Heidi Latsky Dance Comes to The Dance Center, Beginning Tonight

Heidi Latsky Dance, a company that features mixed-ability dancers, comes to The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago, 1306 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, tonight, November 6, through November 8. The company's residency coincides with the American Dance Therapy Association (ADTA) and National Dance Education Organization (NDEO) joint conference November 5-9 in Chicago.

A former dancer with Bill T. Jones, Latsky brings two works to The Dance Center, under the banner "One Hour: Two Works," which, she said, "evolved out of my investigation of counterpoint and juxtaposition and my desire to be more integrated and also explore age." Solo Countersolo features Latsky in opposition to the ensemble, weaving through a landscape of vigorously moving bodies to British composer Chris Brierley's score, commissioned for the piece. "Solo Countersolo is about the soloist versus the group, the mature performer (myself) and the younger group and a slow eruption of movement that is exhilarating and exuberant."

Somewhere is set to wildly eclectic renditions of "Over the Rainbow," using the iconic song to frame a series of intimate movement portraits that highlight a diverse unconventional cast. Latsky described the performers: "Somewhere features Rob Simpson, who has Parkinson's and has a wingspan that is stunning; Alexandria Whailes, who is deaf and an accomplished actress/dancer and an incredibly passionate and voluptuous mover; Jerron Herman, who has cerebral palsy and is dynamic and potent; Jillian Hollis, who is hyper mobile and can contort her body into incredible positions but also dances with everything she has; Brynt Beitman, who is classically trained and beautifully tall and elegant; Meredith Fages, who is also classically trained but is fiercely fast; Gregory Youdan, who is passionate and long-limbed and has a quirky pedestrian quality to him; and Saki Maduda, who is a live wire. I hope audiences will enjoy their unique beauty and walk away uplifted and energized and moved. Intellectually, I hope they begin to rethink their preconceived notions of what a dancer is, if they have any to begin with."

A post-performance conversation with the company takes place Thursday, November 6, free to ticket holders. Latsky also will participate in The Dance Center's FREE DanceMakers series, which features contemporary dance artists offering insight into their choreographic process, Monday, November 3, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Access Living, 115 W. Chicago Ave., Chicago. Preregistration at colum.edu/dancemakers is required. The Chicago Humanities Festival presents "A Dancer's Journey: A Conversation with Heidi Latsky" Sunday, November 2 at 10 a.m. at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, 220 E. Chicago Ave.; visit chicagohumanities.org. In addition to hosting the DanceMakers session, Access Living, which is nationally recognized as a leading force in the disability advocacy community, will collaborate with The Dance Center and Heidi Latsky on events engaging the physically integrated community, to be announced at a later date.

Heidi Latsky Dance, which debuted in 2001, is a New York-based modern dance company dedicated to creating provocative, highly technical and physically adventurous dance under the artistic direction of Heidi Latsky, a longtime principal member of Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company. Hailed by the New York Times as "a choreographer and dancer of uncommon intelligence and fluidity," Latsky has been a moving force in the dance world for more than 25 years, creating works for stage, theatre and film. The mission of Heidi Latsky Dance is to redefine beauty and virtuosity through performance and discourse, using performers with unique attributes to bring rigorous, passionate and provocative contemporary dance to diverse audiences. Being an effectual agent of social change is part of this mission.

The Dance Center's presentation of Heidi Latsky Dance is funded, in part, by Ellen Stone Belic with additional support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago is the city's leading presenter of contemporary dance, showcasing artists of regional, national and international significance. The Dance Center has been named "Chicago's Best Dance Theatre" by Chicago magazine and "Best Dance Venue" by the Chicago Reader, and Time Out Chicago cited it as "...consistently offering one of Chicago's strongest lineups of contemporary and experimental touring dance companies." Programs of The Dance Center are supported, in part, by Alphawood Foundation, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, The MacArthur Fund for Arts and Culture at Prince, New England Foundation for the Arts, The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, The Irving Harris Foundation, City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, National Performance Network (NPN) Performance Residency Program and the Arts Midwest Touring Fund. Additional funding is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Illinois Arts Council Agency. Special thanks to Friends of The Dance Center. For information, call 312-369-8330 or visit colum.edu/dancecenterpresents

The Dance Center's 2014-15 season continues with Beijing Dance Theater (presented by the Harris Theater for Music and Dance in association with The Dance Center at the Harris Theater Oct. 28-29), David Roussève/REALITY (Feb. 5-7), Chicago Dance Crash (Feb. 19-21), Shantala Shivalingappa (Mar. 5-7) and Urban Bush Women (Mar. 19-21).

The Dance Center presents Heidi Latsky Dance's "One Hour: Two Works" November 6-8, Thursday-Saturday at 8 p.m. at The Dance Center, 1306 S. Michigan Ave. Single tickets are $30. All programming is subject to change. The theatre is accessible to people with disabilities. For information, call 312-369-8330 or visit colum.edu/dancecenterpresents

Photo by Darial Sneed

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