Despite rumors of its demise, live performance is still happening in abundance on Chicago stages this season. Here are just a few suggestions in opera, dance, theater, and comedy to consider in the months ahead. And as always, be sure to check out our updated reviews and features every week for the latest comprehensive coverage. […]
Tag: dance
Posted inDance
Red Bull Dance Your Style brings the national spotlight to Chicago
Street dance enthusiasts crowded a stage at the Salt Shed on all four sides at Red Bull Dance Your Style’s national final on the evening of Saturday, May 20. Audience members judged 15 dance battles, using color-changing light-up bracelets to indicate whether they were pro blue or red side. Los Angeles-based Sean Lew’s moonwalk-fluid moves […]
Posted inArts & Culture
So you think you know dance
The Chicago Cultural Center knows how to provide visceral and engaging Chicago-created content. Last year the city celebrated the Year of Chicago Dance, which highlighted our thriving and diverse dance community. During that time, the Chicago Cultural Center Dance Studio installed a new dance floor and provided space, time, and funding for Chicago dancemakers to […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Building COMMON ground
During the second iteration of COMMON canvas, bodies circled around a center point: a pile of clothes in an upstage corner. For a moment, the pile of clothes moved, as if to take a breath, and the bodies around it held still. The performance, which Chicago dance artist and current Hubbard Street member Alysia L. […]
Posted inPerforming Arts Feature
Spring in our steps
Winter might have been more mild than usual this year, but spring is coming in hot with live performances to light up the season. From remounts of favorites to world premieres, Chicago stages offer an intriguing seasonal bouquet in dance, opera, theater, comedy, and more. Here are 20 shows to consider in the days and […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Gray days, but vibrant stages
We’re finally getting a taste of the usual winter weather, but that’s no reason to stay housebound. (Unless you’re being extra COVID-cautious, for which we don’t blame you!) But if you’re up for some cultural adventures, there are some great possibilities on tap the next couple of months. Chicago Theatre Week, sponsored every year by […]
Posted inDance
Don’t wait for the knock on the door
The year 2022 was designated the “Year of Chicago Dance” by the city of Chicago, drawing a commitment from the mayor and several partner institutions to increase investment, collaboration, participation, and focus on dance in all its forms in Chicago. But if institutions are “humanly devised structures of rules and norms that shape and constrain […]
Posted inAgenda
St. Lucia, go-go dancing, and Long Hair Don’t Care
Editor’s note Mon 12/12/22: the St. Lucia events previously posted below are scheduled for Tuesday 12/13/22. The Reader regrets our error. Join Andersonville residents and celebrate the holidays the Swedish way, with St. Lucia and the Lucia Procession. Lucia girls, in white robes and candle crowns, will be crowned at noon at the temporary Nordic […]
Posted inAgenda
I Didn’t See You There, Priestess of Twerk, and more
For one night only, catch a special screening of the I Didn’t See You There (2022) in the presence of director Reid Davenport. The award-winning disabled documentarian will attend the 6 PM screening of his film tonight at the Gene Siskel Film Center (164 N. State) and participate in a discussion moderated by disabled artist […]
Posted inDance
Beyond The Nutcracker
December is obviously the time when dance companies dust off the old chestnut that, according to a 2017 Dance/USA survey, accounts for around 48 percent of their annual revenues. If you’re interested in The Nutcracker, we’ve got a round-up here. But there’s also more afoot in Chicago dance this month than the beloved Tchaikovsky ballet […]
Posted inAgenda
World AIDS Day screenings, the Buttcracker, and more
Last week, the annual winter flower shows opened at the city’s conservatories in Garfield Park and Lincoln Park. This year, the theme at Garfield Park Conservatory (300 N. Central Park) is “Snow Day,” which they’re channeling with a 12 feet tall “tree” created with white poinsettias, as well as oversized snowmen hidden throughout the conservatory’s […]
Posted inAgenda
The Marvelous Land of Oz, dance openings, and more
Mudlark Theater in Evanston presents The Marvelous Land of Oz, a musical adapted from L. Frank Baum’s second Oz book by Anthony Whitaker. Baum’s story follows Tip, an orphan who goes in search of the long-lost Princess Ozma with companions Jack Pumpkinhead, Wogglebug, and Saw-Horse (with guest appearances by old friends the Scarecrow and Tin […]
Posted inAgenda
Get Out Alive, Queer Dance Freakout, and more
Here are some interesting concerts going on tonight (with links to past coverage of the musicians by our music writers): Multidisciplinary artist Nikki Lynette’s Get Out Alive blew the doors off the Den Theatre in Wicker Park during its run with Haven this past summer. Through stories, songs, dance, and multimedia, Lynette laid out her […]
Posted inAgenda
Propaganda party, Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival, and more
About Face: Veterans Against the War is a group of post-9/11 service members and veterans advocating for an end of foreign policy that creates war and against the use of military weapons and tactics in communities across the U.S. This evening in observance of Veterans Day, the group hosts a Demilitarize and Abolish Propaganda Party, […]
Posted inAgenda
Deeply Rooted, Malapert Love, and more
The Chicago Humanities Festival (CHF) offers a full slate of conversations and programming exploring art and culture today at the Music Box Theatre (3733 N. Southport). Highlights include a (sold out) conversation with filmmaker Jim Jarmusch at 1 PM; a 35mm screening of Charlie Chaplin’s 1921 silent The Kid accompanied by a live performance from […]