Posted in Chicago

Two mainstay companies that might make this #chidance weekend fantastic

   Published Date: April 21, 2014

This weekend will give rise to landmark birthday celebrations for Inaside Chicago Dance and Mordine & Company Dance Theater.

Inaside Chicago Dance commemorates 10 years with a mix of new and old works from its repertory this weekend at the Athenaeum Theatre. The bill includes choreography from a spectrum of Jazz Dance choreographers including Harrison McEldowney and Tony Savino, Preston Miller, Kirsten Harvey, and Autumn Eckman, with a closing night celebration at nearby Diag Bar and Grill, where you can nosh, imbibe, and celebrate a decade of Jazz.

Mordine & Co.'s Mindy Myers | Photo by William Frederking
Mordine & Co.’s Mindy Myers | Photo by William Frederking

Even after 45 years at the helm, Shirley Mordine doesn’t appear to be slowing down any time soon. Part of her mission has always been to foster the next generation of dancers, as she did for year after year as founder of the Dance Center of Columbia College. Her passion for mentorship continues in a 12-year-old annual program at Mordine & Co. sponsoring two emerging dancemakers. This year, the Laboratory Dancers’ Emily Lukasewski and soon-to-be-seen-this-summer-in-PRODUCE‘s Jose Luis are the benefactors of this year’s Mentoring Program.

Sunday evening Mo & Co will embark on the exquisite space at Architectural Artifacts for its annual benefit/fundraiser to raise money for a new project inspired by Leonardo DiVinci. Alongside the three new works and excerpts from Mordine’s  I Haven’t Gone There… (a take on Commedia dell’arte), there’s the promise of wine, hors d’oeuvres, and hobnobbing with a few (or possibly many) pillars of the dance community in a totally gorgeous location. 

—

Inside Chicago Dance’s 10th Anniversary Spring Concert takes place April 25 and 26, 8pm, at The Athenaeum Theatre (2936 N Southport Ave.). Tickets are $20/30 available online or by calling 773.935.6875. Following the Saturday performance there will be a special 2 hour anniversary reception at the Diag Bar and Grill (2856 N Southport). Tickets are sold separately for an additional $20-30.

Celebrating 45 years of Mordine & Co. Dance Theater takes place Sunday, April 27, 6:00 pm at Architectural Artifacts (4325 N. Ravenswood, Chicago) Tickets are $65 online or $75 at the door.

 

Author: Lauren Warnecke

Lauren Warnecke is a freelance dance critic, contributing to the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Magazine. She is senior editor of See Chicago Dance. Lauren covers dance across the Midwest and writes regularly for Dance Magazine and Pointe with additional bylines in Milwaukee Magazine, St. Louis Magazine and Dance Teacher. Forthcoming publications include essays on ballet training in Chicago (University of Illinois Press) and Shirley Mordine (University of Akron Press). In 2020, Lauren published an opinion piece on the impact of COVID-19 on the arts in the South African journal Agenda. Lauren holds degrees in dance and kinesiology and has presented research on dance training practices at the National Dance Education Organization and the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science. She has co-facilitated critical dance writing intensives in Chicago and Durban, South Africa, and participated in writing residencies at the National Center for Choreography, Bates Dance Festival and JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience. Lauren teaches dance history and kinesiology for dancers, with part-time appointments at Loyola University Chicago and Illinois Wesleyan University.