The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago welcomes back Stephen Petronio Company (SPC) performing the first full incarnation of its BLOODLINES project, featuring work by Merce Cunningham, Trisha Brown and Petronio. Performances are October 1-3, 2015 at The Dance Center, 1306 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago.
Bloodlines is an initiative "to honor and curate a lineage of American postmodern dance masters who have inspired so many through their work." During the next five years, SPC will perform iconic choreography from a family tree that straddles the 20th and 21st centuries alongside new creations by Petronio. In each case, SPC will be the first contemporary American company to perform these works outside the original choreographers' companies.
For its Chicago performances, SPC performs the premiere of a program including Glacial Decoy by Trisha Brown, with visual design by Robert Rauschenberg; RainForest by Merce Cunningham, with music by David Tudor and visual design by
Andy Warhol; and Petronio's Non Locomotor, with an original musical score by hip-hop artists Clams Casino featuring vocal elements by the Young People's Chorus of New York City. These performances offer Chicago audiences the first opportunity to see these works performed by a company other than the companies that originated them.
Founded in 1984,
Stephen Petronio Company has performed in 26 countries throughout the world.
Stephen Petronio is widely regarded as one of the leading dance-makers of his generation. New music, visual art and fashion collide in his dances, producing powerfully modern landscapes for the senses. He has created more than 35 works for his company and has been commissioned by some of the world's most prestigious modern and ballet companies.
A post-performance conversation with the artists takes place Thursday, October 1, and a pre-performance talk with Petronio takes place Friday, October 2 at 6:30 p.m., both free to ticket holders.
Petronio also will read from and sign his memoir Confessions of a Motion Addict Saturday, October 3 from 2 to 4 p.m. at Defibrillator Performance Art Gallery, 1463 W. Chicago Ave., Chicago. As described on Amazon: "A stunning portrait of a life lived on the edge, Confessions of a Motion Addict explores author Stephen J. Petronio's tumultuous upbringing and subsequent awakening to the worlds of art, sex, and the dangerous compulsions that often haunt artists of every genre." Simultaneous with Petronio's reading, artist
Tony Orrico-who, like Petronio, formerly danced with Trisha Brown-will present a durational performance as part of a two-week residency at Defibrillator.
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, "Best Dance Venue" by the Chicago Reader and Chicago's top dance venue in 2014 by Newcity, 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; Engaging Dance Audiences, a program administered by Dance/USA and made possible with funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation; The MacArthur Fund for Arts and Culture at Prince; The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation; The Irving Harris Foundation; Arts Midwest Touring Fund; and the New England Foundation for the Arts' National Dance Project. Additional funding is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Illinois
Arts Council Agency and The City of Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. Special thanks to
Friends of The Dance Center. For information, call 312-369-8330 or visit
colum.edu/dancecenterpresents
The Dance Center's 2015-16 season continues with Chicago's Natya Dance Theatre (October 22-24),
Camille A. Brown & Dancers (November 5-7), Giordano Dance Chicago (February 4-6), Urban Bush Women (February 18-20), Joe Goode Performance Group (March 10-12) and Michael Sakamoto and Rennie Harris (March 31-April 2).
The Dance Center presents
Stephen Petronio Company October 1-3, 2015, Thursday-Saturday at 7:30 p.m. (note new performance times) at The Dance Center, 1306 S. Michigan Ave. Single tickets are $30; subscriptions to three or more performances during the season offer a 20 percent savings. 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 Sarah Silver.
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