“Gravity Falls,” Dance Shelter / Photo: A. Deran Photography.
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Each year, the Chicago Moving Company’s work in dance and choreography culminates in their “Dance Shelter” showcase at Hamlin Park Fieldhouse Theater. “This year’s edition for me grew out of a sense that a new audaciousness is both called for and emerging in dance and society,” explains managing director Kay LaSota. “Not the audacity of hope, but the audacity of audaciousness itself—the bravery that it takes artistically and otherwise to do something bold, new and right—of meaning and beauty.” The lineup includes The Humans members Rachel Bunting and Precious Jennings alongside Art Union dancer Ayako Kato, and this year features Bessie Award winner Timothy Buckley. They’ll also be re-imagining Saiko Kino’s quiet, moving performance from their exchange earlier this year, during which company members traveled to perform in Japan and Kino performed at Hamlin.
This edition of Dance Shelter recognizes that shift in the company’s thinking to international relevance, says LaSota. “It is contemporary in the truest sense of the word, recalibrating and reflecting where we find ourselves in twenty-first century America and dance: the beauty, fear, squalor, glorious motion and optimism. The company has evolved continually since its inception, along with evolutions in movement, dancers, choreography, art and the world. CMC has sometimes led, lagged behind or veered completely from the usual dance paths: evolving from a repertory company performing the work of many choreographers into a single-artist-led company largely presenting the work of founder Nana Shineflug into, now and in the immediate future, a multi-artist, globally-connected company.” Come see and judge for yourself whether that expansion in the company’s focus pays off or serves to dilute the artistic vision of this Chicago mainstay.
At the Hamlin Park Fieldhouse, 3035 North Hoyne, (773)880-5402. March 2 and 3 at 7:30pm. Tickets $15, $12 for students and seniors. brownpapertickets.com/event/2874071
