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Monday, May 6, 2013

ARTIZAN New Album Ancestral Energy Streaming in Full #melodicmetal




ARTIZAN New Album Ancestral Energy Streaming in Full on GuitarWorld.com  

New Album Ancestral Energy Available May 10th on Pure Steel Records  

Jacksonville Florida's melodic metal quartet ARTIZAN will release theier sophomore effort Ancestral Energy May 10th via Pure Steel Records.Founded in 2008 by drummer Ty Tammeus, ARTIZAN have established themselves as one of the premier acts in their genre. 

Today the band has teamed up with GuitarWorld.com the online home of Guitar World Magazine for an exclusive full album stream of Ancestral Energy.  Check out the album in its entirety HERE.

Although they have created a truly unique sound for themselves, many comparisons to classic Iron Maiden, Queensryche and Fates Warning have been made. Clean, multi-octave vocals, classic riffing, spirited melodies and a touch of progressive elements are woven into the seven tracks on the new album. Matt Barlow (Ex-Iced Earth) is a special guest on the epic 10 minute title track. The album illustration was created by Berlin based artist Eliran Kantor (Testament,Evile,Hatebreed,Atheist,Sigh)

Ancestral Energy will be released on May 10th via Pure Steel Records.

Pre-order in North America here: http://artizanmetal.com/store.html


Ancestral Energy Tracklisting:

1. I Am the Storm
2. The Raven Queen
3. The Guardian
4. The Death of Me
5. Deep Ocean Dreams
6. You Can't Take the Metal
7. Ancestral Energy

ChiIL Mom's Day Blu-Ray Giveaway With Warner Bros #giveaway #BestofWB #ad



We’re proud to announce the Best of Warner Bros. Mother’s Day Movie Night Blog App!

Something old... something new.   Cinema Classics meet new Blu-ray technology here at ChiIL Mama's cool Mother’s Day Giveaway!   

Thanks to Warner Brothers and ChiIL Mama, you can chiIL out and watch some classics while the kids treat you like a star!   Here at ChiIL Mama, we're excited for the release of The Best of WB 100 Film Collection and jazzed to be able to offer a free Blu-ray for YOU. 

One of our lucky readers will win one of the following Blu-ray titles (Prize will be chosen randomly from the titles below!)
- A Star is Born (1976) (Blu-ray)
- Cabaret (1972) (Blu-ray)


We think that most can agree... Moms are the best - and they do a lot for us! Now it’s time to return the favor and celebrate this Mother’s Day by giving mom the movie night she deserves! Celebrate Sunday, May 12th in the best way possible by spending quality time with your family and watch one of YOUR favorite classic films! Watching a classic flick together tells the story of a different time and place, and is the perfect opportunity to catch up and share stories with your family... tell them something that they never knew about Mom!    

Enter to win:  Click the Rafflecopter Link below to enter.   Entries accepted through midnight on Mother's Day 5/12.

a Rafflecopter giveaway



Feeling Playful?

•    Guess-the-Scene Game! - How well do you know the silver screen’s most famous love stories and sing-a-longs? Play the Guess-the-Scene game to test your knowledge on the world’s greatest films! The quicker you pick, the more points you score. Ready? Action!


•    Words in Film! - Select your mood and let quotes and images from film express how you’re feeling!


•    Movie Night Conversation Starters! - Watching a classic flick together is the perfect opportunity to catch up and share stories... this Mother’s Day make it a point to connect with your family and give them a chance to learn something about mom they never knew!  Here are some conversation starters to get you started.


Win Extra Entries! 
•    Post your results from the Guess-the-Scene Game in the comments below. 


•    Share your favorite classic film, romance or musical flick from when YOU were a kid in the comments below.




•    Share our contest on Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter 






Disclosure:  Thanks to Warner Brothers for supplying us with a Blu-ray for our giveaway. 


ACT OUT OPENING: Buffalo Theatre Ensemble (BTE) presents “Trumbo—Red, White and Blacklisted” Through May 19




BUFFALO THEATRE ENSEMBLE CONCLUDES 2012-2013 SEASON WITH
“TRUMBO — RED, WHITE AND BLACKLISTED” MAY 3-19, 2013


This timely drama is high on our must see list here at ChiIL Live Shows.   


Trumbo - Red, White and Blacklisted
McAninch Arts Center
425 Fawell Blvd Glen Ellyn

Presented by Buffalo Theatre Ensemble

Thru - May 19, 2013

Thursdays:
8:00pm
Fridays:
8:00pm
Saturdays:
8:00pm
Sundays:
2:00pm

Price: $25-$33
Show Type: Drama
Box Office: 630-942-4000

Buffalo Theatre Ensemble (BTE) concludes its 2012-2013 Season with  Christopher Trumbo’s “Trumbo – Red, White and Blacklisted" directed by Ensemble Member and Lombard’s own Kurt Naebig. The two-man cast will feature BTE Ensemble Member and Glen Ellyn’s  Bryan Burke as Christopher Trumbo, and Chicago’s Ben Werling as Dalton. All performances take place at the Building K Theatre on the College of DuPage Campus, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn, Ill. through May 19. 
 
In 1947, Dalton Trumbo, author of the classic films “Spartacus,” “Roman Holiday” and “Exodus” refused to testify to the House Un-American Activities Committee. He was found in contempt of Congress and was sent to prison and blacklisted as one of the infamous “Hollywood Ten.” Written as homage to his father, Christopher Trumbo’s two-man show, “Trumbo-Red, White and Blacklisted” is inspired by Dalton’s brilliant and razor-sharp letters written to family, friends, former friends, and acquaintances, and sheds new light on how the Dalton took on Congress, Hollywood, and the Red Scare -- and won. "Positively sizzles with wit...sweet, sad and ultimately uplifting,” says Variety.
 
“This play is about rising above adversity for the greater good, with little regard for what the cost may be to oneself,” says director Naebig. “It’s about holding onto ones core beliefs, and fighting for truth…what’s right for the country and those who live in it. I’m hoping this play gives the audience some good food for thought, even encourages a little soul searching and inspires some good conversations in those car rides home after the show as only theater can do.”

Other members of the design team include Westmaont’s Galen G. Ramsey (set, projections, property and sound design), Aurora’s Michael W. Moon (lighting design), and Chicago’s Allison R. Amidei (costume, hair & makeup design). Jill Yetsky is stage manager.
 
Buffalo Theatre Ensemble presents “Trumbo – Red, White and Blacklisted" through May 19.  Performances are Thursday-Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets are $25 to $33. $2 discounts are available for non-COD students and seniors age 60 and over. For more information, call the MAC Ticket Office at (630) 942-4000, or purchase tickets online at www.AtTheMAC.org.
 
Buffalo Theatre Ensemble, under the direction of artistic director Connie Canaday Howard and associate artistic director Amelia Barrett is a professional Equity theater company in residence at the McAninch Arts Center at College of DuPage. It is rooted in the idea that an acting ensemble and company, who have a history of working together and have developed a sense of trust and community, can create better art.  It is committed to the American tradition of creating believable characters in the context of the production's style. BTE’s 2011-2012 26th season includes David Rambo's "The Lady with All the Answers" (Sept. 7 - 23), "The Underpants," by Carl Sternheim, adapted by Steve Martin  (Jan. 18 - Feb. 3) and Christopher Trumbo's "Trumbo-Red, White & Blacklisted"  (May 3 - 19).
 
The McAninch Arts Center at College of DuPage, located 25 miles west of Chicago near I-88 and I-355, houses three performance spaces, an art gallery and classrooms for the college’s academic programming. This unique facility has presented theater, music, dance and visual art to more than 1.5 million people since its opening in 1986 and last year welcomed more than 75,000 patrons from the greater
 
The MAC began major renovations in fall 2012 that will update the major performance spaces, address significant infrastructure needs and improve several academic program areas. Scheduled completion date is spring 2014. The project will cost $35 million and is funded by the $168 million referendum that voters of District 502 passed in November 2010. Other projects beginning this year include the renovation of the Physical Education Center, Student Resource Center and Seaton Computing Center, and construction of the Campus Maintenance Center. The mission of the McAninch Arts Center is to foster enlightened educational and performance opportunities, which encourage artistic expression, establish a lasting relationship between people and art, and enrich the cultural vitality of the community. For more information click here.
 
Profiles
 
Bryan Burke*+ (Christopher Trumbo) is a member of Buffalo Theatre Ensemble's acting ensemble. BTE acting credits include George in “Moon Over Buffalo,” Francis Hardy in Bradley Armacost’s staging of Faith Healer, “Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune” as Johnny in “Italian-American Reconciliation” as Huey, “Sleuth” as Andrew Wyke, “The Melville Boys” as Lee, “Seascape with Sharks and Dancer” as Ben, “Noises Off” as Fredrick Fellows/Phillip Brent and “Visiting Mr. Green” as Ross Gardiner. Other acting credits with BTE include “The Trip to Bountiful,” “The Lonesome West,” “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” “The Living,” “Picasso at the Lapin Agile,” “Look Homeward Angel,” “Warrior and Hamlet.” BTE directing credits include BTE‘s 2011-2012 Season Opening production of “Shining City,” “Love Song, Stones In His Pockets,” “The Weir” and “Three Days of Rain.” He was also a founding member of Chicago's Cactus Theatre Company. Acting credits with The Cactus Theatre Company include “Golden Boy,” “Fishing,” “Paradise Lost” and “Waiting for Lefty.” He also directed their production of “Hurly Burly.” Burke is also a member of Actors’ Equity Association.
 
Ben Werling (Dalton) is proud to be a member of the Shattered Globe Theater Ensemble. Dalton began his Chicago career 20 years ago with SGT in their critically acclaimed very first production (in the space next to the Gaslight on Halsted), of “ Talk Radio” (for which he received the Joseph Jefferson Citation for Actor in a Principle Role as abusive talk show host Barry Champlain). Other favorite Chicago roles include: Biff in Raven Theater’s “Death of a Salesman”; a member of the Ensemble in “A clockwork Orange” at Steppenwolf; Dracula in “The Passion of Dracula” at First Folio Theater; the evil Villeforte in ‘The Count of Monte Cristo” at Bailiwick; Prosecutor Challee in A Red Orchid’s “The Caine Mutiney Court Marshall”; and The Cabbie in Famous Door Theater’s long running “Hellcab.” Regional credits include: three consecutive seasons at The Illinois Shakespeare Festival as Claudius in”Hamlet,” Orsino in “Twelfth Night,” Banquo in “Macbeth”, and Brutus in “Julius Caesar;: and as Bernard Nightingale in Indiana Repertory’s production of Tom Stoppard’s “Arcadia.”
 
Kurt Naebig*+ (Director) is a BTE Ensemble member and has performed in many BTE shows. A Juilliard Graduate, he has also studied at Moscow School of the Arts in Russia and has worked at Steppenwolf, Portland Stage, Milwaukee’s Pabst Theatre, National Jewish Theater, and Chicago Shakespeare Theatre.  Favorite Roles include Stanley in “Streetcar,” Merrick in “The Elephant Man,” Einstein in “Picasso at the Lapin Agile” and Joe in “Golden Boy.”  Film/TV roles include “Public Enemies,” “The Express,” “Witless Protection,” “Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer,” He has appeared in “Chicago Fire,” “The Chicago Code,” “Detroit 1-8-7” and multiple episodes of “Prison Break” and “ER.”  Naebig directed “The Drawer Boy, “ “Moonlight and Magnolias,” “Italian American Reconciliation,” “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” “Nocturne,” “Fuddy Meers,” “Sylvia” and “Lost in Yonkers” at BTE. He is a former artistic director of The Theatre of Western Springs, and a teacher and Acting Coach at Acting Studio Chicago.
 
* Denotes BTE Ensemble member
+ Denotes Member of Actors Equity Association


Friday, May 3, 2013

TONIGHT: Mathien Record Release-Darling Television, How Far to Austin, Jackpot Donnie, and more at HOB (17+)


Chi, IL Live Shows on our radar


House of Blues in Chicago will be jammin' tonight!!   

Friday 05/03/2013
Doors: 06:30 PM
Show: 07:30 PM
Prices:
$15.00 - GA - Advanced
$20.00 - GA - Day Of
Ages: 17+

House of Blues Chicago
329 N. Dearborn
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 923-2000

Headlining Artist:  Mathien

Other Artists at this Event:

    •    How Far to Austin
    •    Zaramela
    •    Jackpot Donnie
    •    Paige & The Reverent Few

 

**Go EARLY and catch Jackpot Donnie.**

 

Then our old friends, How Far to Austin are on at 9:45 SHARP.   The took a bit of a baby break to have a 2nd child Isabelle in December, but they're back and ready to rock.

As if that's not enough, the show tonight is MATHIEN'S RECORD RELEASE PARTY FOR DARLING TELEVISION.

Over 2/3 of the available tickets are already SOLD OUT, all of the opera boxes are SOLD OUT, but still plenty of floor tickets left - snatch them up while you still can:

Click here for tickets at cost (
$15 )--without all the fees that Live Nation & Ticketmaster charge.   We'll see you there!



HFA says:  We're back at the world famous House of Blues in Chicago on Friday May 3rd, for our first live performance in over 9 months!!

Buying your tickets here in advance saves you more than $10 on Ticketmaster & Venue fees, and helps us show the venue how hard we work to spread the word about our performances . . . your physical tickets will be waiting under your name at the House of Blues box office on the night of the show!

Mathien "Darling Television" Record Release w/ How Far to Austin, Zaramela, Jackpot Donnie, and Paige & The Reverent Few




UPCOMING:   Click here for details on Mathien w/ Todd Kessler at Lincoln Hall 5/29

Click here for our past photo filled coverage of Mathien.

Click here for our past video interview & photo filled coverage of How Far to Austin.

Check back with ChiIL Live Shows like we vote in Chi, IL... early and often.   We have more unreleased LIVE show shots of both Mathien at Reggies Rock Club and HFTA at HOB coming soon.

 

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Derby Girls & Circus Kids THIS Saturday at UIC Pavillion #circesteem #windycityrollers


Photo Credit (all) Bonnie Kenaz-Mara for ChiILMama.com



WINDY CITY ROLLERS 2013 SEASON CONTINUES SATURDAY MAY 4


We dig roller derby and have covered a LOT of bouts over the years.   The pixs here are a blast from the past--2010 in fact.   This Saturday we're extra stoked.   Worlds Collide Alert:   CircEsteem kids (including ChiIL Mama's own Du-Jay & Sagezilla) are doing a performance between the bouts!    **Click here for LOADS of our past photo & video filled CircEsteem coverage**


Roller derby is rockin' family friendly, grrrrrrl powered fun.    Kids 7 & under are FREE.   Check 'em out!   Click HERE for tickets.


ChiIL Mama's Du-Jay & Sagezilla pose with Mya Ssault


Here's some of ChiIL Mama's own photo filled Derby Adventures:

Windy City Rollers Fun-Sagezilla & Du-Jay Go VIP

Windy City Rollers Triumphed Over The Texecutioners


Du-Jay, Sagezilla & Friends Rock The Windy City Roller Derby

ChiIL Mama's Coverage featured on Windy City Rollers' Site

Windy City Over Rose City-Photo Filled Feature

Roller Derby Rocks...And Rolls (coverage of our first bout ever in 2009!)


**Click here to check out more of our past, photo filled Windy City Rollers coverage.** 
 

Derby Mamas rock... and roll!!


This Saturday
All season the hard-hitting action will take place at the UIC Pavilion, located in downtown Chicago at 525 S. Racine Ave., and easily accessible from I-290, I-94, and the Blue Line. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster at ticketmaster.com and the UIC Pavilion Box Office (312-413-5740).

The Windy City Rollers, Chicago’s #1 roller derby league, continues its ninth home season on Saturday May 4, 2013, at UIC Pavilion, 532 S. Racine Ave. 

In 2012, the Manic Attackers won the Ivy King Cup after knocking down the 2010 and 2011 undefeated champions, The Fury. However, this season, The Fury is undefeated again this year and has high hopes for a perfect season and a Championship title.

Throughout the 2013 home season, the Windy City Rollers home teams have partnered with various charities each team has chosen to represent. The charity partner for this bout is CircEsteem. Since 2001, CircEsteem’s mission has been to unite youth from diverse racial, cultural, and economic backgrounds and help them build self-esteem and mutual respect through the practice of circus arts. This charity partner is represented by the Manic Attackers.

The first bout kicks off at 6 p.m. as the Hell’s Belles will face last year’s champs, the Manic Attackers. Directly following, the Double Crosser’ will take on The Fury in the second bout of the evening.



 
 

WINDY CITY ROLLERS 2013 SEASON DATES:

May 4 - Home Team Playoffs
#3 Hell’s Belles vs. #2 Manic Attackers
#1 The Fury vs. #4 Double Crossers

June 8 - Ivy King Cup Championship Bout
July 19-21 –Windy City Rollers Host the 3rd annual Golden Bowl Tournament
Featuring:
Texas Rollergirls Texacutioners
San Francisco Bay Area Derby
Denver’s Rocky Mountain Roller Girls

August 24 - Travel Team Season Schedule TBD

October 19 - Travel Team Season Schedule TBD



TONIGHT: NORA DUNN HOSTS FUNDRAISER MYTHS AND LEGENDS 5/2 AT HILTON-ASMUS GALLERY



NORA DUNN, SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE ALUM AND CHICAGO’S OWN 
HOSTS FUNDRAISER MYTHS AND LEGENDS 
TONIGHT - MAY 2, 6:30PM AT HILTON-ASMUS GALLERY


Sven Asmus and Arica Hilton welcome Chicago native actress and Saturday Night Live Alum Nora Dunn for a fundraiser Myths and Legends TONIGHT, Thursday, May 2, 2013 from 6:30 – 9:30 p.m. at the Hilton-Asmus Gallery (716 N. Wells).  Nora Dunn’s solo piece Mythical Proportions premieres in Chicago on August 20, 2013 at Theater Wit (1229 W Belmont Ave)--one of ChiIL Live Shows' favorite venues.   

The artist writes:

We are now at the half-way mark in our $50,000 goal to open Mythical Proportions at Theater Wit on August 20.   Your participation is  vital to its existence on the stage.  Will you be a part of our effort? 
To buy tickets for the benefit click the Donate Button.  Tickets are $75 and include open bar, small-bites dinner by Enoteca Roma, and designer desserts by Chana Zelig.  Along with Nora will be special guests Rick Kogan, Sheila Donohue, and project Runway’s Peach Carr.  Once you purchase you’ll be included on our guest list. 

The Hilton-Asmus Gallery will be exhibiting artist Ani Afshar’s “Weaving Gardens Casting Shadows” and a silent auction will feature pieces created with the show’s mythological theme in mind by Chicago artists Frank Navin and Brent Houston, as well as paintings by John Kurtz and Los Angeles artist Scott Siedman.  Pieces created by Ms. Dunn will also be a part of the auction, as well as silk-screened signed Mythical Proportion posters.

The $75 tax deductible donation includes a single-bites dinner provided by Wicker Park’s Enoteca Roma, an open bar featuring beer, wine, a special designer cocktail and five-star desserts by Chana Zelig.  Special guests include Project Runway’s Peach Carr and Sheila Donohue.  Dunn and Donohue will perform original work.

For further information on Mythical Proportions and ticket information for the fundraiser Myths and Legends, visit www.mythicalproportions.com.  Guests can also pay at the door.


ABOUT NORA DUNN
Nora Dunn is most recognized for her work as a cast member of Saturday Night Live from 1984 to 1991.  Her recent television credits include ABC’s The Neighbors, Franklin & Bash, Don’t Trust the B… In Apartment 23, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and four seasons on Entourage where she played Ari’s shrink, Dr. Marcus.  Her recent films are The Guilt Trip and It’s Complicated, along with a roster of comedies such as Working Girl, Laws of Attraction, Pineapple Express, Bruce Almighty and Miami Blues.  Dramas include Three Kings and Runaway Jury.  Ms. Dunn will open her new one-woman show at Theater Wit on August 20.

ABOUT HILTON-ASMUS GALLERY
The most recent exhibited work at Hilton-Asmus Gallery is the Greek artist Kostis Georgiou’s show Pixels.  In June 2013, the gallery will present Field of Light, the works of acclaimed Italian artist and architect Marco Nereo Rotelli, who has illuminated iconic monuments such as the Arc de Triomphe in Paris and at the Beijing Olympics.  For more information on the gallery and exhibitions, please visit www.hilton-asmus.com and www.facebook.com/HiltonAsmus

SAVE THE DATE: THODOS DANCE CHICAGO 13 TH NEW DANCES SERIES JULY 19-21 AT THE RUTH PAGE




THODOS DANCE CHICAGO DEVELOPS AND CELEBRATES ITS DANCERS' SKILLS AS CHOREOGRAPHERS AT  
13 TH NEW DANCES SERIES, JULY 19-21 AT THE RUTH PAGE

 
 
 
Thodos Dance Chicago will celebrate 13 years of dance creation with its annual New Dances performance series, July 19-21, 2013 at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn Street, Chicago.  Performances are Friday and Saturday, July 19 and 20 at 7:30 pm, and Sunday, July 21 at 5 pm. Tickets are $35; $28 for students and seniors; $20 industry (dancers and teachers); $10 for children 12 and under and for groups of 10 or more. Tickets are on sale now at thodosdancechicago.org or by calling 312.266.6255.

Dovetailing this year's lucky 13 theme, 13 Thodos Dance Chicago ensemble members will create 10 world premieres including three collaborations for this year's festival of new work: Cara Carper and Brian Hare, John Cartwright, Caitlin Cucchiara and Diana Robertson, Annie Deutz, Ray Doñes and Jon Sloven, Kyle Hadenfeldt, Joshua Manculich, Jessica Miller Tomlinson, Alissa Tollefson and Carrie Patterson.

In addition to works created from within by TDC ensemble members, each year a guest choreographer is selected from the community to create a new work for the project. This year, Ahmad Simmons, a dancer with River North Dance Chicago, is guest choreographer for New Dances.

Through New Dances, TDC's company members are not only given the freedom to create their own new work, they are also put in a directive position to make all production decisions for their work. This includes casting their dance with dancers from within as well as outside the company in the greater Chicago dance community, scheduling rehearsal time, collaborating with lighting and costume designers, budgeting, marketing and even creating and executing a fundraiser for the project. By being nurtured and promoted within the organization, Thodos ensemble members gain much-needed hands-on experience as choreographers backed up with strong production skills. This experience will serve them well during and following their careers as performers.



 
 

Perhaps one of the most valuable aspects of New Dances for TDC's dancer/choreographers is the opportunity to be mentored during the creation process by some of Chicago's top dance professionals. This year's panel is comprised of Jeff Hancock, founding member of River North Dance Chicago, now a lecturer at Northwestern University's dance program; Kristina Fluty, movement collaborator with Molly Shanahan/Mad Shak; Willy Shives, former dancer with the Joffrey Ballet; and Meghann Wilkinson, collaborating ensemble member with Lucky Plush Productions. This diverse and knowledgeable group will come together for two extensive private showings of all ten dances. During these showings they will share their feedback, advice and expertise to help guide the choreographers as they prepare to debut their work for the public in July.                                                                                                                  
Last year's New Dances was hailed as "sharp, engaging and tightly produced" by the Chicago Tribune, boasting "top flight work...polished to a high shine" according to seechicagodance.com.  Since the series' debut 12 years ago, Thodos' New Dances has provided the framework for nearly 100 Chicago-based choreographers and more than 200 dance artists to develop and showcase their skills and build their reputations.  Many works from past New Dances series have entered the repertory of Thodos Dance and been showcased at festivals ranging from Dance Chicago to the prestigious Jacob's Pillow. Others were embraced and received subsequent productions by noted directors Gerald Arpino of the Joffrey and Jim Vincent of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago.

New Dances choreographers have gone on to set works on Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, River North Dance Chicago, Dutch National Ballet Project, Dance Kaleidoscope, Atlanta Ballet, Dance Works Chicago, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Idaho Dance Theatre, Grand Rapids Ballet, Giordano Dance Chicago, Eisenhower Dance Ensemble and the second companies of Alvin Ailey and American Ballet Theater.  Likewise, Thodos New Dances choreographers have won many awards and top honors including the Ruth Page Award on two occasions, the Cliff Dwellers Award for Choreography, even a Top Chicagoan in the Arts by the Chicago Tribune. In 2009 and 2010 New Dances choreographers won the top prize in The A.W.A.R.D. Show! presented by The Joyce Theater Foundation in association with The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago, Philadelphia Live Arts Festival and On the Boards (Seattle).

About Thodos Dance Chicago   

According to Melissa Thodos, company founder, artistic director and creator of this nationally unique series, "New Dances embodies one of the many things we value so much at Thodos Dance Chicago - dance creation. It is a critical component of our mission - nurturing and supporting talented dance artists from within our own ensemble by creating a platform to express their own choreographic vision."

In 1992, Thodos, a young Evanston-born, Chicago-based dancer and choreographer, was frustrated with the lack of opportunities for local dancers to work in what in her mind was the obvious environment for any well-rounded dance professional:  A place to perform. A place to create. And a place to educate. Fast forward 20 years, and Thodos is the only female choreographer to have helmed her own mid-sized, contemporary dance company in Chicago for two decades with this unique mission, and perhaps the only local artistic director who offers her ensemble the honor and responsibility to pursue dance as a performer, choreographer and educator. 

In addition to dance creation and performance, dance education is the third critical focus of Thodos Dance Chicago's mission. As a teaching company, company members hold BAs and MFAs in dance, teach at the elementary, high school and university levels, and regularly lead workshops and master classes as part of company residencies around the country.  TDC also fulfills the education component of its mission by offering dance instruction for ages 3 to adult at its rehearsal space, Chicago's Menomonee Club for Boys and Girls, where it also trains its own Thodos Youth Ensemble.     

 


Thodos Dance Chicago continues to expand its artistic and institutional boundaries under the guidance of Founder and Artistic Director Melissa Thodos, Executive Director Gail Ford, Grants and Booking Director Rick Johnston, Board President Elaine Rosenfeld Margulis, a dedicated board of directors and administrative staff, and the support of thousands of contemporary dance enthusiasts both in Chicago and nationwide. 

 Current TDC ensemble members, who each teach, choreograph and perform with innovative flair, include Cara Carper, John Cartwright, Caitlin Cucchiara, Annie Deutz, Ray Dones, Alissa Tollefson, Kyle Hadenfeldt, Brian Hare, Joshua Manculich, Jessica Miller Tomlinson, Diana Robertson and Jon Sloven. Laura Gates is the company's rehearsal director and ballet mistress.  The company is supported by the Illinois Arts Council - a state agency, City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs - City Arts Program II, The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, The Saints and many individual and corporate sponsors.  For more information, visit thodosdancechicago.org.



All Photos by Cheryl Mann--Thodos Dance Chicago's 12th annual New Dances series in 2012: Cara Carper and Carrie Nicastro in Scaled Gray by Brian Hare; Caitlin Cucchiara in Two Too by John Cartwright; Ray Doñes and Cecilia Ferguson-Bell in Phylum by Jon Sloven; Brian Hare and Caitlin Cucchiara in Lullaby by 2012 guest choreographer Brian Enos. 


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