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CHICAGO DANZTHEATRE ENSEMBLE PRESENTS
“ART.HEALS.,” MAY 6 – 14
AT THE AUDITORIUM at EBENEZER LUTHERAN CHURCH
“Art.Heals.” Includes Exhibitions, Music and Performances to
Help Audiences Heal and Connect
Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble (CDE) is proud to announce the latest addition to its two-year 20th Anniversary retrospective season, “Art. Heals.,” May 6 – 14, gallery opens at 7:30 p.m. with performances starting at 8 p.m., in the Auditorium at Ebenezer Lutheran Church, 1650 W. Foster Ave. The evening’s running time is currently two hours including an intermission. Tickets are on sale now for $20 general admission (adult non-students), $13 student general admission (high school students over the age of 16 and college students) and free general admission (under the age of 16). Ticket sales online end two-hours before the performance but will be available at the door for $30. Information on participants and tickets are available at Danztheatre.org.
“Art. Heals.” is a curated performance and visual art exhibition featuring music, dance, theater, poetry, multimedia and visual art created to bring the arts and the Chicago community together to help heal and connect after the effects of the global pandemic over the last two years.
Friday, May 6 and Saturday, May 7
Gallery opens at 7:30 p.m., Performance at 8 p.m.
GALLERY MUSIC:
House of DOV - Drew Lewis – “Anatomy”
“Anatomy” is a durational solo installation, which deals with working through and breathing with trauma caused by dance training. “Anatomy” is a glacial solo, a "living sculpture,” moving slowly across an empty space. The solo flips through images, much like a photo album: anatomy of disintegration, anatomy of a line, anatomy of depression, of the plow, of a beam of light. These are images of the past and present: references to our shared history as a community of dancers, images from historical modern dance and memories of childhood training which shaped who we are and how we think about our bodies and movement. Ultimately, “Anatomy” is meditation, a series of breaths which act to heal and bring the performer and audience into their body in the here and now.
VISUAL ARTISTS:
“Oceans Between”
An exhibition from “Oceans Between,” a cultural exchange between Germany and the United States of America featuring the work of Hans-Ulrich Buchwald, Marianna Buchwald, Katrin Hamann, NIgel Packham and Simon Parfrement.
In addition to “Oceans Between,” other artists represented in “Art.Heals.” are Rhea Godot, mixed media painting; Olivia Hunter, photography; Jeffrey Allen Mendenhall, media art and Shauntrice, sculpture, Jean Parisi art sculpture installation.
SPECIAL EXHIBITION:
AAP(I Belong) & Creative Action Posters from CIRCA Pintig's Dismantling Hate COmmunity Workshop Series
PERFORMANCES:
Poets and Storytellers:
Emily Calvo from the Guild Literary Complex
Ada Cheng from the Guild Literary Complex
Multidisciplinary/Danztheatre: Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble – Letters of Healing
Letters of Healing is a danztheatre piece created by Artistic Director Ellyzabeth Adler based on her journey of healing from domestic abuse and understanding how she ended up in this relationship. Commissioned in 2017 by Between Friends, a Chicago area social service agency dedicated to the prevention and healing support of domestic abuse victims and their families. It was performed for the agency’s annual gala and for several solo and women’s festivals and Columbia College in the Chicago area. Adler believes that this piece is not only her story, it is at the same time, the voice of all survivors of trauma with the desire of creating empathy, understanding and healing. When artists create from a place of vulnerability, sometimes going against the grain, we find our artistic voice and follow our passion to inspire positive change in the world.
Re/Dance Group presenting “Tiny Memories”
“Tiny Memories” is a dance theatre work centered on storytelling. It is performed by the full Re/Dance ensemble and weaves text and movement phrases together to share imagery from each dancers past.
Paweł Grajnert (member, UEIR) with Arlo Wholgenant, bassist, presenting “Two Poems”
Two poems from a collection called, "Trauma in the Language Contraption."
DANCE:
Bekah Norwood – Untitled
This work uses breath to examine the incredible pressure in ballet to be perfect. Drawing inspiration from yoga, the piece explores the differences between moving without attention to breath and allowing breath to motivate the movement. It also investigates how a lifelong pursuit of perfection leads to tension settling deep in the body and how the healing nature of breath can lead to acceptance and release.
Kaleigh Dent -“Father, Father”
“Father, Father” explores how guilt lives in the body and the ways we can overcome it.
The Meltdown Collective presents “Ode to Frankie”
(Saturday performances only)
This piece is an uplifting work meant to bring joy to anyone viewing it. After such a tough two years, The Meltdown encourages all to celebrate.
THEATRE:
CIrca-Pintig - Panther in the Sky
Panther in the Sky is a play written by Lani T. Montreal about four mothers who are dealing with the murders of their teenage sons on the streets of Chicago. The sons meet each other in the afterlife and grapple with the reality of their abrupt demise. They talk and banter as teenage boys do, as their mothers cope with grief, and struggle to make sense of it all.
Friday, May 13 and Saturday, May 14
Gallery opens at 7:30 p.m., Performance at 8 p.m.
GALLERY MUSIC:
Davin Youngs
In the long-standing tradition of sound as a modality for healing, Davin Youngs stands out as a true musical innovator. He is a master of sonic enlightenment; mixing beats, electronic loops, gongs, tuning forks, crystal bowls and his own voice to create soundscapes that will take audiences on a transformative journey into the far reaches of your mind.
Youngs’s one-of-a-kind, ambient-electro-acoustic-sound healing concerts are heavily influenced by his passions for singing and meditation. By staying present in his body, Young is able to amplify his voice, layering the perfect harmonies for awakening.
VISUAL ARTISTS:
“Oceans Between”
An exhibition from “Oceans Between,” a cultural exchange between Germany and the United States of America featuring the work of Hans-Ulrich Buchwald, Marianna Buchwald, Katrin Hamann, NIgel Packham and Simon Parfrement.
In addition to “Oceans Between,” other artists represented in “Art.Heals.” are Rhea Godot, mixed media painting; Olivia Hunter, photography; jeffrey allen mendenhall, media art and Shauntrice, sculpture.
SPECIAL EXHIBITION:
AAP(I Belong) & Creative Action Posters from CIRCA Pintig's Dismantling Hate COmmunity Workshop Series
PERFORMANCES:
Poets and Storytellers:
Ada Cheng from the Guild Literary Complex
Bianca Thompson from the Guild Literary Complex
Multidisciplinary/Danztheatre:
Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble – Letters of Healing
Letters of Healing is a danztheatre piece created by Artistic Director Ellyzabeth Adler based on her journey of healing from domestic abuse and understanding how she ended up in this relationship. Commissioned in 2017 by Between Friends, a Chicago area social service agency dedicated to the prevention and healing support of domestic abuse victims and their families. It was performed for the agency’s annual gala and for several solo and women’s festivals and Columbia College in the Chicago area. Adler believes that this piece is not only her story, it is at the same time, the voice of all survivors of trauma with the desire of creating empathy, understanding and healing. When artists create from a place of vulnerability, sometimes going against the grain, we find our artistic voice and follow our passion to inspire positive change in the world.
Re/Dance Group presenting “Tiny Memories”
“Tiny Memories” is a dance theatre work centered on storytelling. It is performed by the full Re/Dance ensemble and weaves text and movement phrases together to share imagery from each dancers past.
Paweł Grajnert (member, UEIR) with Arlo Wholgenant, bassist. presenting “Two Poems”
Two poems from a collection called, "Trauma in the Language Contraption.""
DANCE:
Bekah Norwood – Untitled
This work uses breath to examine the incredible pressure in ballet to be perfect. Drawing inspiration from yoga, the piece explores the differences between moving without attention to breath and allowing breath to motivate the movement. It also investigates how a lifelong pursuit of perfection leads to tension settling deep in the body and how the healing nature of breath can lead to acceptance and release.
Kaleigh Dent -“Father, Father”
“Father, Father” explores how guilt lives in the body and the ways we can overcome it.
Ishti Collective presenting “Prakriti II”
“Prakriti II” is about how we, as individuals and as a collective, sustain and move forward in the current socio-political polarized world. We are guided by hope and trust in humanity that we can do better; we deserve better than the anxiousness and rage caused by the divisiveness.
The Meltdown Collective presents “Ode to Frankie”
(Saturday performances only)
This piece is an uplifting work meant to bring joy to anyone viewing it. After such a tough two years, The Meltdown encourages all to celebrate.
THEATRE:
CIrca-Pintig - Panther in the Sky
Panther in the Sky is a play written by Lani T. Montreal about four mothers who are dealing with the murders of their teenage sons on the streets of Chicago. The sons meet each other in the afterlife and grapple with the reality of their abrupt demise. They talk and banter as teenage boys do, as their mothers cope with grief, and struggle to make sense of it all
The creative team for “Art.Heals.” includes Ellyzabeth Adler (performance curator); Siobhan Kealy, (art gallery curator) and Joshua Paul Weckesser (lighting design and technical director).
COVID PROTOCOL FOR ALL PERFORMANCES
Following current guidelines from federal, state and local government and its agencies, audience members must show proof of vaccination or wear a mask at all times during the performances. All performers and participants in this CDE performance are vaccinated and will perform without masks.
ABOUT CHICAGO DANZTHEATRE ENSEMBLE
Founded in 2001, Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble is Chicago’s only multidisciplinary arts organization dedicated to social justice and socially conscious work that builds community through the arts “one voice, one story, one person at a time.” CDE’s mission is to engage, inspire and challenge the community, both onstage and in the classroom, through innovative and collaborative multidisciplinary storytelling to illuminate aspects of social issues. This is done in the genre of Tanztheatre, "which unites all art media to achieve an all-embracing, radical change in humankind.” Through its school-based art and performance programs, CDE helps students in Chicago schools explore their own creativity, supporting their social and emotional learning. CDE provides a physical and emotional space where community conversation and cultural change can happen.
For its performance series, CDE is dedicated to creating performances that blend together dance, theatre and visual art to tell stories about the human condition. They give an artistic voice to those who are not always heard.
Dedicated since its founding to diverse casting of age, body type and ethnicity
Consistently listed as a “Top Theater and Dance Performance to See” by New City and Chicago Reader
Unique collaborations with the Veterans Art Museum, Poetry Center Chicago, Cantigny Museum, Neighborhood Writing Alliance, Voice of the City and numerous dance and theater companies
MacArthur Award Grantee for International Collaborations.
Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble is supported by The Illinois Arts Council, a state agency; Department of Cultural Affairs Chicago (DCASE) The Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation; The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation; The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; Innovation 80; smART Growth of the Chicago Community Trust; Farny Wurlitzer Foundation; Mardi Gras Fund and the annual support of individual donors.
