See Chicago Dance - June 2022

SEECHICA GODANCE .COM 11 C M Y CM MY CY CMY K DFL Ad_7-375x4-75_4-2022_v3 PRINT.pdf 1 4/3/2022 1:00:00 PM FEATURED EVENT RE | dance group: “The Delicate Hand” RE | dance group Artistic Director Michael Estanich began working on the “The Delicate Hand” in the fall of 2019, hoping to incubate the work in a yearlong process and premiere it in January 2021. When the pandemic interrupted those plans, the company shifted its focus to projects that kept its members working and visible, but safe. RE | dance group offered virtual classes and performances and restaged earlier works that spoke to the present moment—dances that allowed them to frame their current experience. “We did not feel good about developing ‘The Delicate Hand,’ mostly because we knew we would have a hard time embodying something so vulnerable and new,” said Executive Director Lucy Vurusic Riner. “From an emotional perspective, it felt forced, and from a practical perspective, we knew the significant production costs it required, and we had no earned income.” She continued, “RE | dance group’s work generally happens in a landscape/environment that we try to create as part of our set design. ‘The Delicate Hand’ is performed within and around a large installation of two hands. The essence of the work is to explore how it feels to be held, protected and even cradled at a time in our world when we feel uncertain, unsafe and alone. Our work is always trying to be genuinely connected to the human spirit. What does that mean? I think for us it means that we make it a priority for audiences to see themselves in our work. Is it relatable? Did we stir something in you because we evoked a memory or made you ask yourself a question? Making dance-theatre works about human relationships grounds our choreographic process. We want to be genuine in how we approach each new chapter, vignette or tableau we create for our audiences within our evening-length works. “‘The Delicate Hand’ is a dance-theatre work that asks us to be more open, honest and thoughtful in how we approach people as our world opens back up. It’s an exploration of how we can meet people where they are and hold them in our hands in a way that is thoughtful, patient and kind. We hope that our multidisciplinary approach to creating and presenting this work speaks to people in a variety of artistic forms. There is not only one way to feel held, cared for and seen; we hope that that is what resonates for our audiences after they have seen a RE | dance group performance.” RE | dance group will have showings of excerpts from “The Delicate Hand” at festivals and other events throughout the year. Visit redancegroup.org .