Last summer, independent choreographer Paula Frasz self-produced a concert called “Dancing with People from My Brain.” It featured works from her character-driven, modern-dance repertoire at the Performance Loft in Chicago. The program reinforced this local artist’s talent for witty, profound storytelling through movement. It also must have prompted these colorful characters to leap out of her cerebellum and make the stage a more permanent home.
Frasz, a seasoned artist who is a founding member of Chicago’s NEXT Dance Festival and a respected multidisciplinary choreographer, has teamed up with emerging Moscow-born dance maker Dmitri Peskov to establish their own theatrically infused contemporary dance company, DanceLoop Chicago. The troupe makes its debut with an eclectic concert Tuesday at Harper College, Palatine.
Highlights include the world premiere of Peskov’s “Good Night,” a duet set to the enigmatic, spiritual music of Estonian composer Arvo Part; four darkly comedic and evocative dance-theater pieces by Frasz, including the chilling “Eater of Hearts” and deceptively folksy “Old Woman of Wexford”; and a jazzy Gershwin-style ensemble work, “Mr. White Keys,” by Paul Christiano, a member of Melissa Thodos and Dancers recently lauded for his dance-choreography debut with the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago.
“Dmitri and I love dramatic content,” said Frasz, a former dancer with Mordine & Company whose background includes ballet, modern, tap and musical theater. “We’re not interested in movement for movement’s sake. It’s important that our work is conveying a story. I think we’ll attract audiences that would attend plays and dance concerts.”
Within a narrative framework, DanceLoop Chicago plans to incorporate more abstract elements, evident in Frasz’s psychological comic thrillers like “Circus,” in which she portrays the terrified alter egos of six circus performers, from lion tamer to clown; and “Eater of Hearts,” a male solo based on an Alice Walker poem about an emotional predator.
Peskov, who began choreographing two years ago, prefers to emphasize movement metaphors within the storytelling. This idea is reflected in his “Good Night,” a duet for dancers Jil Econamakos and Christiano, who weave through the joys and travails of love and the myriad ways we bid farewell.
“My choreography also tells a story,” explained Peskov, currently a program specialist at Harper College’s Continuing Education Language Academy.
“But it’s not overly literal. I approach my work like a poet. It’s more image-oriented. Both Paula and I strive for choreography that’s accessible and thought-provoking.”
The pair, partners in both life and art, met four years ago at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, where Frasz has been a longtime associate professor of dance and Peskov was teaching a French class. They decided to form their own company as a showcase for Frasz’s vast and critically acclaimed body of work and as a home for Peskov to establish his own choreographic voice. Both artists envision future collaborations with other choreographers.
Frasz and Peskov, who live in Plano, Ill., are innovative fixtures on the Chicago dance scene. She performs and choreographs consistently throughout the city. And his work has been shown at the Around the Coyote and Motivity festivals, spearheaded Chicago’s Spectrum Dances program, a series of summer concerts celebrating original work created by veteran and emerging choreographers.
DanceLoop’s co-artistic directors plan to produce at least four concerts per year in Chicago, as well as promote dance education. They envision being involved with local outreach programs, like Urban Gateways, and encourage post-show discussions on the creative process after their concerts. According to Frasz, the DanceLoop name implies “a never-ending process,” together with the troupe’s soon-to-be more established presence in the city.
With DanceLoop Chicago, both choreographers hope to continue to stretch the boundaries of form while conveying heartfelt human stories.
DanceLoop Chicago performs at 7:30 p.m., Feb. 5, at Harper College, Room J143 of the Business and Social Science Center, 1200 W. Algonquin Rd., Palatine. Tickets: $7. Call 847-925-6100.
Storytelling also is the key motivating force behind “Choreography Now,” a free weekend-long concert-discussion series about the stories behind the creation of a dance, sponsored by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs. This attempt to take audiences through the choreographic process runs through Sunday at three dance-friendly venues: the Vittum Theater, Claudia Cassidy Theatre in the Chicago Cultural Center and Ruth Page Center for the Arts.
Close to 20 local choreographers and their companies –from the classical, modern, jazz and ethnic disciplines — will participate in this lively sharing of information about how a dance is crafted, followed by a performance and a Q&A session with the artists. Most of the performers are affiliated with the three participating venues.
“This event is really aimed at supporting and strengthening the Chicago dance community,” said Cynthia Quick, director of program development for the Department of Cultural Affairs,” and encouraging new choreography.”
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“Choreography Now” runs at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Vittum Theater, 1012 N. Noble St., 773-278-7471; at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Chicago Cultural Center, 77 E. Randolph St., 312-744-6630; and at noon Sunday at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn St., 312-337-6543.
