See Chicago Dance - June 2022

10 SEECHICA GODANCE .COM FEATURED EVENT The Seldoms: “Floe” A signature feature of The Seldoms is expansive multimedia performance work, entailing collaboration with visual, sound, fashion and theater artists. With the “Floe” project, and its newest iteration as a 15-minute video for Art on theMART, The Seldoms have created a spectacle that speaks to a pressing issue affecting Chicago’s future—climate change. In describing the origins of “Floe,” Founding Artistic Director Carrie Hanson shared, “In 2018, we interviewed Ken Dunton and Jim McClelland, principals of Beaufort Lagoon Ecosystems Long Term Ecological Research station, which engages with Inupiat communities. The audio design of ‘Floe’ includes Ken’s oral story of a family whose small fishing boat was overtaken by the newly open waters, causing two family members to drown.” Hanson also used photos from an Arctic expedition with the Ocean Geographic Society in the work’s scenic design. In 2019, during a week-long research residency in Houston that included a work-in-progress performance of “Floe,” the company connected with people affected by the historic Hurricane Harvey or whose work related to climate and environmental concerns. “This was the first time we conducted research by gathering personal stories in the form of oral histories,” Hanson said. “I entered this exchange with the people of Houston with respect for their experience and boundaries. On the whole, people appreciated being heard and contributing to our project. “The ‘Floe’ project is about climate change, its impact and our response to it. My intention is to extend the reach of these stories so audiences think about and grapple with this urgent situation.” Describing the current presentation of “Floe,” Hanson related, “Our project places—immediately above the Chicago River and within view of Lake Michigan—a powerful dance story that portrays the vulnerability and resilience of the human spirit as we face the existential dangers of our changing climate. The City of Big Shoulders—a city that boldly engineered the reverse flow of a river and is lauded as an architectural gem—was built on a swamp. Already we are seeing a rising Lake Michigan that encroaches on the built environment, and extreme precipitation events are more frequent; Chicagoans will again need to meet these changing water conditions with the vision and brawn that defines our city. Those characteristics also define The Seldoms.” The video builds on the original stage work that premiered in January 2020 at Wisconsin Union Theater (the Chicago premiere at the Art Institute was cancelled due to COVID). The setting spotlights denialism and delay, bodies of water and bodies at risk. “The Seldoms believe dance can ignite thinking about critical social issues,” said Hanson. “To see bodies exerting, connecting, laboring and joining in solidarity to lift one another and solve big problems is the kind of inspiration audiences need now, as we recover from the pandemic and face our changing climate. We hope to give Chicago a dance story that reminds them of their city’s character—a muscular, problem-solving stance and a spirit of innovation.” The Seldoms’ “Floe” appears nightly through June 29 on the Merchandise Mart. Visit artonthemart.com. S A P P H I R E S E A S O N 4 5 SEASON 45: SAPPHIRE SEASON brings you an evolved Hubbard Street Dance Chicago—recharged and ready to bring entertainment, artistry, and incredible dance to the city of Chicago and beyond. HUBBARDSTREETDANCE.COM /SEASON45 Hubbard Street Dancer Alexandria Best Photo by Michelle Reid, styling by Imani Sade