Final bow for Thodos Dance

Final bow for Thodos Dance and a visit from Cuba: 4 dance events in March

Preview by Lauren Warnecke

Read the full article in the Chicago Tribune

 

March is a busy month for dance in Chicago; here are four events to watch for.

Thodos Dance Chicago presents “Full Circle”: When Thodos Dance Chicago formed (as Melissa Thodos & Dancers) in 1992 for the very first Dance For Life benefit, the dance landscape was totally different. A surge of new companies formed, mostly by independent choreographers looking for sustainable ways to present their work. The company evolved over time from a group performing only the work of Melissa Thodos, to a repertory company that commissions and produces original works by choreographers from around the country. This evolution is what audience members will see for TDC’s final performance at the Auditorium Theatre before the company closes. The program, “Full Circle,” includes new works by Thodos and Brian Enos, a former Hubbard Street dancer who now runs the St. Louis-based Big Muddy Dance Company. As with their previous engagement at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts two weeks ago, the concert is teeming with good, old-fashioned concert dance – a welcome break from the dense narrative works of late. Thodos’ “Changing Strangers” is a solid representation of the choreographer’s ability to build beautiful dance phrases, and Enos’ “Acid Reign” shows off the dancers’ ability to shift moment to moment between jazz and contemporary dance. Rounding out the evening is the Chicago premiere of West Coast dance legend Bella Lewitzky’s “Nos Duraturi,” and a one-time-only glace at the company’s history as a dance triptych. Thodos’ 1986 “Reaching There,” an acrobatic solo with a gray-toned wheel created by her father, has long been considered a signature work. The second installment, “Getting There,” was created for TDC’s 20th anniversary, and Thodos finishes her wheel trilogy for this program with one last piece for her company: “There.”

7:30pm Saturday March 11 at the Auditorium Theatre, 50 E Congress Parkway; $29-$68 at 312-341-2300 or click here