1991

Clockwise from top left: Photo for a book of photos and poems by Jean Howard accompanying the performance of Dancing In Your Mother’s Skin; performance shots from Fever Tales with dancers Rebecca Rossen and Shannon Raglin

Photos by: Alice Q. Hargrave Photography, Eileen Ryan Photography

ARTISTIC FEATS  Upon a sad turn of events when the Chicago dance community’s beloved MoMing Dance & Arts Center shuttered its doors, Jan Bartoszek and Amy Osgood (Woodbury) were welcomed by The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago for the staging of “Two Women’s Tales”.  Met with critical acclaim, their full-length concert evening featured the world premieres of Venus Trilogy by Amy Osgood, Fever Tales, and the reprise of Flight/Fight Dance (1985) by Jan Bartoszek.   Later in the year, the Company debuted Dancing In Your Mother’s Skin at Links Hall, a fusion of work choreographed by Jan Bartoszek, with poetry by Jean Howard and photography by Alice Q. Hargrave.

DANCE LINES: Michael McStraw
(Guest Artist in 1991 for remount of Flight/Fight Dance – 1985)
“Flight/Fight was an eerie piece to perform. I wore a mask of someone else’s face and my body was covered head to toe with mask, shirt, gloves, pants, socks and shoes.  Not one inch of ‘Michael’ was evident, and as a result, I was able to lose myself entirely inside the role.”

“The thriving community of independent choreographers who worked here in the early 80’s—a community that included Bartoszek and Osgood–has dissipated like mist on the lake.  Some choreographers have moved to other cities, some to other careers.  We should recognize that Chicago has nonetheless a handful of choreographers making dances at least as interesting as their more noted national counterparts.”  – Cerinda Survant, Chicago Reader