Honoring Women’s History Month, we will be creating dance as part of the Open Dances series; drawing upon the iconic imagery within legendary artist Nina Simone’s acclaimed song Four Women.
My skin is black My arms are long My hair is woolly My back is strong Strong enough to take the pain inflicted again and again What do they call me My name is AUNT SARAH My name is Aunt Sarah
My skin is yellow My hair is long Between two worlds I do belong My father was rich and white He forced my mother late one night What do they call me My name is SAFFRONIA My name is Saffronia
My skin is tan My hair is fine My hips invite you my mouth like wine Whose little girl am I? Anyone who has money to buy What do they call me My name is SWEET THING My name is Sweet Thing
My skin is brown my manner is tough I’ll kill the first mother I see my life has been too rough I’m awfully bitter these days because my parents were slaves What do they call me My name is PEACHES
Open Dances is free and open to the public. This event will be videotaped.
Dorchester Art + Housing Collaborative is wheelchair accessible. With respect to other participants, please refrain from wearing scented products. Real time Captioning (CART) will be provided.
#Collaboration – honing the space for more truthful mutual exchange.
this year, noted disabled dance artist, Alice Sheppard and i have committed to be in thoughtful collaboration. A collaboration upholding truthful exchange. One that calls us to have respect and dignity for the body in the work and the process. Allowing each other to be fully present and empowered. We don’t call each other out; we call each other closer to the mission. A collaboration that builds community beyond ourselves and the work.
metabolic matter moving from the interiors of muscle memory
impermanence intuited
exuding its beauty within formlessness
a temporal space undoing habitual desires as
flesh
weight
bones
give way
yielding an evolving composition of decomposition.
DANCE OF DECAY@ the Fasseas White Box Theater at The Drucker Center, Menomonee Club for Boys and GIrls, 1535 N. Dayton St. Chicago, IL 60642 map
FREE Parking Available
Admission: $12 general, $10 students/Seniors, and $20 for Tickets for Two (available only 7 pairs through FanFuelded). Tickets are available at the door or: FanFueled.com (sale starts one month before the show)
For more info on DANCE UNION & DANCE OF DECAY Contact: danceunion1 (at) gmail.com, 312-330-4171
It’s been a little over a month since my mother has passed. One of the many things i miss is her dancing. Unafraid to release all inhibitions, she ‘cut many a rug’. Of any event this week mom would have loved to attend, it would be “Dancing Under The Stars” : a special evening presented by Chicago Dancing Festival in partnership with Chicago SummerDance. Partnership is the theme of this event. A communal partnership. An intimate partnering. Mambo style!
learning the basic step.
Arriving a bit late, i was compelled to catch up on the ‘lesson’ being taught by Del Dominguez & – his partner for this instruction – Laura Flores. note not Laura Flores, the acclaimed Mexican actress, but the equally charismatic co-founder of Mixed Motion Art: a space for dance & fitness. Actress Flores (whose birthday happens to fall on the same day as this event, the 23rd) probably wishes she could Salsa, Mambo & Cha-cha as well as dancer Flores!
Back to the lesson. Throngs of folks peppered the specially-laid outdoor dance floor, eager to learn the ‘basic step‘. The basic step in this case involves stepping forward on one foot, stepping back on another with some transitional lift of the feet between or as Del would count out “1-2-3, 5-6-7”. Singular at the moment, each person was assuredly focused on capturing the footwork. All ages represented. All skill levels. All determined to get every nuance of the “1-2-3, 5-6-7”. Even in their seats on the outskirts of the dance floor, people looked on and ‘moved’ with the dancers.
“How we doing?” Del asks to the community. Smiles, giggles, some shaking or nodding of heads and further explorations of the step were the response. In protocol with social dance forms, often one is taught first the ‘vocabulary’ or basic step, before the more intricate moves are added. Sans music, he and Laura continued on to ‘coupling’.
Hands touching angled in the air. Pressed not too tightly to allow for subtle shifts of body. Tipping with turns to be mastered. Men leading women. women with women. young girl leading younger girl. Women leading men in the men’s leading of women. All embracing the directions of the lead teaching partners. “Leading a partner…” Del advises is “less ‘swagga’, more attention to the person you are leading…. Be chill.” His smooth delivery of the next line undercuts its sting to the ego of some of the men ‘handling’ their female counterparts – “Not like you’re jumping rope”. Furthermore, both he & Laura offer that there will be time to “show off” later. To use your hips and add your own ‘flava’. But for now “just flow.”
1-2-3, 5-6-7. the momentum of the steps pick up speed. and so does the intricacy of the partnering. “1 of 3 things could happen…” Del cautions when instructing on how the man(leader) would turn themselves after guiding the woman(leadee).
1. You could ‘break’ the shoulder.
2. Put your Butt into it {“Don’t do that!” Laura interjects}
0r 3. Lower your hand.
#3 being the preferred option as long as you understand how to lower the hand, effectively releasing your partner’s hand; only to gracefully retrieve it and continue to Mambo. Ironically, Del ‘tweaks’ his shoulder while working through each of these options. “All for art” he quips, shrugging it off as they call out for “musica!”
the mechanics of the mambo.
“Earl” the “Maestro” slows down the tempo with a ‘Cha-cha’ inspired rhythm. The instructors suggest that this is the entry way to the Mambo. Soon the communal dancers will be able to “jazz it up!”. As the instruction comes to a close, the partners move methodically and sometimes mechanically through each ‘lesson’ of the hour. An accomplished & beautiful communal exchange has occurred. Everyone who has been witness or dancer inside this experience has something to take away. Del and Laura leave the platform. The dance floor clears out. People move off to the side to partake in food or beverages, rest or persevere through the steps; hoping to get inspired by the dee-jay set that will take place momentarily.
During this transition, genderization of the partnering is eschewed in favor of fun infused playfully-coupled dancing. Lips pressed, one young woman, relentlessly practices with her female partner; finding the connection to the internal rhythm of the beat to the steps of her feet. Incidental moments of heel tapping betray the connection, but she is determined. Others break from the moment by goofing off and mock dancing movement from other periods in time such as the ‘Jerk‘ or the ‘Robot‘. An African contracted poly-rhythmic movement exchange happens not far from eyesight, while – gum in mouth- a flustered young woman still works to get the “1-2-3” of the Mambo. Around her people picnic. Less cellphone than engaging one-on-one or group live conversations permeate Grant Park’s Spirit of Music Garden. Some choose to ‘catch up’ with each other and recollect on past ‘lessons’.
“It didn’t matter if you messed up” Nikki points out. A resident of Auburn-Gresham, she brought her aunt tonite to share her love of “Latin music” and of course to dance. Nikki got “hooked on dance” watching ‘Dancing With The Stars‘. This is her 2nd time coming to SummerDance. i ask if she has heard of the Chicago Dancing Festival and is met with an ‘of course’ look; schooling me on when and where the upcoming event – Celebration of Dance – will be.
Rosie, Nikki’s aunt, lives in Walnut California, famous for Disneyland…”well I am about 10 minutes away”. She reminisces about dancing with her husband who has passed away some years ago…loving how they took cruises together and “made fools of [themselves] at the disco lounge.” A moment passes. In my mind some tears release. We take in the late comers to this event; though they may have missed the lessons, these people are ready to dance! With smoldering looks and summer crisp linens, one man saunters onto the floor, inviting into this festive atmosphere exciting coupled possibilities the evening shall bring. The music emerges and the dance floor is becoming alive again. “She looks like she wore her salsa shoes [for this occasion] and dress” Rosie observes. Before long, niece and aunt take to the floor and dance. “1-2-3, 5-6-7” Who needs a ‘4’ or ‘8’ when you are enjoying being with each other as these two are. i am reminded of my mother seeing them inside their joy. Another moment passes. real tears are released.
Nikki (left) & Rosie dancing under the stars
For Paula – one of the last people i encounter before heading back home – “there is no better backdrop than Michigan Avenue or being in good company” in speaking on why she came to ‘Dancing Under The Stars” or referring to co-worker and friend Ade; who sits and ‘fans’ her in between her dancing ‘shifts’. It was lovely to capture Paula in her mambo glory, as a fitting exit to my time here.
Paula in her dancing glory.
The dancing was far from over. The night seeming to have just begun. And the stars have yet to arrive. i travel to my apt heart full of the treasured wonder from witnessing the evolution of this dancing public; from just a basic step to meaningful and intimate partnering within an expansive communal force.
Back at my place, far from the crowd and my nervousness, i take my chance to dance the Mambo… in the quiet solitude, i speak the counts as instructed:
1-2-3, 5-6-7…1-2-3, 5-6-7…1-2-3, 5-6-7…one two three, five six seven…
There is a continuum…this continuum places within our reach: young people, elders, black, white, mixed, Asian, Latin/Hispanic & all of the above, dynamic & virtuosic, poised & sophisticated beings. All on the same stage. A world class stage. For all to see. And feel deeply what they saw. And tell others what they love. How they loved experiencing a reflection of their city expressed through the dance panorama that took place last night as part of the Chicago Dancing Festival. A reflection of Everyday Chicago articulated by Everyday Chicagoans. The dance eclectic? Yes: hip Africa post modern contemporary release idiosyncratic balletic cha-cha lyrical character defiantly undefinable. The dance electric? Most certainly. Like static cling, it clung to us. Hair raised on arms at times. Defying gravity. Residing still within my recesses.
It begins with a Touch of Soul. Because that is how the evening began. And what a beginning…the dancers eclectic, their dancing electric.
One of my foci to blog for the festival, i had the pleasure of meeting with Chicago Dancing Company commissioned choreographer Nicholas Leichter and some of the crew from After School Matters’ Hip Hop Culture Dance Ensemble : Shannon Brown, Dorian Rhea, William Harris and Kaina Castillo. Prior to the performance, we gather in the dressing room to discuss this communal exchange. Within a few minutes, i can already sense the communal synergy between choreographer and dancers. Though, at times, that distinction was blurred; as Nicholas is quick to admit how these young people threw in their own kinetic thoughts, shapes, moves into the composition. Throughout their process he encouraged, insisted that their artistic voice be heard. Be honored. Challenged. And he diligently cultivated it inside the rehearsals and within their “presence”. Any artist within the performance field knows how difficult it can be to be ‘present’. To be keenly aware of what’s & who’s around you at all times during a live performance exchange; such that if someone bumps into you or throws you off, the moment is still infused with your crafted spontaneous creativity. That takes skill. And hearing these young dancers speak about how inspiring it was to have Nicholas as a mentor, a reflection of what they desired to become, you got the feeling his presence only enhanced their luminous presence. Indeed, Nicholas wanted to make his ‘presence’ known in Chicago as well. He spoke briefly with Lar Lubovitch [one of Chicago Dancing Festival’s Artistic Directors] about the project and heard a little about the After School Matters program, but had yet to truly discover the kinetic possibilities within these Chicagoans. Then came the first rehearsal…”First day we didn’t know what to expect!” Shannon proclaims, the others immediately concur. “All the hype” they had heard about him, what they pulled from the internet, didn’t compare to seeing Nicholas preparing in the studio for the initial rehearsal. “Nic was feeling it!” As they watched him moving to the music, they got more excited. Even more nervous. “Before Nic came, i never knew i needed to work on my sassy, fierce, stuff” Kaina professes. “…How to throw myself [into the dance] and be able to whip my hair“. All with technique and control i might add. Nicholas succinctly and brilliantly conveys that in his detailed choreographic aesthetic. More than just a ‘hybrid’ the vocabulary defies the boxes it supposedly exists within. ‘Hip-Hop’ Urban? Even contemporary doesn’t seem to capture the multi-layered legacies he explores with his company of dancers in Ny; now with his ‘company of dancers’ in Chicago. To him it’s all about vibing off what’s/who’s in the room that informs the creative impulse inside the compositional landscape. With two working weeks, he takes them through an exhilarating experience heightening their kinesthetic abilities; utilizing everyone who wanted to be part of this process. By the end of the process, he has delivered a potent message to these artists; one that continues to resonate for them. “A new vision…Nic’s notion of ‘staying out of the box’….to come up with your own labels” (Kaina). “Recreated…[to be able to just] switch it up” (Shannon) [While]”After School Matters has given alot of teens a voice, an outlet, a chance to be heard”(Dorian), Nicholas has offered to them “a new box of crayons… So now [i] can go home and create [my own] picture…” (William)
A Touch of Soul’s (from left) Dorian, Kaina, William & Shannon with choreographer Nicholas Leichter
more to come on A Touch of Soul and Bolero Chicago’s premiere last nite at Chicago Dancing Festival…
