Former Neo-Futurist Kurt Chiang and current long-distance Lucky Plush ensemble member Mindy Myers have been hoping to collaborate on an original performance piece for years. They finally got around to it (mostly over Zoom) during the pandemic shutdown, and the result, Unfinished Business, continues tonight and tomorrow at 7 PM at Links Hall (3111 N. Western). The show embodies their personal stories of how they got into theater and dance, what they thought their careers would be like, and how they ended up where they are now through movement and a soundscape of the voice memos the two exchanged while working on the piece. In a Reader interview earlier this week, Chiang and Myers talked about the development of the show. Though it’s their personal stories, they feel there are resonances beyond a life in the arts, particularly, as Chiang notes, during a “global plague.” “‘What is it that we’re doing? How do we get here? What are we gonna do next?’ It’s not a pandemic show. We don’t address that socially or politically. But it definitely is sprung from that sort of existential crisis.” Tickets are $30 ($15 industry) and $20 for the Saturday livestream option. A workshop with Chiang and Myers on “Finishing the Business” on Saturday runs 11 AM-2:30 PM and is $70, including one in-person or livestream ticket. Reservations can be made through luckyplush.com. (KR)
The days are getting shorter, but Giordano Dance Chicago invites you to Catch the Light tonight and tomorrow at 7:30 PM at the Harris Theater (205 E. Randolph). Celebrating 60 years of jazz dance, the lineup includes a world premiere by new associate artistic director Cesar G. Salinas, set to a score by English composer Medwyn Goodal; the return of Tony Powell’s 2006 piece Impulse; Peter Chu’s 2019 Groove, in formed; and 2018’s SOUL by So You Think You Can Dance? choreographer Ray Leeper, featuring crowd-pleasing classics by Tina Turner, Al Green, and Gladys Knight and the Pips. Tickets are $20-$90 at harristheaterchicago.org. (KR)
Here are some music options for tonight with links to past coverage by our music writers.
- Composer and experimental jazz musician Ben Zucker brings an ensemble to the Midnight Tea studio at the Fine Arts Building (410 S. Michigan, suite 825) to celebrate the release of his new album Semiterritory; the event starts at 7:30 PM and advance tickets are at Eventbrite.
- Epiphany Center for the Arts’s blues music series features Freddie Dixon and his band tonight in an in-person performance with an online streaming option. Tickets for the show at the center are available at Epiphany’s website, where you’ll also find tickets for watching the livestream. Showtime is 7:30 PM and the in-person event is limited to those 21+.
- Singer-songwriter Lucy Kaplansky plays the Old Town School of Folk Music (Szold Hall, 4545 N. Lincoln, all-ages) tonight at 8 PM; advance tickets are available at the venue’s website.
- The Austin-based band Voxtrot brings their first tour since 2010 to Thalia Hall (1807 S. Allport) for a 17+ show. Yellow Ostrich opens at 8:30 PM, and advance tickets are available at Eventbrite.
- The prog-pop of the Hecks visits Empty Bottle (1035 N. Western) tonight at 10 PM; the lineup for the 21+ show also boasts Thair, Rob Frye, Husk, and Larry Wish. (SCJ)
They’re a bit younger than Giordano, but Visceral Dance Chicago kicks off its tenth anniversary season tonight at 8 PM at their home space at 3121 N. Rockwell. The fall program features the company premiere of Chicken Scratch by Autumn Eckman and Changes by Monica Cervantes, along with three works by founder and artistic director Nick Pupillo: Dark One, She Three, and Impetere. The program continues through 10/30 with shows at 8 PM Fri-Sat and 3 PM Sun (there is also a performance on Thu 10/27 at 7:30 PM). Tickets are $25-$60 at visceraldance.com. (KR)