History is made at Chicago’s landmark Auditorium Theatre with six World Premieres
It was truly a night to remember. New Horizons: An Evening with The South Chicago Dance Theatre at Chicago’s historic Auditorium Theatre was a seminal event in the annals of modern dance. Six World Premieres were presented in this spectacular one-night-only-event, which drew a capacity crowd.
Among the offerings was the World Premiere of It Begins from legendary choreographer Donald Byrd, the founding director of the now-suspended Donald Byrd/The Group and choreographer of more than 80 modern dance works dedicated to racial and social justice for his own company as well as Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, among many others.
Byrd choreographed the Original Broadway Production of The Color Purple and created the sound design for IT BEGINS by Bob Whitmer. He also created works for the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company during a 35-year relationship and did collaborations with the New York Shakespeare Festival at the Public Theater, La Jolla Playhouse, San Francisco Opera and New York City Opera.
The night was not only a celebration of the art of Modern Dance, but a tribute to the hard work and dedication of the company’s founder and Executive Artistic Director Kia S. Smith.
The evening featured the Chicago-bred voices of choreographers Joshua Blake Carter, Monique Haley, Terrence Marling, and company founder Kia S. Smith.
It Begins from the world-renowned Donald Byrd was the appropriate opening number of the program. Featuring founder Smith among the accomplished members of the company, it was a dazzling opener.
With Sound Design from Rob Whitmer, Lighting Design from Julie E. Ballard, and Costumes from Trey Alexander, It Begins set the pace for the energetic and groundbreaking program that was to follow.
Monique Haley’s Soul Power, with kinetic music from Yussef Kamaal and the powerful words of Maya Angelou, set the company apart as an original dance ‘voice.’ Haley’s skillful melding of a ‘pastiche’ of modern and classic dance techniques made this a visual kaleidoscope.
Haley was the first black woman in River North Dance Chicago to choreograph an Afro Jazz work for that company. She continues to make an indelible imprint on the world of modern dance.
Under The Skin from New York and Taiwan-based choreographer Tsai Hsi Hung is a journey from the soul’s depths of darkness to the light of redemption and hope. Set to the experimental new score by Taiwanese musician Yi Chun Hung, it gives license to the triumph of the human spirit. Challenging dance moves test the bounds of human possibility. South Chicago’s superb cadre of dancers made the intricate series of movements flash like bolts of lightning across the stage.
Chicago-based choreographer Monique Haley’s Soul Power was one of the most inspired offerings of the evening. Featuring African and American jazz dance rhythms reminiscent of the late Katherine Dunham’s Method, it was a work that truly put the company’s approach to modern dance into focus.
Surrender, from the company’s Executive Artistic Director, was another of the night’s World Premieres, which further reflected the company’s depth and diversity. Featuring a mixed bag of music from passionate dancer/choreographer/composer Travis Lake to excerpts from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, Surrender was an homage to Smith’s eclectic sojourn from the Hyde Park School of Dance to Los Angeles’ Lla Washington Dance Theatre and beyond.
Chicago choreographer Joshua Blake Carter brought the evening to an explosive finale with Infinity Engine. Featuring athletic dance extrapolations that mirrored the eclectic moves of the late, great Jose Limon, it exhibited the very definition of Modern Dance.
Driven in part by the pulsating electronic music of Jlin, a former Gary, Indiana steel worker, who incorporated samples of the compositions of Philip Glass, this was a piece that personified the concept behind this superlative ‘new’ company, now only seven years in the making. For more on their exciting adventure and journey, visit southchicagodancetheatre.com.