New York-based Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet is next on the docket of Auditorium Theatre’s International Dance Series and this is the one you have been waiting for. The relatively new company (founded in 2003) comes to us under the artistic direction of former Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater member Benoit-Swan Pouffer and with a mission of acquiring and commissioning new works by the world’s most sought-after emerging creators of dance. Mission accomplished. Their repertoire reads like a starting lineup of the world’s best contemporary choreographers. Cedar Lake dancers are athletic and dexterous and specialize in integrating ballet into contemporary dance and a host of popular forms. In Chicago, the program will include Crystal Pite’s “Ten Duets on a Theme of Rescue,” Didy Veldman’s “frame of view” and Jo Strømgren’s “Sunday, Again.” You may have caught Pite’s “The Second Person” performed this summer by Nederlands Dans Theater. If you were lucky enough to see that transformational piece you know why dance fans are waiting for Cedar Lake with bated breath. (William Scott)
Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet performs November 14-15 at Auditorium Theatre, 50 East Congress, (800)982-ARTS (2787). $30-$65.
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.
Complementary Opposites: A Preview of "Serenade" and "Of Mice and Men" by the Joffrey Ballet “Both [ballets] are trying to deal with a particular time: One by healing with the beauty of dance, the other by trying to create empathy for beaten-down humanity. Right now, we’re facing some of the same issues, such as huge migrations from the workplace. Steinbeck shone a light on his time, and I hope we’re able to do the same.”
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