With a brand new rehearsal space couched in the famed Water Tower Place and the one-year-anniversary celebration of hiring Artistic Director Linda-Denise Fisher-Harrell, excitement is in abundance at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. Our city can expect big things from the beloved, 44-year-old dance company. Re/Connect, Hubbard’s spring concert series, rises to the occasion with two programs spanning two extended weekends…

On an average day, the historic Unity Temple provides Unitarian Universalists with a geometrically compelling place of worship. On February 26th, however, Unity Temple played host to Oak Park’s own Winifred Haun and Dancers for their latest project, “The Light Returns.”

For countless people around the world, “The Nutcracker” is synonymous with the holiday season. Be it the tale of Marie or Clara and Fritz or Franz, the story has been choreographed and re-choreographed, told in myriad ways. The Joffrey Ballet of Chicago’s 2016 iteration transports spectators young and old back to the World’s Fair, circa 1893. Christopher Wheeldon may swap the Sugar Plum Fairy for a Golden Statue and Russian Trepak for Buffalo Bill, but the essence of this holiday ballet remains the same…

On a wintery Thursday, throngs of people lined up outside the Harris Theater eager with anticipation of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s epic return to live performance. After a 20-month pause, “RE/TURN” marks the start of a new era for the 44-year-old dance company.

COVID-19 and quarantine, specifically, continue to shed light on social injustices that exist in our world. Access to money, technology, medical supplies and research have all informed the race to combat a virus that has changed how we live our lives to the core…

At the foot of the Adler Planetarium this past Friday night, Drew Lewis’ production company, House of DOV, made its Chicago debut alongside New York-based companies C-LS and HOMESICK. The evening was humid and cloudless after a sporadic afternoon rainstorm, and the skyline made a striking backdrop for the minute, square stage. It was a picturesque night for a world premiere…

Say “American Ballet Theatre” and the words technical prowess, effortless beauty, and calculated strength come to mind. The 82-year-old company is beloved for turning out some of the finest evening-length classical ballets and ground-breaking, contemporary, choreographic endeavors…

Think back to the days of old-school arcade games—every avatar and virtual landscape pixelated and colorful. Now get ready to embrace it in the 21st century. Lucky Plush Productions is bringing a hardcore dose of nostalgia to Chicago on June 25 and 26 with their innovative festival, “The Map of Now…”

“Congratulations, world.”

These two words, chanted by emcee Jyl Fehrenkamp at the bubbles of audience members sprawled across Daniel Webster Park’s welcoming lawn on Friday night, still sit in my mind. It was a phrase that so perfectly captured the emotions of the night and wrapped them in a pristine bow…

Each year when Winter transitions to Spring, we look forward to the exhale that comes as flowers bloom and the river thaws. This year, more than ever, as we attempt to shake the doldrums of a COVID-19 winter, the sunny weather and warming temperatures are breathing both life and hope back into our city. On the sunny afternoon of March 28, Chicago Tap Theatre sprung to life in their latest project, “A Spring in Our Step,” and effectively embodied the emotional boost that comes alongside the seasonal transition…

Under normal circumstances the beauty of a dance film festival is far from underappreciated, but when you factor in a global pandemic, the screendance landscape changes. Dance on film quickly becomes the safest and most creative way to engage audiences while everyone is cooped up in their homes. Which means In/Motion, Loyola University Chicago’s eight-year-old international dance film festival, is more essential than ever…

If anyone is looking for an escape at home—and I assume we all are as we look towards another 30 days of a stay-at-home advisory—I highly recommend attending the Bridge Dance Festival’s latest showcase of captivating dance films. The festival, co-hosted by Asian Improv Arts Midwest and Links Hall and curated by Rika Lin, features works by four global dancemakers. In an hour-and-a-half, we are both literally and metaphorically transported around the world….

“You might be asking yourself, why are we doing this? We’re doing this because artists and art are essential,” said Winifred Haun during the opening speech for her latest project, “Steps in the Garden.” The humble founder and clever mastermind behind the Chicago-based dance company, Winifred Haun & Dancers, spoke endearingly to a crowd of masked spectators on a chilly Sunday afternoon. Her excited tone was shared by this critic, as I was yearning for an in-person performance to shake me out of my digital funk….

These days, live dance is hard to come by. Strict social distancing guidelines prohibit dancers from touching one another. Theaters are mostly shuttered and audience members must stay six feet apart—all challenging hurdles in putting a show together. Lawson Dance Theatre, in their first partnership The Rooted Space (a new North Center dance studio in the former Rast Ballet space) made an open-air effort with “Summer Shorts” Friday…

What is self-identity? Is self-identity synonymous with humanity? Perhaps the two have a relationship in which self-identity defines one's humanity and humanity influences one's self worth. Either way, Adedayo Liadi, founder of Lagos-based Ijodee Dance Company, searches for the answers to these questions in “Aye Asan (Vanity).” Ijodee, performing alongside Durban's Flatfoot Dance Company, presented this work as part of the digital ‘Legacy’ platform hosted by JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience….

Building a supportive network of global connections is at the core of Deeply Rooted Dance Theater. I was hired at Deeply Rooted in May 2020 as the company's individual giving manager, and have since come to hold the principles of the company as my own. We are a company dedicated to re-imagining the aesthetics of contemporary dance by uniting modern, ballet and African traditions in dance and storytelling. The company’s participation in JOMBA! has been critical to their achievement of that goal…

Regardless of how we once defined a dance performance, current world circumstances are forcing artists to reevaluate the concept with social distancing guidelines in mind. In an effort to maintain creative momentum, Chicago Tap Theatre—founded in 2002 by Mark Yonally—is dedicating itself to the innovative and collaborative nature of a livestream tap performance…

Links Hall is a space that champions artists’ potential. The people who work at Links both respect and recognize individuals with innovative ideas and hold equity and inclusivity in high regard. From affordable studio rentals to the venue's ever-important fellowship programs, Links Hall has proved itself to be of great value to the arts community in Chicago. And in the face of everything that’s been thrown their way in the last year, they’re maintaining and improving on their value…

Aurora's Paramount Theatre is connecting to audiences near and far in the absence of live performances during the COVID-19 quarantine. Every Saturday night for the last five weeks, thousands of people tuned in to Paramount’s social feeds to watch the “Connection Social Media Concerts.” With themes that change weekly, musicians, poets and dancers submit original work inspired by these complicated times. Amber Mak, the theater’s new works development director, is the multitalented mind and big heart behind the online performances…

“Expect the unexpected” is an understatement when describing the multi-talented, merry band of artists who make up Chicago’s Cabinet of Curiosity. Known for their playful contentedness and ability to crosspollinate artistic mediums, the quintet of performers knows how to fill a space with passion and thought-provoking ideas. “The Farewell Fables” is no deviation from their norm, as Cabinet introduces the audience to a world in which God-like figures are abandoning Earth. Through musical performances, original songs, and strikingly stunning props— handmade by Jesse Mooney Bullock and Kass Copeland— the artists show us we have something to believe in, even when everything around us may be falling apart…