Fall Dance Preview 2010

Synapse Arts “New Works”
Two world premieres, four pieces all told, by Rachel Damon and Lauren Warnecke, including the first segment of Damon’s in-progress “Factor Ricochet.” Always heady and thought-provoking, themes explored in this hour of Synapse include gender binaries, interconnectivity, the ancients and the drive for perfection.
September 9 and 10 at the Hamlin Park Fieldhouse

The Dance COLEctive
Two free lunchtime performances on the Riverwalk in front of the Bridgehouse Museum use history and locale to create a new movement vocabulary. Presented in partnership with Friends of the Chicago River and the Chicago Park District.
September 10 and 11 at Michigan and Wacker

Lar Lubovitch Dance Company
A retrospective of works from the nationally acclaimed Chicago native’s thirty-plus-year career, from his 1970s pieces set to the minimalist scores of Steve Reich and Philip Glass to his most recent multimedia work, “Dogs of War.”
September 22 and 23 at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance

1306—Ten Years Later
The Dance Center of Columbia College celebrates a wildly successful decade in its current location with a free all-day event including workshops, family matinees, photo exhibits and an evening of works by past recipients of the Chicago Dancemakers Forum Lab Grant—Lane Alexander, Shirley Mordine, Molly Shanahan, Jan Bartoszek, Julia Rhoads, Atalee Judy and many more.
September 25 at the Dance Center of Columbia College

Hubbard Street Dance Fall Series
The fall series features premieres by Victor Quijada and two new works by the marvelously talented Alejandro Cerrudo: “Deep Down Dos” and a companion piece, “Blanco.” The company will also premiere its version of “Arcangelo” by AD of Compania Nacional de Danza, Nacho Duato.
Begins September 30 at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance

Emily Johnson/Catalyst “The Thank-you Bar”
Alaska-born Emily Johnson and experimental music duo Blackfish explore displacement, architecture—specifically igloo architecture—and myth via music, storytelling and minimalist dance.
October 7-9 at the Dance Center of Columbia College

Joffrey Ballet “All Stars”
The Joffrey kicks off a star-themed season with a mixed program of renowned works by the heavy hitters, including George Balanchine’s “Stravinsky Violin Concerto” and “Tarantella” and Christopher Wheeldon’s “After the Rain.”
Begins October 13 at the Auditorium Theatre

Luna Negra Dance Theater Fall Program
The first production under the artistic direction of Gustavo Ramirez Sansano features a world premiere duet by Sansano, another by Brazilian choreographer Fernando Melo and a revival of Luna Negra founder Eduardo Vilaro’s “Deshar Alhat.”
October 16 at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance

Sankai Juku “Hibiki: Resonance from Far Away”
One of the world’s foremost Butoh companies visits Chicago for the first time, thanks to a collaborative effort by the MCA, Dance Center of Columbia College and the Harris Theater. Water, glass and white-painted, slow-moving dancers transform the Harris stage into a beautiful, otherworldly landscape.
October 20 at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance

Giordano Jazz Dance “LiveLife.Dance!”
Giordano’s fall concert includes three high-energy world premieres from Karen Mareck Grundy associate Artistic Director Autumn Eckman. Also featuring revivals of Ron DeJesus’ “Prey” and “I Want You” by hip-hop choreographer Rennie Harris.
October 22 and 23 at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance

Yasuko Yoskoshi “Tyler Tyler”
Kabuki artist Yoskoshi brings her work based on a twelfth-century Japanese epic to the Dance Center. In this stripped-down version of the highly stylized Japanese theatrical form, Yoskoshi explores themes of impermanence and change.
October 28-30 at the Dance Center of Columbia College

Ballet Hispanico
First visit of New York’s acclaimed Latino dance company since Eduardo Vilaro left Luna Negra to take the helm a year ago. Ballet Hispanico blends ballet, modern, contemporary and Latin dance forms.
November 5 at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance

Breakbone DanceCo “Course of Empire”
Atalee Judy’s latest excavation unearths the influence of architecture on the mind and body. The performance has come from a year of research and experimentation with live “dance casts” in which viewers can provide online feedback.
Begins November 11 at the Viaduct Theater

River North Chicago Dance Company “Fall Engagement”
Fall Engagement includes a world premiere by Sidra Bell, “Sky” by Deeply Rooted’s Kevin Iega Jeff and Robert Battle’s “Three.”
November 13 at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance

Chicago Human Rhythm Project “Global Rhythms 6”
CHRP wraps up its twentieth-anniversary festivity with a four-concert series featuring dance percussionists from Be The Groove, Jump Rhythm Jazz Project, Step Afrika! and more.
Begins November 26 at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance

—Sharon Hoyer