrey Ballet unveils its winter line-up of provocative modern works for the engagement to run Feb. 15-26 at the Auditorium Theatre. The impressive bill features the U.S. premiere of Wayne McGregor's "Infra," the company premiere of William Forsythe's "In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated" and the return of Christopher Wheeldon's "After the Rain."
In a nifty cross-pollinating effort, the Trey McIntyre Project teams up with New Orleans' renowned Preservation Hall Jazz Band for a program Feb. 17 at Symphony Center. With no doubt a bit more of a combative spirit, the Chicago Dance Crash offers "KTF 2/17: Love is a (Dance) Battlefield" at the Mayne Stage, 1328 W. Morse Av. in Rogers Park.
Molly Shanahan and Mad Shak bring "The Delicate Hour" Feb. 23-25 to the Dance Center of Columbia College. The Grigorovich Ballet will bring "Spartacus" (Feb. 24) and a program of mixed repertory (Feb. 25) in a two-day engagement at the Auditorium Theatre. The 1968 "Spartacus" is among Grigorovich's famed full-lengths during his decades with the Bolshoi Ballet.
And in a month emblematic of the heart, in metaphorical terms, what better way to end it than with an event focused on the its more biological imperatives? Margi Cole and her Dance COLEctive is partnering with the Big Hearts Fund for their first joint benefit, bolstering both art and wellness. It's set for 5:30 p.m. Feb. 23 at 1530 N. Dayton. Healthy hearts are happy hearts--St. Valentine will no doubt be very pleased.
