Displaying items by tag: Gus Giordano

I’m actually not a dance critic. I don’t know enough about dance; I‘m not fluent in the language of dance; I have limited experience with dance. But whenever GIORDANO DANCE COMPANY performs, I put my name in, purely because I love their work!

GIORDANO DANCE COMPANY’s 62^nd Season, SOARING, is a very special one for GDC. Artistic Director Nan Giordano is celebrating her 40^th year at the helm of the company her father Gus started in 1963.  Says Giordano, “I enter my 40th year with possibility, gratitude, energy & an untouchable source of energy.”

In this celebratory season Giordano has chosen to work with choreographers with whom she has special relationships. Ray Leeper's connection with GDC began decades ago with company founder Gus Giordano, who pulled the young Ray up on stage at a dance convention. Since then, Leeper has choreographed three full company works for GDC: “Feelin’ Good Sweet” in 2014, “Soul” in 2018, and now “Red & Black”, appearing in its world premiere.

GDC company dancer Adam Houston's "unconditional" featured a love story told with tender and impeccable partner work by Sasha Lazarus and Fernando Rodriquez. The choreography, more balletic than the classic jazz vernacular of the company, laid a serene aura across the auditorium. 

GDC Dancers in Red and Black.

GDC frequently punctuates its acts with brief videos that divulge historical and personal elements of the work. I particularly appreciated this with Marinda Davis’s extraordinary “Flickers” (2019). In the video Davis courageously describes her personal health journey through darkness, celebrating her indomitable spirit and unflinching quest for light. Davis enlivens the jazz-based aesthetic with brief paroxysms of ballet beats and hectic percussive shifts. See Chicago Dance calls “Flickers,” “…practically a genre unto itself.”

Emmy Award-winning choreographer and educator Al Blackstone created "Gershwin in B" to mark the 100-year anniversary of "Rhapsody in Blue". "Gershwin In B" moves the dancers about the stage with the joyous athleticism and buoyancy that GDC is known for. Using nine of Gershwin’s songs ranging from the less familiar to the acclaimed, Gershwin in B depicts the journey of one woman from youthful innocence to fearless maturity, with a red fedora appearing incidentally but significantly throughout her odyssey. The central character, danced superbly by Erina Ueda, carries the dramatic weight of the narrative on her shoulders.  As a whole the dance exhibits GDC’s professional skill and passion, impelling the dancers to go beyond dance to move the story forward. 

The theatre was filled with familiars of the company, making the performance feel very special and personal. Marinda Davis was seated just in front of us, and we enjoyed watching dozens of people battle the crowds to laud her personally. Seated just behind us were a couple of rows of youngsters who applauded many of the dancers so enthusiastically that I had to ask, “Do you know them?”  A lovely girl of eleven or twelve replied exuberantly, eyes sparkling, “They’re our teachers!”  If devotion and fervor are any measure, we will be seeing several of those girls onstage before long!

GIORDANO DANCE CHICAGO usually appears in brief runs, just 2-3 performances. Keep a close eye, for anything they do is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Giordano dance Chicago has opened its 2017 season with its Spring Series at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance. Divided into six distinct pieces, the show is a high energy celebration of jazz dance; it’s well polished, exciting and expressive. Not a word is spoken, but each piece tells a story so vividly that one might wonder why we would need the spoken language after all.  Opening with ‘’Grusin Suite’’, featuring former Giordano Dance Chicago dancer and River North Dance Chicago Artistic Director Frank Chaves, it’s a 1993 re-staging set to the soundtrack for the film “The Firm”. Fluidity of the dance is complemented by the flowing fabrics of the uniform - like costumes of the dancers (costume design by Branimira Ivanova). The costumes are kept very simple throughout the show, and so nothing detracts from the dancers often moving in unison, always with intention and precision, and there’s always a story being unwrapped. After Grusin Suite comes dark Divided Against - A place painted is decidedly hostile with male dancers wearing robes and acting subservient to the female dancers, who are erect and unemotional. Choreographed by Peter Chu, music by Djeff Houle. Next comes blissfully tribal A Ritual Dynamic. Deeply satisfying both visually and auditorily, it’s Avatar-like in its feel. Choreographed by Jon Lwhrer, music by White Derbakeh and DJ Disse. 

After intermission we’re treated to Sneaky Pete, choreographed by Brock Clawson, music by Kerry Muzzey, Abel Korzeniowski, and Adam Crystal. A lot going on here: mating game between two dancers with the girl pursing the boy, while the rest of the troupe is “living their normal life”, a.k.a., dancing beautifully, of course. It ends with the boy upsetting the girl and suffering the consequences by getting ostracized by the rest of the troupe (the “society”?). Or, at least, that was my interpretation. I invite the reader to make their own impression. Next piece is a gorgeous The Man That Got Away, a 1990 classic. The girl wants a man, but he’s is indifferent. She tries many things: affection, seduction, reason, arguing, but nothing will melt his heart.  Set to Harold Arlen and Ira Gershwin music performed by Judy Garland, it’s choreographed by Sherry Zunker. Featuring dancer Ashley Downs. Fun Fact: Sherry Zunker has gifted The Man That Got Away to Giordano Dance Chicago in honor of legendary Gus Giordano. It’s sexy and compelling; an absolute delight!

Last, but not least, is a world premiere of a dance called Lost in this World. Choreographed by Liz Imperio, who is hailed as choreographer to the stars. Her credits include the staging and choreography for Jennifer Lopez’s world tour “Dance Again” and directing/choreographing of three of Gloria Estefan’s world concert tours and two world tours for Madonna. Set to music by Ed Sheeran/Steve Mac/Johnny McDaid, and Raury Tullis, Lost in this World is very youthful.  Beautifully danced by the lead woman Maeghan McHale and lead men Devin Buchanan and Adam Houston.

The Giordano Dance Chicago Spring Series is performed at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance. For more information on Giordano Dance Chicago visit http://giordanodance.org/.