River North Dance Chicago pretty much artistically belongs to Frank Chaves, who’s now celebrating 20 years with the troupe.
Though launched by four others, though he ran it jointly for a while with eminently capable Sherry Zunker, artistic director Chaves has steered the troupe alone in recent years, peopling it with attractive dancers, a few of them spectacular, and bringing in emerging choreographers like Robert Battle to bolster Chicago’s dance scene.
Chaves continues that trend with this engagement through Saturday at the Harris Theater. Two premieres are included, by provocative, rising talents: Adam Barruch, that funny soloist to a selection from “Sweeney Todd,” and Nejla Yatkin, currently an artist in residence at the University of Notre Dame.
Barruch’s “I Close My Eyes Until the End” persuades you to do precisely the opposite suggested in its title, thanks to its rich, lyrical marriage to Olafur Arnalds’ music and its wealth of subtle choreographic tweaks. Legs and lower bodies move here to be sure, including animated twirls and cagily devised exits. But it’s the arms that compel and mystify, employed for a series of inventive formations, such as a kind of triangular guard to the face. But, just as Arnalds’ techno-score relies on classic harmony, so does this dance, winding up with a striking, pyramid-like formation near the end and a thrilling confidence and rush.
Yatkin’s “Renatus” shows off the striking solo presence of Jessica Wolfrum and an elegant, scarlet evening gown provided by costumer Jordan Ross. Wolfrum begins in place, wrapped in the gown, only to blossom like a dark flower and eventually circle the stage, the super-sized train of her dress something of a partner. The piece is basically a lovely gimmick, underdeveloped and needing more movement. But Yatkin’s affinity with her entrancing Giocomo Puccini score is infectious.
When: 8 p.m. through Saturday
Where: Harris Theater, 205 E. Randolph Dr.
Price: $30-$75; 312-334-7777 or harristheaterchicago.org
