Ravinia 2023 Issue 1

TODD ROSENBERG (DEEPLY ROOTED); WILLIAM FREDERKING (HEDWIG, TAYLOR) JUMAANE TAYLOR and Stone Soup Rhythms Cheap Suites – Jumaane Taylor • Keyana Latimer Choreography: Jumaane Taylor • Lighting Design: Jacob Snodgrass • Music: Karriem Riggins Cheap Suites & Hotels is a short performance work led by the recorded music of Detroit master drummer and producer Karriem Riggins. e tap dancers play in these ve short lived rhythmic wonders at about – minutes each, scratching deep into the oor until they decide to “check-out.” e ensemble taps into a determination to morph the strategic rhythmic patterns of Riggins, using detailed tap steps to particularly collaborate with these instrumental vibrations. Sometimes crowded in rhythm, we hope you can withstand the sound of expensive spurts of tap and enjoy your a ordable stay. RUTH PAGE CIVIC BALLET Abscission Keeley Clark • Kaelen Gouveia • Mian Hirasawa • Alicia René Kene c • Oscar Uribe Zapata Understudy: Hannah Gonzalez Choreography: Adrián Marcelo Sáenz • Lighting Design: Sarah Lackner Set & Costume Concept: Adrián Marcelo Sáenz Costume Construction: Amanda Bradley with Claire Lyons • Set Construction: Anne Laue-Minden Music: Ólafur Arnalds, Nils Frahm, René Aubry, Bach, Gem Club Abscission invites the exploration of the most intimate and dark places of ourselves. Here is where we decide that our actions or thoughts which harm and hurt us cause excitement and thrill, the unconscious and uncontrollable auto-destructive conducts which we do in exchange for seconds of pleasure or escape. A self-imposed chain, a toxic pass time, a double-edged decision. Are we free or lost without them? Abscission was created during Adrián Marcelo Sáenz’s choreographic and teaching residency with the Training Company in January . RUTH PAGE CIVIC BALLET Created in by Victor Alexander to con- tinue developing serious and talented young dancers, ages – , the Ruth Page Civic Ballet Training Company serves as a bridge between studio training and a professional dance career. e mission of the Ruth Page Civic Ballet is to identify, nurture, and men- tor emerging dance artists from around the world through enhanced performance op- portunities within an elite training company. Dancers train and rehearse daily throughout the school year, focusing on re ning ballet and contemporary technique in an inter- national environment of performers and educators. Features of the program include unique performance experiences, study with guest artists and choreographers, and travel to Ruth Page’s International Sister Schools in Cuba, Italy, and Spain. e Training Compa- ny dancers are also joined in performances by notable guest artists and choreographers, expanding their sphere of professional work. DEEPLY ROOTED DANCE THEATER Deeply Rooted Dance Theater reimagines and diversi es the aesthetics of contempo- rary dance by uniting modern, classical, American, and African-American traditions in dance and storytelling. rough its un- compromising pursuit of excellence, Deep- ly Rooted demonstrates the transformative power of art and beauty through dance ed- ucation, performance, and cultural enrich- ment in Chicago and on the world stage. HEDWIG DANCES Hedwig Dances creates, performs, and cul- tivates contemporary dance theater within communities of audiences, dancers, and art- ists with the goal of provoking human con- nection and wonder. e company works in collaboration with prominent artists from a variety of mediums and cultural back- grounds, trains and mentors dance artists, and creates corporeal works of emotional in- sight and beauty—engaging communities in a process of artistic creation and re ection. Led by founder and artistic director Jan Barto- szek—whose grandmother is the company’s namesame—Hedwig Dances has given over , performances, from Joyce SoHo in New York City and the Aspen Institute in Colora- do to e Bauhaus Festival (Germany), Teatro Nacional de Cuba Sala Avellaneda, and Teatro Diana (Mexico) among myriad venues globally. Hedwig Dances and its art- ists have been honored with two Ruth Page Awards and a Chicago Dance Award. For years, Hedwig Dances was the resident dance company at the Chicago Cultural Center un- der the leadership of the late Lois Weisberg (DCASE Commissioner – ). JUMAANE TAYLOR and STONE SOUP RHYTHMS Led by artistic director Jumaane Taylor, Chi- cago Human Rhythm Project builds commu- nity through American tap and contempo- rary percussive arts in innovative world-class performance, education, and outreach pro- grams. Percussive dance is one of the oldest forms of human expression, and tap dance is America’s contribution to the evolution of this ancient art. e organization advocates for the art form and designs programs that empower artists and strengthen communi- ties through sustained, integrated, equitable cultural investments. Stone Soup Rhythms, the resident ensemble of the Chicago Human Rhythm Project, is a collective of emerging and established tap dance artists who bend time and space to make new work. e name Stone Soup Rhythms refers to a folktale in which a wayfaring stranger brings a small vil- lage together to create a communal feast by enticing each member to add a unique ingre- dient. Creating tap dance work that connects the sounds of tap and music of Midwest art- ists as well as selected musical compositions that attempt to heighten the art form of tap, Stone Soup Rhythms connects the ancient and sacred roots of percussive dance to the contemporary essence of personal expression and innovation, to create a feast of sound and movement. THE RUTH PAGE CENTER FOR THE ARTS e Ruth Page In-Residence Program is a home for organizations that elevate Chicago’s cultural landscape. It is where creators can feel represented, where dance and theater companies, as well as arts-adjacent organiza- tions, can be part of a larger community that is supportive, collaborative and creative. In-Residence for 2022/23: Congo Square eatre DanceWorks Chicago Giordano Dance Chicago Hedwig Dances Pilates Practice Chicago Porchlight Music eatre RAVINIA.ORG • RAVINIA MAGAZINE