Fall has traditionally been a dormant time for dance, followed by a robust spring.
But no more. There are some exciting new offerings this fall, including two downtown engagements from the Joffrey Ballet. In addition, the enterprising Dance Chicago series again promises a series of small companies and original work in October at the Athenaeum Theatre on the North Side.
But there are no large touring ballet companies planned — the kind of thing that used to brighten our winter — and the annual downtown spring festival appears uncertain at this stage and is likely to be smaller and housed in several theaters instead of just one or two.
Still, there are plenty of bright spots throughout the year, including an intriguing project teaming up Margaret Jenkins and Olympia Dukakis, planned for the Museum of Contemporary Art, and the long overdue returns of David Parsons’ terrific company and choreographer Ralph Lemmon. To look on the bright side, this could well be a dance season more about quality than size.
Downtown will also see two new “Nutcrackers,” the downtown debut of the Joffrey’s gingerbread version at the Auditorium Theatre and, in an overlapping engagement, the area debut of Donald Byrd’s celebrated “The Harlem Nutcracker” at the Chicago Theatre, where new presenters, Columbus Association of the Performing Arts, promise more dance offerings down the road.
BEST BETS
– David Rousseve/REALITY. In its work-in-progress preview last season, “Love Songs,” Rousseve’s new work, came off as a promising venture with haunting erotic and deathly images. It spanned the history of romance from that of two African slaves to bittersweet recollections of contemporary lovers. Rousseve, an innovative dancemaker who boasts a freewheeling mix of dance, theater and personal revelation, developed this piece while in residence at the Dance Center of Columbia College this fall. While it needed work, and careful pruning, “Love Songs” still promises to be one of the more interesting events of the season, especially to those who saw its preview and can enjoy the insights into the artistic process that the finished product reveals. The work will be unveiled by Rousseve, his troop and a backup of 20 Chicago performers Sept. 18 and 19 at the Merle Reskin Theatre, a presentation of the Dance Center of Columbia College.
– Dance Chicago ’98. This entire series, from Oct. 1-Nov. 1 at the Athenaeum Theatre, is the city’s premiere fall outing of local groups, small and medium. Opening night boasts everyone from Joel Hall to the Trinity Irish Dancers, and the post-Halloween finale Nov. 1 promises a second annual outdoor extravaganza courtesy of Jellyeye Drum Theatre and Red Moon Theatre, a kind of next-wave mini-Mardi Gras replete with bonfires, pounding drums and gargantuan puppets. Controversial performance artist Karen Finley will be on a special program Oct. 22. But real adventurers might want to check out a new offering this year, a pair of Dance Slams, modeled after poetry slams and featuring choreographers and companies in five-minute presentations Oct. 19 and 26.
– David Parsons. He is one of the most engaging and mischievous choreographers of our time. His wholesome good looks disguise a wicked sense of frolic, and he’s the brains behind such favorites locally as Hubbard Street’s prank-filled “The Envelope” and the soon-to-be-Joffrey-revived “Caught,” in which a male dancer, thanks to a strobe light, appears to literally float across the darkened landscape of the stage. Meanwhile, he is bringing his own troupe Feb. 12 to the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, his first visit in more than a decade, if memory serves correctly.
– Joffrey at Auditorium. Undaunted by the unexpected loss of executive director Robert Alpaugh this summer, the Joffrey enters its most ambitious downtown season since relocating here. Before “The Nutcracker” in November, the company will present two programs of mixed repertory Oct. 9-18, including a new work by Gerald Arpino titled “Footnotes for RJ,” a tribute to his late, longtime partner Robert Joffrey. Revivals of his “Viva Vivaldi” and “Confetti” are also planned, along with the downtown premiere of Randy Duncan’s exhilarating, balletic “Affection,” unveiled over the summer at Ravinia.
– DanceAfrica. The popular annual celebration of African-American dance moves to the Auditorium Theatre this year for performances Oct. 23-25. Five troupes are on tap: the African-American Dance Ensemble, Dos Alas, Iwisa Music and Dance Company and Rennie Harris PureMovement. There will also be an ensemble of 40 students from three Chicago high schools and the traditional marketplace in the theater lobby at all performances.
DISTANT FUTURE
Rachel Rosenthal is a contemporary dancer in her 70s and will be bringing her company in a work provocatively titled “The Unexpurgated Virgin” to the Dance Center of Columbia College May 13-15. The piece is said to be not so much about sex as “the gradual shedding of our physical selves as we live less sensually in our bodies and more in our brains.”
EVENTS
Auditorium Theatre
50 E. Congress Pkwy.
312-902-1500
The Joffrey Ballet of Chicago. Two separate programs of mixed repertory. Oct. 9-18.
DanceAfrica. The annual festival of African-American dance, presented by the Dance Center of Columbia College. Oct. 23-25.
“The Nutcracker.” The Joffrey Americana version, making its downtown debut. Nov. 27-Dec. 13.
Trinity Irish Dance Company. The popular stepdancing troupe as part of the Auditorium’s “Home for the Holidays” season. Dec. 16.
Riverdance. The flamenco, tap, but mostly Irish dance phenomenon. Jan. 28-Feb. 21.
Kodo. The electrifying Japanese drum ensemble, at the Medinah Temple, 600 N. Wabash Ave. Feb. 20.
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Mixed repertory. March 10-14.
Joffrey Ballet. Four programs of mixed repertory, including a new work by Laura Dean, Joffrey premieres of works by David Parsons and a revival of Joffrey’s own “Remembrances.” March 18-28.
Athenaeum Theatre
2936 N. Southport Ave.
773-935-6860
Gus Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago. Repertory including the premiere of “Le Firebird de Jazz,” inspired by the Stravinsky-Fokine classic, choreographed by Gus and Nan Giordano. Sept. 11-13.
Dance Chicago ’98. The annual off-Loop festival featuring eight programs and hundreds of artists. Oct. 1-Nov. 1.
“Nuts & Bolts: A Jazzy Nutcracker.” The Joel Hall Dancers’ annual holiday offering. Dec. 2-6.
The Next Dance Festival. A collection of works by young and emerging Chicago choreographers. Jan. 22-Feb. 7.
“Duets for My Valentine.” Choreographer Bob Barrett’s program of romantic dances. Feb. 13-14.
Mordine and Co. Chicago. May 21-22.
Center for Performing Arts
Governors State University,
Sauk Trail and Int. Hwy. 57,
University Park
708-235-2222
Lira Ensemble. Chicago-based Polish folk troupe. Sept. 27.
Mexican Folkloric Dance Company of Chicago. Fifty dancers celebrate Mexican culture in song and dance. Oct. 9.
River North Dance Company. Chicago’s popular troupe with a program of mixed repertory. Oct. 10.
Ondekoza Demon Drummers of Japan. Ancient performance art backed by bamboo flutes, strings and drums of many sizes. Nov. 1.
Muntu Dance Theatre of Chicago. The popular Chicago African-American company makes its center debut. Feb. 19.
Salt Creek Ballet’s “The Nutcracker.” American Ballet Theatre artists are expected to once again star. Dec. 12.
Centre East at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts
9501 N. Skokie Blvd.
Skokie
847-673-6300
River North Dance Company. Jan. 23.
Parsons Dance Company. Inventive, mischievous David Parsons, the force behind Hubbard Street’s “The Envelope” and two works coming to the Joffrey this season, brings his acclaimed troupe back for its first visit to our area in more than a decade. Feb. 12.
The Chinese Golden Dragon Acrobats of Taiwan. Not dance, really, but a program of tumblers, acrobats, jugglers, magicians and comedy. Feb. 28.
Chicago Theatre
175 N. State St.
312-902-1500
“The Harlem Nutcracker.” Donald Byrd’s celebrated version of the classic, set to the Duke Ellington/Billy Strayhorn arrangements of Tchaikovsky and original music by David Berger. Dec. 8-13.
College of DuPage’s Arts Center
425 22nd St., Glen Ellyn
630-942-4000
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. Oct. 30 and Nov. 1.
Stars of the Shanghai Acrobatic Theatre. Acrobats touting a 2,500-year tradition. Nov. 6.
Paul Taylor Dance Company. The superb troupe with performances including the tango sensation “Piazzolla Caldera.” April 27.
Salt Creek Ballet. “Peter and the Wolf.” Jan. 24.
Dance Center
of Columbia College
4730 N. Sheridan Rd.
773-989-3310
Mad Shak Dance Co. The Chicago troupe in “The Wanton Seed.” Nov. 6-7.
Mordine & Co. Dance Theatre. The Dance Center’s resident company in what’s billed as a preview performance of a work-in-progress called “Long Walking.” Nov. 19-21.
Chris Aiken and Kirsty Simpson. Minneapolis-based Aiken and British-born Simpson are contact improvisationalists, who work in dance much like jazz musicians. Dec. 3-5.
H.T. Chen & Dancers. A New York-based Asian-American troupe. Feb. 18-20.
Loretta Livingston and Maureen Flemming. Two soloists, one from the West Coast and the other based in Boston. April 22-24.
Ralph Lemmon and Bebe Miller. Two of contemporary dance’s most exciting dancemakers, co-choreographing a work involving film and their own solo performances. April 29-May 1.
Mordine and Co. Presenting “Long Walking” and a piece in conjunction with Mexican-based Antares Danza Contemporanea. May 7-9.
Rachel Rosenthal. A Los Angeles choreographer in her 70s performing with her company in a piece called “The Unexpurgated Virgin.” May 13-15.
Merle Reskin Theatre
60 E. Balbo St.
312-902-1500
David Rousseve/REALITY. The premiere of the full-length “Love Songs,” created during Rousseve’s residence here last winter. Sept. 18-19.
Muntu Dance Theatre of Chicago. The company’s annual downtown spring engagement. March 19-21.
Museum of Contemporary Art
220 E. Chicago Ave.
312-397-4010
Companhia Clara Andermatt. Portuguese choreographer Andermatt brings an all-male ensemble of dancers, singers and musicians from Cape Verde in a work called “A Story of Doubt” in her Midwest debut. Oct. 16-18.
Meg Stuart/Damaged Goods. American-born, Brussels-based choreographer Stuart, who has won acclaim for her work with Mikhail Baryshnikov’s White Oak Project, teams up with visual artist Ann Hamilton to create “appetite.” Oct. 28-30.
Margaret Jenkins Dance Company. (A co-presentation with the Dance Center of Columbia College.) Jenkins collaborates with Oscar-winning actress Olympia Dukakis in “Time After,” a premiere about women and aging. March 25-28.
Pegasus Players
1145 W. Wilson Ave.
773-878-9761
Jellyeye. The percussion-performance art group, in a mixed program including a piece from a larger new work called “Sonata Zero.” Sept. 9-Oct. 18.
Rosemont Theatre
5400 N. River Rd., Rosemont
312-902-1500
“Lord of the Dance.” The Michael Flatley extravaganza returns, without Flatley, now starring 20-year-old John Carey. Sept. 15-20.
Shubert Theatre
22 W. Monroe St.
312-902-1500
“Stomp.” The percussion sensation. Sept. 22-Oct. 18.
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. The city’s leading contemporary dance company in its annual spring engagement, with a new work by Nacho Duato called “Rassemblement” and additional premieres. April 13-May 2.
