A free lunchtime sampler of the four-day Indian dance festival and conference “Dance India: Choreographing Traditions” sponsored by the Chicago-based Natya Dance Theatre which will present various regional styles of dance from across India, many performed by top dancers and troupes from India, America and Canada. This survey spotlights folk and ritual dances including Bharata Natyam, a South Indian classical dance style steeped in Hindu Temple tradition that includes precise hand gestures, intricate footwork and fluid movement and where the dancers wear traditional body and facial makeup, colorful saris, elaborate jewelry and head ornaments and dance to the traditional South Indian orchestra that features voice, strings, flute and percussion. (Dennis Polkow)
Polarized in Paradise: A Review of “Cabin Fever” at Adamson Road Theatre Company Four couples have gathered together for a weekend retreat designed to strengthen their marriages and reset their moral and spiritual compasses, under the soothing, cliché-laden guidance of the oh-so-happily married pair that owns the rustically cozy lodge.
Encouragement and Drive: A Preview of Dance for Life at the Auditorium Theatre “Dance for Life” is an annual concert that raises money for The Dancers’ Fund, which provides health care assistance for dancers and people who work in the dance field. But it also happens to be a beloved and joyful celebration of Chicago’s rich and abundant dance scene.
Stiff Upper Lip: A Review of "London Road" at Shattered Globe This British musical seems to pull off the impossible. The mesmerizing but highly complex score requires singers and musicians who can manage its intricate rhythms with precision and still act their songs in the guise of the mostly-lower-middle-class English city dwellers they portray.
