Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre (CRDT) has leaped forward from its 25th Anniversary season with an undimmed commitment to its art and artists. New this year is CRDT II, the inaugural class of the organization's second company - expanding training opportunities for young professional dancers in a professional multicultural company and expanding engagements in communities and schools. CRDT is also proud to continue its innovative Inside/Out series and to announce the company's return to the Ruth Page Center for the 2025 Concert Series. For more information on the latest company updates and its 26th season go to CerquaRivera.org or follow @CerquaRivera on social media
"After reaching new heights in our 25th season - from completing our new works born from 'Stories from the West Side' to engaging with thousands of people across Chicagoland to celebrating our birthday in style at The Arts Club of Chicago - we proudly leaped into our 26th season," said Co-founder and Artistic Director Wilfredo Rivera. "This year audiences will experience even deeper connections through Inside/Out and community engagements and a larger company that mirrors the beautiful diversity of our hometown."
The Spring 2025 Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre season includes:
Inside/Out with Wilfredo Rivera & American Catracho
Thursday, Feb. 20 at 7:30 p.m.
Old Town School of Folk Music (Myron Szold Hall), 4545 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago
Tickets are $20-22
Purchase tickets at CerquaRivera.org/schedule
Chicago's own Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre returns to Old Town School of Folk Music with their innovative Inside/Out series. This evening will unpack the second act of their landmark suite "American Catracho." Inspired by company Co-Founder Wilfredo Rivera's own personal journey, this signature work exploring immigration and the immigrant experience moves through themes of dislocation, assimilation, renewal and hope. At Inside/Out, audiences will not only preview sections of the piece in advance of the Spring Concert Series, but will also be invited inside the creative process through improvisation, conversation and participatory activities.
Inside/Out with Shannon Alvis & Immense World
Sunday, March 9 at 3 p.m.
Epiphany Center for the Arts (The Sanctuary), 201 S. Ashland Ave., Chicago
Tickets are $20-35
Purchase tickets at CerquaRivera.org/schedule
Join this unique company in an exploration of our human sensory awareness of the world. In this first year developing "Immense World," the company is rooting its research in the rich and complicated heritage of the land where we live and contemplating our personal connections to nature in pastoral environments.
2025 Benefit
Thursday, April 16 at 6 p.m.
The Arts Club of Chicago, 201 E. Ontario St., Chicago
Tickets $150-200, Sponsorships $2,500-10,000
Purchase tickets at CerquaRivera.org/schedule
For over a quarter century, Cerqua Rivera has been Bridging Communities through the Arts - centering the stories of Latinx, Black, & AAPI individuals, the LBGTQ+ community and women; sustaining a talented & diverse collective of artists; reaching audiences across Chicagoland and beyond in historic concert venues and community hubs. Benefit guests will celebrate Cerqua Rivera's 26th Season and help raise the funds needed for another season of innovative, soul-nourishing art. The evening will include a performance by members of the company and tributes to CRDT by special guests Annabel Armour, Eddy Ocampo and Nicholas Tremulis, as well as drinks, food and great company.
2025 Concert Series
Friday, June 6 at 7:30 p.m and Saturday, June 7 at 2 p.m.
Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn St., Chicago
Tickets are $39 - 79
Tickets on sale at CerquaRivera.org/schedule
CRDT will present a full production in one of Chicago's most distinguished dance performance venues. The evening will include performances of original dance and music by the professional Dance Ensemble and Jazz Orchestra with stunning costumes and evocative lighting. Works by choreographers Wilfredo Rivera and Shannon Alvis as well as composers Joe Cerqua and James Sanders celebrating the Latinx diaspora, exploring the range of gender identity/ies and the experience of metamorphosis, and reflecting the immigrant experience and our common humanity.
Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre on Tour
CRDT continues traveling throughout Chicagoland and beyond. Events that are open to the public include ticket links below:
Current Tour Schedule includes:
Thursday, Feb. 27
Forest Park Public Schools, Forest Park, IL
Saturday, March 22
Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, Annapolis, MD
Friday, April 4
Focus on the Arts, Highland Park, IL
Friday, April 11
Old Town School of Folk Music, Chicago, IL
Friday, May 10
Trifecta Dance Festival at Ruth Page Center for the Arts, Chicago, IL
ABOUT CERQUA RIVERA DANCE THEATRE
Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre combines dance, music and visual art to immerse audiences in performative storytelling. This unique company invites both performers and audiences to contemplate the beautiful differences in communities and explore the intersections of heritage, culture, and identity. For nearly three decades, Cerqua Rivera has been a seasoned staple of the Chicago dance community as well as a national touring organization. See Chicago Dance says the company "possesses a blended magic that is difficult to come by" and "creates a deeper sense of commitment and intimacy." New City Stage raves that Cerqua Rivera "speaks straight to the heart, feeding a hunger [you] may not even realize."
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The 2024-2025 season is partially supported by the National Endowment for the Arts; Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation; The Farny R. Wurlitzer Foundation Fund (a Donor Advised Fund at the DeKalb County Community Foundation); Anne E. Leibowitz Fund; Weinberg Family Foundation; Richard G. & Diane Weinberg Foundation. Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council.
This project is being supported, in whole or in part, by a grant awarded to the City of Chicago by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
