Top 10 for fall dance in 2021
Harvest Fest, local gems and ‘XENOS,’ a can’t-miss show
Dance companies have been managing their return to live performances in fits and starts, surviving mainly by streaming online works and staging outdoor performances. As the weather cools and the arts inevitably turn to indoor venues, many dance fans will venture to their favorite spots for the first time in nearly two years. With these exciting performances on tap, those who’ve waited until now to return to the theater will find it was worth the wait.
A.I.M. by Kyle Abraham: Chicago natives Keerati Jinakunwiphat, CJ Johnson and Martell Ruffin return home for the world premiere of Abraham’s “An Untitled Love,” a joyful evening celebrating Black love and backed by tracks from Grammy Award-winning neo-soul powerhouse D’Angelo. Sept. 16-18 at the Dance Center of Columbia College, 1306 S. Michigan Ave.; $30 at 312-369-8330 and www.dance.colum.edu
Bril Barrett: M.A.D.D. Rhythms co-founder Barrett’s “Hoofin’ It: The Untold Story of the Founders of Tap” finally comes to fruition this fall. Part lecture/demonstration, part unfettered tap dance exhibition, this eveninglength public performance on the history of Black America’s dance form is nestled between workshops and panel discussions at the Chicago Tap Summit. Oct. 2 at Harold Washington Cultural Center, 4701 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive; $50 at 773-604-1899 and www.maddrhythms. com
Harvest Chicago Contemporary Dance
Festival: Current circumstances will keep the lineup for this long-running, reliable dance smorgasbord local, except for one. Pittsburgh-based Jesse Factor, whose work dabbles in drag and historical reconstructions of dance works, presents a dance
film while live performances include Aerial Dance Chicago, the Joel Hall Dancers and South Chicago Dance Theatre. New to the festival are MusicDance En-sem’-ble and Christopher Knowlton; the latter will show bits of his fascinating solo project
merging motion analysis, augmented reality and dance. Oct. 8 and 9 at Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn St.; $25 at 312-952-3615 and www. hccdf.com
Joffrey Ballet: Joffrey’s long-awaited move to the Lyric, delayed a year by the pandemic, comes with fully staged versions of the imaginative, cinematic pieces created at the height of the pandemic by Nicolas Blanc, Yoshihisa Arai and Chanel DaSilva. The cherry on top is Gerald Arpino’s “Birthday Variations,” a Verdiinfused delight unearthed in full and dusted off after a nearly 20 years in the vault. Oct. 13-24 at the Lyric Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive; $35-$169 at 312-386-8905 and www.joffrey.org
Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater: In addition to classic fan favorites like Dame Libby Komaiko’s “Bolero,” and an endearing duet for directors Irma Suarez Ruiz and Jorge Perez, Ensemble revives superb contemporary repertoire like Angel Rojas’ “Defalla, Fuera de la Caja” and Ruiz’ “Pasion Oculta.” During the lockdown, the company specifically worked on Flamenco technique, and it shows: This energy-packed program boasts scintillating new works by local Flamenco expert Wendy Clinard and Grammy-winner Nino de los Reyes. Oct. 16 at the Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive; $25-$64 at 312-341-2300 and www. auditoriumtheatre.org
Giordano Dance Chicago: Giordano’s fall series marks a changing of the guard as frontman Zachary Heller gives his final performance after 14 years in the company and Adam Houston offers his choreographic debut with a new pas de deux. Heller specifically requested to dance Christopher Huggins’ electrifying 2007 work “Pyrokinesis.” We will all benefit from the choice, in addition to revivals of various flat-out exemplars of this company’s indefatigable ethos like “Flickers,” “Take a Gambol” and “Shirt Off My Back.” Oct. 22 and 23 at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph St.; $20-$90 at 312-334-7777 and www. harristheaterchicago.org
Deeply Rooted Dance Theater: A retrospective collection of pieces from early in Deeply Rooted’s
25-year history form the backbone of this contemporary program, but there is plenty of new stuff to admire, too. Current artistic director Nicole ClarkeSpringer premieres a tribute to Quincy Jones set to selections from the legendary jazz trumpetist’s catalog. Another highlight: the company premiere of Ulysses Dove’s 1987 passionate tour de force, “Episodes.” Oct. 23 at the Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive; $25-64 at 312-341-2300 and www. auditoriumtheatre.org
Akram Khan: Few failed to fall in love with Khan in 2019 when English National Ballet brought his “Giselle” across the
Atlantic. An amuse-bouche ahead of ENB’s return to the Harris this winter is Khan’s acclaimed solo work “XENOS.” Tugging familiar themes from his prolific
body of work and drawing from his unique blend of contemporary dance and classical kathak, Khan embodies a World War I colonial soldier fighting
on behalf of a country that invaded and occupied his. Not to be missed, “XENOS” is slated to be among Khan’s final performances on stage. Nov. 12 and 13 at the
Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph St.; $35-$140 at 312-3347777 and www.harristheater chicago.org
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago: Baltimore transplant and newly appointed artistic director Linda-Denise Fisher-Harrell shows her cards with the contemporary company’s long-awaited return to the Harris Theater. A smartly curated program includes Nacho Duato’s effervescent palate cleanser “Jardi Tancat” and the company premiere of Aszure Barton’s “Busk,” a brilliantly quirky, slightly macabre series of vignettes last performed in Chicago by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Completing the bill is a world premiere by another Charm City native, Jermaine Maurice
Spivey. Nov. 18-21 at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph St. $15-$110 at 312-334-7777 and www.harristheater chicago.org
Ragamala Dance Company: Mother-daughter choreographic team Ranee and Aparna Ramaswamy use the classical Indian dance form bharatanatyam as a vehicle for stunningly beautiful staging and rich, imaginative storytelling. Their latest work, “Fires of Varanasi: Dance of the Eternal Pilgrim,” depicts a divine meeting between man and Shiva on the banks of the Ganges in Varanasi, the spiritual capital of India.