One year after the Beatles shocked middle-American parents with shaggy hair and driving pop on the Ed Sullivan Show, Anna Halprin had dancers slowly stripping down to the buff, smearing themselves with paint and performing ritualistic movements with massive sheets of brown paper. Winnetka native Halprin was a seminal figure in the 1960s avant-garde and her work “parades & changes” was quickly banned from the U.S. after its 1965 New York premiere. French choreographer Anne Collod worked with Halprin to revive the piece, casting established dancers and choreographers to present a work that contains devices and images, shocking at their time, now familiar in contemporary dance: desexulized nudity, appropriation of inexpensive, fabricated objects, an unpredictable electronic score (re-mastered and performed live by Sebastian Roux). This is the first time “parades and changes” will be seen in Chicago—a rare opportunity to witness a hallmark in the history of performance art. (Sharon Hoyer)
At the MCA Stage, 220 E. Chicago, (312)397-4010, Nov 5, Nov 7 at 7:30pm, Nov 8 at 3pm. $25.
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