Art Intercepts ← dance-based discourse

Chicago Shows Up at Spring to Dance

May

2013

Last night at the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center did not suck. Though not solely responsible for the brilliant performances last night, Chicago certainly showed up and demonstrated its versatility and technical panache. To spare readers an in-depth exposé of each piece in an evening that was (between two shows) three hours long, here ...

A Conversation with Michael Uthoff 1

May

2013

When Michael Uthoff first arrived in St. Louis, MO, he was asked what he thought of the local dance scene. “I think it’s shit,” he said. Born to dancing parents who founded the Chilean National Ballet, Uthoff danced for Jose Limon and eventually found his way toward classical ballet. Having seen success all over the ...

Watching Brief: Cookies, Clouds, and Crowd Psychology (Review)

May

2013

Having recently moved in from the Cleveland area, MegLouise Dance closed their newest performance Watching Brief last Sunday at Links Hall. Little did I know when I showed up at Constellation that I was entering a sociological experiment. The element of play is obvious from the very beginning. You’re presented with a coloring sheet, rather ...

NEXT is Next for Mo. & Co.

May

2013

Emerging choreographer showcases have been trending for awhile now, and Mordine & Company Dance Theater‘s long running Choreographic Mentoring Program is quickly approaching as a part of NEXT, 2013 at Hamlin Park Fieldhouse. As one of Chicago’s Modern Dance matriarchs, Shirley Mordine has been creating work with her company of dancers for 44 years. So it’s ...

Joffrey’s Othello: A ballet that ends just as it’s starting to get interesting 2

May

2013

So I went to the ballet with a boxer… It sounds like the set-up for a bad joke, but it’s true. My colleague Dr. John Coumbe-Lilley is a former boxer, Sports Psychologist, and Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach – and he happens to have recently developed an interest in learning about dance. It was his ...

Secret Experiments in Ballet

May

2013

Emily Stein is not an emerging artist. With more than two decades invested in the Chicago Dance Community, Emily Stein is perhaps best known for her dual roles as Associate Artistic Director of Zephyr Dance and one of the best ballet teachers in the land. I was more than a little surprised to hear that she resigned ...

Lizzie MacKenzie Pontarelli voted Chicago’s Top Dance Teacher!

Apr

2013

Happy National Dance Week! I have a big week planned on the blog in celebration of National Dance Week and the close of Chicago Dance Month. A few weeks ago I asked readers to tell me who your favorite dancer teachers are and why, and I was awesomely surprised to receive nearly 150 nominations! Of ...

Rockford Dance Company: Thoughtful, Talented Dancers Who Are Really Far Away

Apr

2013

Once a thriving small city in the middle of all that corn, Rockford, IL has been hit hard with an economic downturn that has been infamously compared to Detroit and Flint, MI. Add to this a total lack of public transportation from the Chicago metro area, and Rockford is a place that most Chicagoans only ...

Nominate Chicago’s Best Dance Teachers 1

Apr

2013

With all the great performances going on during Chicago Dance Month, it’s hard not to notice the wealth of good dance and dancers available in our city. But where did we learn this stuff from?! For me, saddling up to the barre every once in awhile (though not as often as I should) is grounding ...

April is Chicago Dance Month! 2

Apr

2013

In spite of an exciting month ahead, things might be a little quieter around here. I’m very excited to announce that I’ll be contributing to SeeChicagoDance.com to help cover the wealth of Chicago dance events happening in April. Why April?? Why not! I mean, let’s face it: on any given weekend you could go see 2-8 different ...