2013

Clockwise from top left: Hedwig Dances performing with FlySpace at The Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park; ASCENDance performance; Line of Sighs; Havana-based DanzAbierta performing Showroom; dancers Maray Gutierrez, Edson Cabrera and Jessie Gutierrez on the streets of Havana, Cuba

Photos by: Katie Graves, William Frederking, Susana Pous, Jan Bartoszek

ARTISTIC FEATS The sky is never the limit when it comes to contemporary dance creations…Hedwig Dances’ new works were showcased as part of the launch of the FlySpace dance consortium’s Dance Series spotlighting four fabuolous, female-founded professional dance companies, also featuring The Dance COLEctive, Same Planet Different World and Zephyr Dance. Their Chicago Cultural Center-sponsored performances, over two weekends in April at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park, sent audiences soaring! As did the world premier of Jan Bartoszek’s ASCENDance in June at the Athenaeum Theatre-Chicago, a critically acclaimed collaboration with sculptor Barbara Cooper, video projection designer Perta Bachmaier of luftwerk, composer Matthew Ferraro, lighting designer Ken Bowen and Vin Reed, costume designer. Rising star and resident choreographer, principle dancer and ensemble member, Victor Alexander, premieres the full-length production of Line of Sighs at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts. ‘Hot Damn do I want to see that again!’, was critic Zachary Whittenburg’s reaction in his Time Out Chicago review, and lo and behold, his wish came true! Excerpts of both ASCENDance and Line of Sighs lit up the stage at the MCA for the Chicago Dancemakers Forum’s Break Out! Decade of New Dance celebration.

Dancebeats

• Chicago Stage Standard
• Chicago Reader

ASCENDance