RECOMMENDED
We usually have to wait till June and bus, bike or train down to the Loop to see great free performances but, thanks to the Chicago Human Rhythm Project—that mighty advocate of the original musical instrument—festival season starts early this year. And it’s coming to you. CHRP tours the neighborhoods this month with a series of free performances by hometown companies that celebrate five different heritages: Trinity Irish Dance Company, Mexican Dance Ensemble, Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theatre, Muntu Dance Theatre and CHRP’s resident tap company BAM!. Two companies host each show, with cameo appearances by the other three. The series kicks off with a panel discussion with the artistic directors of the five companies at the Cultural Center, moderated by Audience Architects—the dance promotion organization that recently dubbed April Chicago Dance Month. The show then hits the road, taking rhythmic complexity and explosive, joyful energy to the Irish American Heritage Center on April 18, the National Museum of Mexican Art on the 24th, Northeastern Illinois University on the 30th, and the DuSable Museum of African American History on May 8. The grand finale (and one ticketed performance) takes place at the Auditorium Theatre on May 13. “Stomping Grounds” is not only a demonstration of the rich diversity of arts and traditions housed in our city, but a celebration of the city itself—its cultural treasures, its vibrant neighborhoods. (Sharon Hoyer)
Chicago Human Rhythm Project, April 14-May 8 at various venues, 7:30pm. Free. For more information, visit chicagotap.org. For tickets to the Auditorium Theatre performance on May 13 at 7:30pm, call (800)982-ARTS. $27-$67.
Related Stories
The Time-Honored and the Experimental: A Preview of Chicago Human Rhythm Project's Rhythm World Festival The annual event series sets the example of how a festival can evolve alongside its art form.- Everyone at the Party: A Review of the STOMPING GROUNDS Grand Finale at the Pritzker Pavilion The grand finale to the Chicago Human Rhythm Project's annual festival was a foot-pounding celebration of both diversity and the intersection of cultural traditions we all share.
- Of the Shameful and Strange: A Preview of Lie Through My Skin by Same Planet Performance Project Sensuality and disgust drip through the opening of "Lie Through My Skin," setting an ambivalent tone that becomes increasingly surreal as the piece unfolds.
- Players of the Moment: Theater Activists (Chicago Inclusion Project, Not In Our House and The Chicago Theater Accountability Coalition) Three organizations that reflect a growth of activism in our theater community. Their objectives include advocating for equitable representation, addressing harassment and abuse and challenging bigotry in theater criticism.
- One Recommendation: Chicago Dance History Project CDHP has conducted over 130 video interviews and conversations, and currently has over 120 edited clips available on their website.
