“Curiosities of Wellness in Bodies of Grief,” Helen Lee/Momentum Sensorium/Photo: Ricardo Adame
The performances comprising the MCA’s fourth annual “Chicago Performs” series all begin from places of loss. But what more fertile ground to plant a seed? Watered by tears and warmed by reflection, three performances by Chicago artists this weekend grow joy and find ways through grief via the body, music, ritual and remembrance.
In 2023, Robyn Mineko Williams & Artists created a dance exploring her Japanese American heritage, designed for her grandmother’s Lombard home. Mineko Williams’ grandmother died unexpectedly a week before the premiere but, with her family’s blessing, the show went on. This weekend, Mineko Williams and her collaborators will present a piece inspired by the loss of her muses entitled “To Leave You.” The one-hour performance weaves together dance—performed by Mineko Williams and fellow Hubbard Street alum Jessica Tong and Jason Hortin—music by Nate Kinsella, and shadow puppetry by Manual Cinema artistic director Julia Miller to dreamily explore the traces deceased loved ones leave behind. “To Leave You” runs September 18 and 19 in the Edlis Neeson Theater on the first floor of the MCA.
Through their project, Momentum Sensorium, Helen Lee has been grappling with, raging against, tenderly embracing and quietly sitting with grief. Lee suffered the crushing loss of several loved ones in a short span of time and, in response, has been creating intimate performances that incorporate music, movement, storytelling, shared meals and meditation as pathways to joy amidst pain. Taking place September 20 across two three-hour sessions, “Curiosities of Wellness in Bodies of Grief and Joy,” begins in the MCA Commons and will travel on foot to the shore of Lake Michigan. Lee and a host of collaborators will guide attendees through mindfulness rituals and participatory performance.
Afro-contemporary company Red Clay Dance takes inspiration from Scheherazade Tillet and Robert Narcisco’s installation “The Black Girlhood Altar.” The installation, created by members of the arts nonprofit A Long Walk Home, honors eight Black girls and women who have been tragically murdered. Red Clay will use the altar as the foundation of a performance that envisions freedom for Black women and girls. Jamila Woods provides original music and Red Clay founder and artistic director Vershawn Sanders-Ward choreographs for the company, with guest teen dancers from Black Girls Dance. “Freedom Square: The Black Girlhood Altar” runs September 20 and 21 in the Edlis Neeson Theater.
“Chicago Performs” at the MCA, 220 East Chicago. September 18-21. Tickets and info at mcachicago.org.
