Dance for Life 2017 is hosted by Carisa Barreca and Kevin Sciretta from The Second City. Barreca starred in The Art of Falling, a collaboration between Hubbard Street Dance and The Second City. Also, Sciretta saw The Art of Falling, three times! They did a fantastic job and really moved the night along well.
In The Meantime…
Chicago Human Rhythm Project, Ensemble Espanol Spanish Dance Theatre, and Trinity Irish Dance Company
The very first number features three dance companies. They each do their own unique style of tap dancing, one after another. A magical moment happens when they all dance together in a one-of-a-kind performance. The audience erupted in applause!
Excerpt from Joy
The Joffrey Ballet
A single barefoot ballerina walks on stage. While holding her ballet slippers in front of her, she says “THIS is a shoe drop” — and proceeds to drop her shoes. One by one, the other dancers join her and drop their shoes. It’s a very fun and silly start to a piece that definitely displays joy. The music used is Django Django’s First Light.
See the review of the full piece here.
In Tongues
Jessica Miller Tomlinson Choreography
This is a fun piece featuring Psycho Killer and Take Me To The River by the Talking Heads. At one point, a large bucket of water is brought out on stage. One by one, each dancers’ head is dunked into the water like a baptism and tossed to the side. Finally, the “dunker” dunks her own head and tosses herself on top of the pile. It’s a truly unique piece and it filled the audience with delight!
Giordano Dance Chicago
Can’t Take This Away
On a completely dark stage, a gospel choir takes the stage and begins singing beautifully. Then, the lights come on and the dancers appear as the audience cheers. The dancers close their set by then rushing into the aisles and continuing to dance with passion. Sweat flies from their brows as the audience erupts with applause and joy. The choir is singing their hearts out and it’s a fantastic close to the first half of the show. Nobody will be leaving at intermission!
3/20/17 6:49:35 PM — Chicago, IL, USA Chicago Dancers United Dance For Life Red Photoshoot at Odd Machine © Todd Rosenberg Photography 2017
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago
Excerpt from A Picture of You Falling
This is Jason Hortin’s final performance for Hubbard Street. This piece features him alone, repeatedly falling. Over electronic music, a voice narrates the fall: knees, hip, elbow, shoulder, head. The excellent composition is by Owen Belton. It’s a very unique piece that is truly a work of art.
Dance for Life is an exceptional event to attend. The money raised goes to the The Dancers Fund which provides financial assistance to dance community professionals dealing with critical health issues. The collection of so many different talented dance companies together is amazing. This is definitely an annual show not to miss!
Quinn Delaney
PlaylistHQ 