Family. Memory. A lost sense of history.
These are just a few of the ideas that Jan Bartoszek is exploring in her newest dance creation, ‘Earthly Tongues.’
Jan Bartoszek is the founder and artistic director of Hedwig Dances, which has been a vibrant part of the Chicago modern dance community for over 23 years. Known for her fluid, dream-like choreography, Bartoszek composes poetic works with rich emotional subtexts and characters whose humanity stands out amidst the abstract landscape of the dances. For her latest creative endeavor, Bartoszek has delved into her own past and family background, probing her memory and researching her family’s Polish roots. ‘When I began to talk with people about individual family backgrounds,’ Bartoszek explained. ‘I realized how very little we know about our histories. Especially here in America, there tends to be a cut-off from wherever your family came from before. But we still hold knowledge in our bodies—parts of us are always rooted in a certain time and place. Sometimes all we can do is imagine our ancestors.’ Though information on some families may be frustratingly limited, simply contemplating familial history provides ample inspiration for a work that explores both one’s past and one’s future.
‘Earthly Tongues’ opens quietly, with dancers slowly entering the space with almost tai-chi-like movement—slow, pensive, deliberate and ever conscious of shifting weight. Eventually, the five dancers that make up the piece all coalesce on stage, shifting as a group like a flock of birds. They often link arms or hands, pulling each other forward and holding each other back.
A signature of Bartoszek’s work is a strong use of partnering, and ‘Earthly Tongues’ doesn’t disappoint. The dancers flow seamlessly into and out of graceful lifts, displaying an enchanting mastery of strength, balance and control.
The second section picks up in rhythm and colorfulness as the dancers engage in what appears to be folk-inspired movement. ‘It’s like a deconstructed folk dance,’ Bartoszek said. ‘Like a dance they’re trying to remember.’
With rhythmic steps and percussive slaps and claps, the dance treads close to the humorous, without becoming outright comedic. Instead, it retains the awkward charm of a vaudeville act, minus the slap-stick, as the dancers try to catch the movement of a dance like the mind tries to catch a memory just beyond reach.
To help her realize her vision for the latest creation, Bartoszek has enlisted an A-list artistic team (besides the dancers). Tatjana Radisic costumes the dancers in stoic white with dramatic headpieces that partially veil the face, adding bits of color when the dance picks up in energy. Winston ‘Stone’ Damon has created an original score for the piece, Petra Bachmaier is the videographer who provides projections throughout the work and Margaret Nelson’s insightful lighting brings the stage to life.
Sharing the program with ‘Earthly Tongues’ is a revival of a Bartoszek piece called ‘Ache of the Arc.’ Completed shortly after the terrorist attack of 9/11, ‘Ache’ responds to a world filled with fear and uncertainty. Now seven years removed from that traumatic event, ‘Ache’ still resonates with current events. ‘It’s about fear—how fear can blanket and cause panic, how it can disorient and create apprehension,’ Bartoszek said. The work, also for five dancers, incorporates a set of walls and ladders that the dancers use to ascend and descend through the vertical planes of space. Though a meditation on fear and violence, ‘Ache of the Arc’ is not all doom and gloom. Its dark moments are astutely balanced with moments of tenderness, compassion and hope.
For Bartoszek, and no doubt for the viewers of her new works, the latest spring concert is all about both looking back and looking forward. Hedwig Dances will perform Fri-Sun, May 16-18, at the Ruth Page Theatre, 1016 N. Dearborn. 773-871-0872; $15-$22.
Also coming up:
—The Joffrey Ballet presents ‘American Moderns’ May 14-25 at the Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Congress. The program includes Paul Taylor’s hip and elegant ‘Cloven Kingdom;’ Mehmet Sander’s ‘Inner Space,’ a funny and harrowing work for three dancers in a Plexiglass Box; Lar Lubovitch’s ‘ … smile with my heart’; and The Joffrey premiere of Twyla Tharp’s ‘Waterbaby Bagatelles,’ featuring dancing from the company’s men lit by ever-shifting arrangements of fluorescent bulbs. 312-902-1500; $25-$140.
—The young aerial dance company Aloft, directed by Shayna Swanson, presents a new evening-length show, The Dinner of Our Discontent, May 16-25 at The Aloft Loft, 941 N. California. Inspired by Chinese acrobatics that use household items to create masterful artwork, Aloft tells the tale of a family reunion that veers from heartbreaking to hilarious at the drop of a plate. 773-507-2604; $20.
—Salt Creek Ballet (SCB) brings its acclaimed staging of Alice in Wonderland to the McAninch Arts Center of College DuPage, 425 Fawell, Glen Ellyn, May 17-18. This three-act ballet features imaginative choreography by SCB artistic director Sergey Kozadayev and Susan O’Connell. 630-942-4200; $18-$28.
—Celebrating National Tap Dance Day, the Chicago Human Rhythm Project presents ‘Windy City Rhythms’ May 22-24 at the Vittum Theatre, 1012 N. Noble. These tap-dance performances will feature Guillem Alonso and his Spanish ensemble Tap Olé, Lane Alexander’s group BAM! and Jimmy Payne, Jr., among others. 773-281-1825; $15-$25.
—Elements Contemporary Ballet brings its classical virtuosity and contemporary style to the Ruth Page Theatre for its 2008 Spring Concert May 23-24. The evening will include work by Artistic Director Mike Gosney as well as several favorites from the young company’s growing repertory. 312-337-6543; $15-$17.50.
—Rounding out the spring season will be Same Planet Different World Dance Theatre’s ‘Vintage Modern,’ June 5-8 at Link’s Hall, 3435 N. Sheffield. This evening of evocative, humorous and powerful modern dance will include the company premiere of Shirley Mordine’s Thin Ice, as well as choreography by Zachary Whittenburg, Colleen Halloran, Faye Driscoll and Ashleigh Leite. 773-281-0824; $12-$15.