Cloud Gate's "Water Stains on the Wall". Photo by LIU Chen Hsiang.

The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago announced its 2011-2012 season today and it looks like it will be a postmodern extravaganza!  A little Bill T, some Merce and Cloudgate, more M’s (Margaret Jenkins, Mad Shak, Mott), a shared program, a hint of Shakespeare, classes, lectures, q&a’s and a dash of spice with Ballet Hispanico.

The season starts of with Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company at the end of September with a program of three works (restaged or reconsidered) from 1977 to 2002.  In the company’s Chicago premiere, Pick Up Performance Co brings Dancing Henry Five, an hour-long narrative dance based on Shakespreare’s Henry V to the Center in mid-October.  Closing out a jam-packed month, Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan shows Founder and Artistic Director Lin Hwai-min’s latest work, Water Stains on the Wall.

In November, as part of the Legacy Tour, Merce Cunningham Dance Company will present two programs co-presented by the Harris Theater.  Works spanning decades of his career (1958 – 1983) will be performed on the Harris Theater stage at Millennium Park.

February and March are busy with four different performances spanning the two months.  First is the Midwest premiere of Margaret Jenkins Dance Company‘s Light Moves, a collaboration of dance, music, poetry and multi-media art.  Molly Shanahan/Mad Shak continue Shanahan’s multiyear project Stamina of Curiosity at the end of February.  March brings a shared program of three up-and-coming artists.  The Space/Movement Project, Rachel Damon/Synapse Arts and Erica Mott each bring premieres to the Center.  Closing out the season, Ballet Hispanico, led by former Luna Negra Artistic Director Eduardo Vilaro, presents a work by Andrea Miller, a new work by Vilaro and a commissioned work by  Ronald K. Brown.

The Dance Center continues its popular Family Dance Matinee Series with one-hour family friendly performances and workshops, as well as the wonderful community outreach programming that includes master classes, lec/dems, workshops and discussions with the artists.

Also in Dance Center news, Onye Ozuzu will be taking over for Bonnie Brooks (who is taking a year-long sabbatical to focus more intensely on her writing, as well as working on the Merce Cunningham Legacy Plan) as the new chair of the dance department starting June 29th.  A Florida State University graduate (BA in English Lit, minor in Economics and an MFA in Dance Performance & Choreography), Ozuzu currently serves as Associate Chair, Director of Dance at the University of Colorado, Boulder.  She has been choreographing and performing since 1997, making an impressive name for herself as an AfroModern Contemporary teacher and choreographer.

The Dance Center at Columbia College, 1306 S Michigan

Tickets available at The Dance Center on July 11th or at  312.369.8330, colum.edu/dancecenter

The Joffrey Ballet wowed the crowd last week on opening night of its Rising Stars program.  It’s always thrilling to be present for opening night of a world premiere (or two!), especially at the Auditorium Theatre.  There is an electricity in the air that is undeniable and contagious and this show was nothing short of astounding.  From the exciting, innovative choreography to every single dancer on the stage, Joffrey proved that it’s still shooting for the stars.

Amber Neumann, Joanna Wozniak & Christine Rocas in "Night". Photo by Herbert Migdoll.

The first star of the night was Anastacia Holden in Julia Adam’s Night.  Always a strong, bright presence, Holden was literally glowing in the lead of this dreamscape, with her smile lighting up the night.  (My notes actually say, “Go Stacia!”)  Adam underutilized the male dancers – in my opinion – by having them as secondary scenery like being the bed, waves and a fleeting romantic interest.  (Although I must say that seeing Michael Smith doing “the worm” made my night.)  Partway through, three females enter from stage left, upper bodies wrapped together in a sheer oval cloth.  It reminded me of the three witches from Macbeth.  Perhaps the dreamer had been reading a little Shakespeare before bed.  Strong in pointe work and intense in delivery, these three ladies created an ominous presence that fueled the dream.  One particularly nice section had Holden and partner Dylan Gutierrez dancing in slow motion, while everyone else was up tempo.  The piece ended with Holden climbing up her “bed” and jumping off backwards into the blackout, a nod to that falling dream I think every one of us has had.

Fabrie Calmels and Valerie Robin in "Bells". Photo by Herbert Migdoll.

Yuri Possokhov’s Bells (loved it!) brought out the fine-tuned technique and fierceness of the dancers.  Minimally clad in red pants (men) and leotards (women) as a base and adding various forms of a sheer white fabrice to accent certain sections, the costumes were edited to fit each part.  Open shirts for the men in a masculine, bravura section.  Red riding hood-esque hooded capes for flirty female trio.  Poufy ballet skirts with balls for another and for the duets, the pairs were stripped down to the bare essentials.  Not to overshadow the outstanding dancing, but the choreography and the costumes really showcased the extreme physicality of these ten artists.  (*Please note:  it takes balls to get up on stage in pink tights and pointe shoes.  It takes balls of steel to get on stage with NO tights and pointe shoes!)  There were no weak links in Bells.  I loved the pairing of Matthew Adamczyk and Yumelia Garcia.  Caitlin Meighan and Amber Neumann (who was in every piece and fearless!) showed that they are definitely ones to watch.  John Mark Giragosian was on fire!  Even the standard “stars” of Joffrey were in rare form.  Valerie Robin (one of my favorites for years) and Fabrice Calmels (audience favorite extraordinaire) were paired in a lovely duet that really showed her strength, control and physical prowess and his effortless, rock solid partnering.  Another duet had Victoria Jaiani and Temur Suluashvili together, which was a rare treat.  At one point, in a fast five-couple section, the women were sliding en point from side to side in front of the men…say what?  Then men were controlling the slides by holding on to the back of their

Victorial Jaiani & Temur Suluashvili in "Bells". Photo by Herbert Migdoll.

leotards!  Of the many memorable moments of the piece, the closing image stole the show.  A tender duet where the man and woman alternately placed a hand over the other’s mouth, deflecting a kiss.  It ended with a tender, impassioned kiss by real-life husband and wife Jaiani and Suluashvili.

If Possokhov’s Bells solidified the troupe’s rise to the top of their field, then Edwaard Liang’s Woven Dreams rocketed Joffrey to into the atmosphere.  I saw Liang before the show and he seemed happy and excited.  On stage for the bows, he was beaming with pride.  His seven-movement piece was smart, fresh and challenging.  This work seemed to push the dancers past previous boundaries and they came out on the other side quicker, cleaner and more self-assured.  They made it look easy and the choreography was anything but easy.  Normally I like to give a few shout outs to the dancers that stood out to me, but in this case, I should just print the entire cast list.  The two pas by

Liang's "Woven Dreams". Photo by Herbert Migdoll.

Jaiani and Calmels were, as usual, stunning (her develope is to-die-for!) and another with Suluashvili and Christine Rocas (originally created on April Daly and Miguel Blanco) was at once sultry and pristine.  The other star of this piece was the large woven fabric that stretched across the stage.

The through-line of the show is San Francisco Ballet.  Joffrey Artistic Director Ashley Wheater (member), Possokhov (member & choreographer in residence), Adam (member & choreographer) and Liang (choreographer) all have ties to the West Coast company.  There are critics that think Joffrey is turning into “San Francisco Ballet Midwest” and losing the sense of style that made it unique.  I disagree.  This show, to me, was quintessential Joffrey, maybe not in the Joffrey/Arpino aesthetic sense, but it was exactly what the company was built on:  presenting world-class vibrant work and pushing the envelope…always.  Even if it is Wheater’s vision now, “Bob” and “Mr. A” would be proud.

Rising Stars runs through May 15th.  Get thee to the Auditorium Theatre…pronto!  Tickets:  800.982.2787, ticketmaster.com

Choreographer Yuri Possokhov with dancers Valerie Robin and Fabrice Calmels in rehearsal for "Bells". Photo by Herbert Migdoll.

As soon as I walked in to the Joffrey Tower lobby last week, I looked up.  Umbrellas – black with the Joffrey logo on the outside and a big blue star on the inside – were hanging, open, from the second story ceiling.  As a new merchandise item*, they are stylish and perfectly in tune with the theme and title of the upcoming performance.  Rising Stars, featuring two world premieres and a Joffrey premiere, opens tonight at the Auditorium Theatre for a two week run.

I was lucky enough to spend an afternoon watching rehearsals for the three new pieces.  By the time I got there in the afternoon, two dancers had been injured with a third injury happening while I was watching, resulting in recasting situations, extra rehearsals, missing dancers and a number of calls to take those umbrellas down.  It’s the umbrellas!  Isn’t that some kind of curse?  The mood was a little frazzled and tense, but as we all know, the show must go on…and therefore, so do rehearsals.  First up, was Yuri Possokhov’s Bells (set to Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2) rehearsal already in full swing.  Possokhov, formerly of the Moscow, Bolshoi and San Francisco Ballet companies, looks more like a burly teddy bear that moves really well than a former ballet star.  Even with a bit of a language barrier through his thick Russian accent, charisma, thy name is Possokhov.  Joking with the dancers “girls, can I teach you how to catch?” and actively participating in this lively section of the five-movement piece, the room absorbs his personality.  Lifting, leaning, sliding en pointe…dangerous.  (I know I’m dating myself here, but it reminded me of former Chicago choreographer James Kelly’s work.)  At one point, the correction to the men was to “brutally push them and go!”  This isn’t Sleeping Beauty, kids.

Next, I was taken to a smaller studio down the hall to see a section of Julia Adam’s Night.  Ballet Mistress Char Arthur quietly lead Elizabeth Hansen and Abigail Simon through alternating runs of a solo from the work.  With a handsome Jack Thorpe Baker there to aid in the transitions, these three young dancers epitomize the Rising Stars theme.  This solo (a sort of elongated, emotive petite allegro) that the dancers have dubbed “Where the Wild Things Are – for girls” showcases the two girls’ technique, while illuminating their differences in style.  Night is loosely based on Chagall paintings and gives an intimate look into a woman’s night of dreams.

Dancers Miguel Angel Blanco and April Daly rehearsing a duet for Liang's "Woven Dreams". Photo by Herbert Migdoll.

Edwaard Liang is tall, lean and focused.  His 2008 Age of Innocence, made for the Joffrey, was instantly an audience favorite.  Back setting another world premiere on the company, he naturally demands and gives respect to every one in the room.  In a cleaning rehearsal for Woven Dreams, Liang was compassionate (apologizing to the dancers for his part in the drama of what he called a “frustrating ” rehearsal the day before), intense (sternly quieting the understudies chatting at the back, while working out a particularly complex sequence) and amiable (wryly telling a male dancer to not lift him “I’m a big girl” and noting a dancer getting into her part, even when marking “Live it, Yumelia!”).  The work, an abstract ballet with seven movements, weaves together dreamscapes with Liang’s sophisticated aesthetic and, of course, Joffrey’s technical prowess.

As I mentioned before, there were a number of casting changes necessary, so unfortunately some of the dancers the works were created on will not be performing them.  We wish a speedy recovery to the injured dancers, an empathetic hug to those not dancing this week and a hearty merde(!) to the understudies now taking the stage.  This is your chance to be…yes, rising stars.

Joffrey Ballet presents Rising Stars, May 4 – 15, Auditorium Theatre

Tickets:  Joffrey Tower Box Office, 10 E Randolph

or 800.0982.2787, www.ticketmaster.com

*Umbrellas ($25) will be on sale at the performances, as well as online at joffrey.com and at the Joffrey Tower on the 3rd floor.

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago launched its new MONSTER website last week.  It’s way cool and interactive with video intros to the dancers filmed by HSDC dancer Benjamin Wardell.

Check it out!

Rivno dancers Melanie Manale-Hortin and Michael Gross in Chavez's 2009 work "Sentir em Nos". Photo by Cheryl Mann.

This Saturday, April 16th, River North Dance Chicago (RNDC) hits the stage of The Auditorium Theatre for the very first time to join the city-wide celebration of what would be the 85th birthday year of legendary jazz musician Miles Davis.  This is also the Auditorium’s first commissioned work, and considering some of RNDC’s audience may have never heard Miles Davis, makes it a night of firsts.  “It’s huge really,” says RNDC Artistic Director Frank Chavez.  “I’ve performed at the Auditorium.  It’s one of my favorite theaters in the city.  From the audience, it’s just gorgeous and from the viewpoint of being on stage, it’s pretty outstanding.  I was terribly excited to think of the company, our dancers, our rep on that stge and them getting to experience that.”

When approached by Brett Batterson, Executive Director of The Auditorium Theatre, about this special collaboration, Chavez was exited, but also a little daunted.  Although a former musician himself (sax), he wasn’t very familiar with Davis’ music.  “I never owned one of his albums growing up or throughout my musical career,” he says.  “I quickly got immersed in Miles Davis.  It took me about six months to just plow through so much of his library of music.”  Over time, he found music for the 20-plus minute piece – Simply Miles, Simply Us – making its world premiere this weekend at the one-night-only show.  Along with the Miles tribute suite, the program features  a “best of” mix of six other RNDC audience favorites.  Former RNDC Artistic Director Sherry Zunker’s Evolution of a Dream, Ashley Roland’s Beat (performed by Christian Denice – yes!) and Robert Battle’s Train are joined by three other works by Chavez – At Last, Sentir em Nós and Habaneras (which has become the company’s signature piece).

RB talked with Chavez after the company’s recent Midwest tour.  Here is an excerpt of our conversation.

RB:  Tell me about getting to know Miles as a musician.

FC: It was a process.  He has such a vast library and I must say my ears were bleeding for a little while.  I just listened to so much music!  Jazz can be difficult and Miles is such a purist.  For the general public, if they don’t have an appreciation or a trained ear, it can be difficult to listen to.  It can often times sound all the same.  When you’re listening to hundreds of songs…it just gets overwhelming.  I certainly wanted to represent him as best I could in different facets of his music throughout his career.  At the same time, I strongly needed something that I could listen to that would make me see dance.  I narrowed it down to about 20 pieces and from there I really jumped into a whole new stratosphere of listening.

RB:  How long did that music selection take?

FC:  It was about an eight month to almost a year process of really listening to the music and getting acquainted with Mile and reading about him.  Once I started putting movement to music, I was a complete convert.  It’s not that I didn’t realize or notice before, but once I really was able to get into the music and really listen, then you really understand and realize the mastery that is Miles Davis.  He and his fellow musicians…what they were able to do with the instruments, the inflections and how they would literally speak with these horns is just amazing.

RB:   How did the dancers take to the music?  I assume it is pretty difficult to count.

FC:  Yes, it is.  Some found it more difficult than others.  Id’ say, listen to the base.  The base will always follow the rhythm.  So we had to find some different ways to count and what to count.  Dancers are so musical.  The movement becomes the music and the music becomes the movement.  It just gets integrated.  I think they’ve responded very well.  Maybe we are going to introduce Miles Davis to a lot of people that never thought of him, so a whole new generation is getting to experience Miles Davis, including my dancers.

RB:  Christian Denice and Ricky Ruiz served as Assistant Choreographers for the new Miles piece.  How did that work?

FC:  This (project) came about before I knew I was going to need some spinal surgery, which happened in July.  I ended up pushing back my creative time to Decembers.  I had a lot of issues and problems and my functionality was really compromised.  This was quite a daunting task…and I was feeling somewhat overwhelmed in terms of being able to pull this off by myself.  I’ve never used assistants in my life!  They’ve been with the company for a while and they’ve both done a lot of choreography, not necessarily at the professional level, but I very much like their material.  I thought it would be really great to bring them in and use them as much as I needed to, depending on what I could do and what I couldn’t do.  There are parts where they choreographed on their own and parts where I would teach them stuff or we would work the material and I would have them be my body, so to speak.  The dancers were terrific.  They were very patient and understanding.  It was difficult.  This was the first time where I had to create something without being able to move…having to verbally describe everything, instead of even minimally being able to demonstrate it.  It turned out to be great.  I think the piece turned out much better by me doing that.  It’s what it needed.   I couldn’t be happier about making that decision.

River North Dance Chicago premieres at The Auditorium Theatre

Saturday, April 16 at 8 pm

Tickets:  800.982.2787 or ticketmaster.com/auditorium

Dancers Gabrielle DeRe-Ashley and Joseph Caruana in "Hadyn". Photo by Matt Glavin.

Earth, wind and fire…and oh yes, water too.  Elements Contemporary Ballet incorporates themes of the natural elements in their classes and choreography.  Founded in 2005 by Artistic Director Mike Gosney, Elements builds on his unique movement and teaching structure to create a cohesive, yet organic unit.  This Saturday, April 9th, the company will present its sixth Chicago concert with four of Gosney’s works at the Anthanaeum Theatre.

After teaching extensively for 20 years, Gosney has developed his own style.  Early on, while also studying astrology, he used the elemental energies to organize his classes.  Intrigued, I asked him to give examples of how the elements are woven into a ballet class structure.  “Air is the element surrounding thought, line and balance,” he explains.  “In this class much time is spent on understanding extension and organization/alignment of the bones.  Earth is the element surrounding hard work repetition and patience.  In this class we build and stretch muscle, very much like Yoga and Pilates.  Water is the element of mystery, spirituality and sexuality.  In a water class, the lights are dimmed, music never stops and the dancers are guided through structured improvisation.  Fire is the element for passions, performance and energy.  In this class my dancers attain endurance, speed and learn a lot about themselves as reliable performers.”

His approach led naturally to choreography.  This weekend’s one-night-only performance will showcase four powerful works:  Haydn – a neoclassical tribute to the composer set to Cello Concerto No. 1 in C, Curiosity – where the dancers physically embody questions, Grey – set to choral Tchaikovsky music, is a spirtually-inspired reflection on the color, and Great and Small – which uses the full company with apprentices to comment on nature and what earth might be like without man.

These four pieces represent the natural elements and the Elements dancers.  “It has been a gradual process gathering a group of dancers that appreciate classical line, but are willing to experiment with them the way I do,” says Gosney.  “With these dancers, I am able to show Chicago where this company is going.”  If you are interested in seeing where Elements will take you, go see the show this weekend.  I am.  Tickets are still available.

Elements Contemporary Ballet -Saturday, April 9th at 8 pm

The Anthenaem Theatre, 2936 N Southport

Tickets:  800.982.2787 or Ticketmaster.com

Photo by Cheryl Mann.

Concert Dance Inc (CDI) is celebrating its 30th anniversary season.  Lead by the indefatigable Venetia Stifler – Founder of CDI, Artistic and Executive Director of The Ruth Page Foundation, Coordinator of Dance at Northeastern Illinois University, Emmy-nominated choreographer, teacher, dancer and closet singer – CDI pulls together a group of collaborating artists to create a one-of-a-kind dance experience.  It is their choreographic process that makes them unique and perhaps why they have lasted for 30 years.  This weekend’s performance will feature three CDI works:  Controlled Chaos – a world premiere about CDI’s process, The Rope – a commissioned work about the labor movement and the history of Pennsylvania coal miners, and Meetings Along The Edge – exploring what happens when you bump up against another culture.

RB sat down with Ms. Stifler over lunch in Edgewater to talk about her career and what it means for CDI to be hitting 30.

RB:  30 years is pretty huge for a choreographer and for the company.  Tell me about your background and how you got started.

VS:  My grandparents were opera singers.  When I was born, apparently I destroyed my playpen because I was jumping around, leaping and hopping, so my grandfather decided I would be the dancer in the family.  When I was old enough he found a conservatory for me.  It was at 218 S. Wabash.  My grandfather would take me there for my lessons.  He died suddenly when I was about 12 or 13.  We weren’t really in the position to pay for ballet classes at the time.  I woke up on the next Saturday and said, “I have to go to class”.  I got on the bus with no money and told the bus driver that I had to go to my class.  I went to class and said, “I don’t have any money”, so they gave me a scholarship.  They were so kind to me.  That’s how I got started.

RB:  How/why did you start the company?

VS:  I went to the University of Illinois here in Chicago, majored in theater, still took dance and worked.  I would go to NY and study with Merce Cunningham and go to the Limon studio.  I made some friends there.  I was part of a group that was dancing and performing, so I’d bring people back from New York to come train with us.  Why I thought I needed to start a company at twenty-something…That was ridiculous, but it’s what you did.  I knew that I wanted to keep working, I wanted to keep learning, so I got a space, got some dancers together and we started working.  The company started as a repertory company.  It went on like that for a long time.  We were pretty successful.

RB:  Was it always called CDI?

VS:   Early on it was Movement Afoot.  I forget why we changed it.

RB:  When did you switch from studying ballet to modern?

VS:  Right after college.  It was a really hard transition.  That whole concept of codified movement as opposed to the creative uncodified movement physically came hard.  Intellectually, I think I got it right away.  I was interested in it, but that transfer from the codified elegance of ballet and the correct position and the right form to do to the mindset of all movement is good, you just have to find the appropriate movement to use in the piece…that appealed to me.  The body didn’t come along quite so easily.  Now I’m very happy that I had both lives.  When I teach at Northeastern or Ruth Page or wherever I’m teaching, I run across both types of students.  I understand where they’re coming from and I can help them.

RB:  Tell me about CDI and the upcoming concert.

VS:  We’ve evolved from a repertory company to a group of people who are a collaborative all looking for that special moment, that interesting moment, the moment of reality, the moment of uniqueness, the moment of something where you go “that’s different, I would have never thought of doing that”.  That’s really in a nutshell, I think, where the company has evolved to.  A lot of our work is commissioned.  My theory is you can dance about anything, you just have to handle it.  I never counted on coal miners being my topic (The Rope).  As it turned out, it was a challenge, but had a great following.  The folks up in mining country love it and we’re going to do it in our concert.  It’s a narrative. It’s got live music.  It’s a highly emotional piece.  We call on a lot of physical, textural relationships with one another to make it work.  That’s one style we work in.  The other is a piece that we made right after we had a big shift in the company.  We were kind of starting over and getting new focus.  It’s called Meetings Along the Edge.  (Video excerpt on CDI site).  It’s quite the opposite.  It’s not narrative – it’s highly kinetic, fast, difficult.  It came out of improvisational work that we all did together.  The last piece is vaguely about our process.  It is the most improvisational that we’ve ever been.  It really all comes out of exploration.  We decided we wanted to explore “what is this process?”  I think it’s refreshing.  The three dances are so different, but we like to go everywhere.  Because it’s collaborative, because we don’t have outside choreographers  We’re all choreographers.  I’m kind of editor-in-chief.  I work with some really talented, creative people.

RB:  How did you decide you wanted to do a piece about the process?

VS:  Because it was the 30^th year, I thought we shouldn’t do a commissioned work.  We ought to do something that’s just us.  So we just got up and starting working with no pre-conceived notions.  When interesting things happened, we’d stop.  We just wanted to explore who we are and what do we do and what could each dancer bring to the mix. We don’t have auditions, because the personality mix is as important as the artistic mix.  There’s no 5, 6, 7, 8’s here. Ours is an ever-evolving work.  We present finished pieces, but they are only finished for that concert.  I love that!  A whole examination happens all over again.  It’s very exciting to me.  It keeps the piece alive and fresh and new and it keeps the dancers interested and involved.  If things really get rough, then I’m editor-in-chief.  I like that they’re all teachers and choreographers in their own right.  They have their own point of view.  I like the uniqueness of it.  I don’t ask everybody to look the same.  I like that they all look different. The way that we get there is different.  I’m committed to that right now.  I think it gets us to a unique place.  We really work on things that we hope communicate.  We’re not dancing for ourselves, we really want to communicate to the audience, while maintaining this creative, intellectual approach.

RB:   What are some of your career highlights, favorite works?

VS:  Getting your name in the New York Times isn’t a bad thing.  Having (dance critic) Jennifer Dunning call you a “magnetic presence” ain’t bad.  The MacArthur Foundation’s International Connections Fund and being picked to go to China.  The first time we performed at Ravinia.  What pieces?  German Songs, Dvorak Suite, Meetings Along the Edge and oh, Billy Sunday and being nominated for an Emmy!  I think just being able to do it.  Only someone young and stupid would start a company in their 20s.

RB:  I have a number of friends that started companies in their 20s that are still going strong.  That’s partially because of you.

VS:  Well, I hope so.  I would say to everyone that’s doing it, if you can stand it, keep doing it.  I know more now because I kept going.  The opportunity to learn, to absorb new ideas, to be sensitive to what the body can say grows with every year.  There is a little bit of reinventing the wheel, but if you do it long enough, you can tell what came before and you can produce things that are interesting or at least attempt to do things that are mature and interesting and can be part of the artistic conversation.

Controlled Chaos – April 1 & 2 @ 8 pm

Northeastern Illinois University Auditorium

Fine Arts Bldg FA – 158 (3701 W Bryn Mawr)

Tickets: 773.442.4636 or www.boxoffice.neiu.edu

Coming off the tail end of Women’s History Month, Chicago is celebrating a number of female choreographers throughout the month of April. This weekend – April 1 & 2, 8 pm –  at the Ruth Page Center, Core Project presents Going Dutch: An Eventing of Female Voices.  The night will feature 17 female artists presenting choreography, performance and installation art.  (Shout out to Laura Chiaramonte and Joanna Rosenthal!)

Also this weekend – April 1 & 2 – at Northeastern University Auditorium, Concert Dance Inc, lead by Artistic Director Venetia Stifler, celebrates 30 years of dancemaking.  (Look for an interview with Stifler coming shortly.)

April 15-17, Trisha Brown brings her company and post-modern twist to the MCA.  Celebrating its 40th anniversary, the troupe will perform four pieces including the Chicago premiere of Pygmalion.

Later in the month – April 22 & 23, 28 – 30 –  Chicago Dancemakers Forum lab artist Julia Rae Antonich premieres the last installment of her Duologue project at Curtis Hall in the Fine Arts Building.  The work explores duality in movement forms and what it means to be a duet artist and is titled Commissura.

Also on April 29 & 30, Mordine & Co, now in its 42nd season, perform at the Ruth Page Center.  Lead by Shirley Mordine, NEXT 2011 will feature a world premiere from Mordine, as well as a new work from Alitra Cartman, Mordine & Co’s 2011 Emerging Artist.

Merde to all the artists!  Let’s keep supporting the ladies in Chicago’s dance community.

Victoria Jaiani and Miguel Angel Blanco in this season's "The Merry Widow". Photo by Herbert Migdoll.

The Joffrey Ballet recently announced the ballets to be performed for the 2011-2012 New Generation season.  Artistically, the company is consistently on the highest level continually bringing in new works to challenge the dancers and the audience.  Next season is no different.

The season opens on October 12th with former Bolshoi dancer, Yuri Possokhov’s version of Cervantes’ classic story Don Quixote.  Set to the Léon Minkus score, which will be played by a live orchestra, this version of Don Q was originally choreographed for the San Francisco Ballet in 2003.  I’m excited for this full-length ballet to have its Joffrey premiere.  I haven’t seen this version, though I’ve admittedly seen the 1999 Baryshnikov version (via dvd) at least 100 times.  I’m especially looking forward to the dream scene in Act II with the Joffrey’s strong female dancers.

On to The Nutcracker.  This holiday classic is a must-see for anyone that loves dance.  Robert Joffrey’s version is by far one of my favorites with the Waltz of the Flowers being a musical and visual delight.  Rumor has it that Ashley Wheater is starting to make some changes and adding his own touch to the production, which will be interesting and welcome to see.  Look for bravura turns by almost every company member in the run from December 9 – 27.

The winter and spring has the company offering a mixed rep.  In February, Wayne McGregor’s Infra (US premiere) and William Forsythe’s In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated (Joffrey premiere) will showcase the company’s technical diversity and contemporary edge.  Spring has the group revisit Jerome Robbins’ In The Night and Edwaard Liang’s Age of Innocence, in addition to a world premiere from American choreographer Val Caniparoli.