This month features events that mix a bit of the old in with the new. Established dance companies, both local and national, are performing in Chicago this month, bringing along early works, premieres and the fresh voices of upcoming choreographers. Here are some performances to check out that blend the known with the up and coming, bringing you a fresh perspective on some long time favorites in the dance world.
Trisha Brown celebrates the 40th anniversary of her company this season, and brings her postmodern works to the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) stage this month. Brown came into the public view as a choreographer as a part of the Judson Dance Theater movement in the 1960s. A leader in abstract choreography, she continuously pushes the limits of what is accepted as movement, and defines her own rules in making dances. Also a visual artist in her own right, the stage sets for this upcoming performance are designed by Brown and reflect her continuous explorations in a range of art forms.
This performance at the MCA provides a rare opportunity to experience some of Brown’s early works alongside her newest piece, which is choreographed to a baroque opera. This is the Chicago premiere of Les Yeux et l’âme (2011), which features the music of 18th-century French composer Jean-Philippe Rameau’s opera, Pygmalion. The opera, based on a myth as told in Ovid’s Metamorphoses, is a story of love and magic retold here through the human architecture of Brown’s movement. The program will also include the works Foray Forêt (1990), featuring costume and lighting design by Robert Rauschenberg; Watermotor (1978) ; and Opal Loop (1980).
Trisha Brown Dance Company will be presented at the MCA, 220 E. Chicago, 7:30 p.m. April 15-16, and 3 p.m. April 17; tickets are $22, $18 for members or $10 for students. For tickets or more information visit www.mcachicago.org/performances or call 312.397.4010.
In addition to the theater performances, Trisha Brown Company will also perform a rare event on the MCA’s main floor, presenting signature sight specific works from the company’s repertoire. This hour-long performance includes the works Accumulation (1971), set to the Grateful Dead’s “Uncle John’s Band;” Sticks (1973) ; and Spanish Dance (1973), set to Gordon Lightfoot’s “Early Mornin’ Rain” performed by Bob Dylan. This Early Works performance will take place Saturday April 16, 3-4 p.m, and is free with museum admission or a performance ticket.
Mordine & Company Dance Theater will be presenting NEXT 2011, featuring new works from Shirley Mordine, RE|Dance and the Mordine & Company 2011 emerging artist Alitra Cartman. Presented at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts for two evenings, the performances will include a discussion with the artists following the Friday night presentation, and a reception sponsored by Dance/USA after the Saturday showing.
Speaking to the intent behind this show and her new work, Mordine comments, “In light of current global circumstances of uprising and revolt, the need and desire to have a voice—and the fear of anonymity—is proving yet again to be a powerful instinct. By making our voices heard, sharing our stories and finding the commonalities, we reach new realizations about ourselves, each other and the universe we share. Dance is a very potent vehicle for revealing these connections.”
Mordine’s new work, entitled LifeSpeak, is a dance about life stories that illuminate the individual past and our collective history. She translates the personal anecdotes of the dancers into movement frames that are filled with meaningful gestures, nuance and individuality. The stories reveal a sense of transformation, as the stories are composed, de-composed and re-composed again based on the times, the teller and the audience. LifeSpeak is a work on the whole company, created in collaboration with the dancers, and features live original music by Shawn Decker.
Also by Mordine is the piece entitled Illuminations (2009). The work, while non-narrative, is inspired by the classic tale of Icarus and the lively imagery of soaring, falling and risk-taking. Going off of this evocative imagery, the work explores time as experienced through the body’s play with gravity, speed, intention and chance. This piece, also a full company work, is set to a remix of music by Steve Reich and an original score by Shawn Decker, with visual designs by projection artist John Boesche.
RE|Dance will present a work entitled The Mysterious Disappearance of the Second Youngest Sister, choreographed by Michael Estanich and performed by himself, Vurusic Riner and Lauren Bisio. This collaborative work goes into the construction of the artistic mind, and uses images of sight, blindness and travel to communicate the sensitive terrain of human frailty. Both delicate and frenetic, the trio explores the intertwined relationship of three characters caught within one young female writer’s reality and creative imagination. It uses the relationship between author and characters as a metaphor for psychological unraveling and the desire to connect.
Mordine & Company Dance Theater will present NEXT 2011 at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn, 8 p.m. April 29-30; tickets are $20 presale, $22 at the door and $15 student/seniors. For tickets or more information visit www.brownpapertickets.com/event/158905 or call 1-800-838-3006.
The Joffrey Ballet concludes its season with Rising Stars, a mixed repertory program featuring two world premieres by Edwaard Liang and Yuri Possokhov, plus a company premiere by Julia Adam. These choreographers showcase abstract ballets that blend technique in new ways, and pave the road for the future of new ballet works. Speaking to the Rising Stars program Artistic Director Ashley C. Wheater commented, “The Joffrey Ballet is pleased to present two world premieres and one Joffrey premier during our spring program. These diverse new works offers wonderful insights into today’s choreographers working across a broad range of influences. At heart, the Joffrey is a classical company with its sight towards the horizon. This spring, we introduce choreographer Yuri Possokhov to the Joffrey audience and we welcome back Julia Adam and Edwaard Liang.”
The Joffrey Ballet presents Rising Stars at The Auditorium Theater, 50 E. Congress, various times May 4-15; tickets ($25-$145) or more information are available at www.joffrey.org/risingstars.