 |
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
Dance Chicago 2005 Opening weekend Review: A
tough topic to dance around
Lucia Mauro, Special to the Tribune
Mental-illness theme surfaces at 2 events with compelling results
November 10, 2005
Over the weekend, Deeply Rooted Dance Theater celebrated its 10th
anniversary at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, and Dance Chicago
-- a large-scale festival of local choreography now in its 11th year
-- opened at the Athenaeum Theatre. Both events, though unrelated,
exhibited firm professional growth in their artistry, programming
and pacing.
Maturity, depth and smooth transitions characterized the opening of
Dance Chicago. The sampling of artists participating in the monthlong
festival was diverse but not wildly eclectic. But as a whole, the
modern, tap, jazz and balletic choreography took some provocative
chances.
Lauri Stallings, a former Hubbard Street Dance Chicago ensemble member
now forging a career as an independent choreographer, continues to
take movement to the unexpected outer limits. In "ahimsa,"
her world premiere for River North Chicago Dance Company -- part of
Dance Chicago's Choreography Project -- she tears down the scenery
to expose the stark backstage area. With an equally raw abandon, the
dancers -- in Tara Swadley's tawdry-swank costumes -- appear driven
by an unseen, ominous force. The choreography inverts the bump-and-grind
of Bob Fosse's style and transforms it into an out-of-control locomotive
of bodies charging through life's unpredictable entanglements.
Showing his soul
Another original emerging dancemaker is Dmitri Peskov of DanceLoop
Chicago. "Nijinsky," his brave solo for the endlessly versatile
Paul Christiano, flowers into an interior-driven biography in movement of
Vaslav Nijinsky, the tormented star of Serge Diaghilev's early 20th
Century Ballet Russe, who suffered from mental illness. Beyond
contorting his limbs, Christiano seems to be trying to unwrap his
dancerly exterior so that the audience can see his character's soul.
Peskov injects suggestions of Nijinsky's famous ballets, such as
"Petroushka," but doesn't linger there. Like Nijinsky himself,
Peskov takes the art form to another level without losing sight of
impeccable technique or emotion.
Other standouts included the local improvisational tap group M.A.D.D.
Rhythms; Frank Chaves' unconventional odyssey with folding chairs,
"Take a Seat," for River North; and Stallings' non-linear
"in the belly of grace," featuring dancers (such as flawless technician
Calvin Kitten from the Joffrey Ballet) and Luna Negra Dance Theater.
----------
Dance Chicago runs through Dec. 4 at the Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N.
Southport Ave. Tickets: $5-$20. Call 312-902-1500.
Copyright (c) 2005, Chicago Tribune
|
|
 |
|
 |
