Dance Review by Lauren Warnecke
Read full review on See Chicago Dance
Thodos Dance Chicago (TDC)’s eclectic program at the Auditorium Theatre at Roosevelt University proved that its ensemble of well-trained dancers can do anything that is thrown at them. And it’s a good thing; TDC’s repertory in the past ten years has stretched to include full-length story ballets, historical gems and contemporary dance works akin to those of any other company of its size and stature. As a result, the company has acquired a sometimes-confused identity, yet Thodos stands out amongst the other mid-size contemporary dance companies, perhaps due to its willingness to try anything and everything. Artistic Director Melissa Thodos’ longstanding commitment to, and participation in, the Chicago dance community is evident in her program choices for TDC’s one-night-stand at the Auditorium Saturday, kicking off “Made in Chicago” in celebration of the Aud’s 125th anniversary.
The program opened with a video on the venue’s 125-year history, featuring interviews with notable names from the Auditorium’s past and present, and special remarks from Executive Director Brett Batterson. In a building that once held the “grand historical pageant America” for the Chicago World’s Fair, it is no accident that Thodos chose to remount her acclaimed 2011 collaboration with Ann Reinking, The White City, Chicago’s Columbian Exposition of 1893, for her full evening debut at the Auditorium Theatre.
The White City was as good as it’s ever been, particularly surrounded by the Auditorium’s gorgeous proscenium, and a tightly rehearsed ensemble pulled off the best bits of the ballet masterfully: the opening scene at the architects’ table, a distinctly Fosse-esque aristocrats’ dance as the group struts downstage with Mayor Carter Harrison (Kyle Hadenfeldt), and Harrison’s slow-motion fight to the death by the crazed assassin Patrick Prendergast (Taylor Mitchell).
The second act gave audience members a grab bag of dances, namely last season’s Tsuru by Lucas Crandall (Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s rehearsal director and a distinguished choreographer in his own right), Brian Enos’ 2012 Lullaby, and three reconstructed and reimagined dances in a charming tribute to Sybil Shearer. Colored tops and matching jazz oxfords bounded out of the wings in the third Shearer variation: an homage to Agnes de Mille created with such ferociously fast feet as to prevent replication. And yet TDC matched Shearer’s every move, in a poignant jaunt featuring video vignettes of her dancing alongside the company.
With leading lady Jessica Miller Tomlinson out due to an injury, Alissa Tolefson, Diana Winfree, and Tenley Dorrill emerged strongly from the pack, but robust ensemble dancing was the jewel of this particular performance. This was a TDC truly on top of its game, with well-rehearsed dances, beefy production value, and a sharply curated program. Add to that an impressively full theatre of enthusiastic patrons, and there’s no doubt that Melissa Thodos and her company of young dancers have earned their place onstage at the Aud.
December 2, 2014