Displaying items by tag: Liz Imperio

Many decades ago, my mother enrolled me in ballet classes, hoping the classical training would somehow turn her rotund preteen into a graceful swan. On my way to those tortuous lessons on Davis Street in Evanston, I passed another door marked “Gus Giordano Studio.” The typeface was cooler than the ballet studio’s script and so were the jazzy strains of music that drifted downward. If only I’d climbed Giordano’s narrow stairway instead, I might have lasted longer on the dance floor.

Fortunately, plenty of other students chose Gus Giordano’s door. His infusion of jazz into contemporary dance has endured and manifested under the leadership of his daughter Nan and other creative contributors. Now in its 63^rd season, Giordano Dance Chicago presented its Ignite the Soul program at North Shore Center for the Performing Arts last weekend with the vibe that emanated from its original studio.

Sing, Sing, Sing, set to Louis Prima’s penetrating drumbeat, gave us three dancers and six white-gloved jazz hands having the time of their lives. After that joyful salvo came the lengthier and more reflective Gershwin in B.  Choreographed by Al Blackstone to a mélange of Gershwin classics, the 2024-piece features Erina Ueda who pulls us into the abstracted narrative by reaching for a red fedora that slides away before she can grasp it. Joined by the expressive and sleek ensemble in Branimira Ivanova’s glorious black and white costumes, the dancer strives for that fedora of success. Along the way, she finds love, partnering with Eduardo Zambrana and then moving on as she reaches for the next fedora.  

From Gershwin’s signature American jazz idiom, the program shifted to an Afro-Cuban sensibility. Liz Imperio’s La Belleza de Cuba set the entire Giordano company in motion, coupling and uncoupling with such intensity, the dancers seemed electrified by the mere presence of their partners. Almost like a palate cleaner, Interlinked by company member Simon Schuh did indeed interlink bodies with rapid-fire precision that suggested gymnasts as much as dancers.

Erina Ueda returned for different challenge in 333. Choreographed by Nan Giordano and Cesar G. Salinas to the music of Otis Redding, the solo piece further showcased Ueda’s emotional and technical range.

The final work of the evening, Red & Black, was created by Dancing with the Stars choreographer Ray Leeper for the company in 2024. With music selections from Eartha Kitt, Michael Bublé and others, the work has men stalking women and women stalking men, everyone seductive in their red and black attire. Lifting bar chairs, grouping and regrouping, forming alluring tableaux, they project an almost predatory energy. At one point, the women remove their jewelry and a single shoe, leveling themselves with great control as they continue their interactions with the men.

With its nightlife setting and the dancers’ charged, sophisticated moves, Red & Black brings another nighttime revelry, The Wild Party, to mind. Leeper’s extended party, however, doesn’t disintegrate into darkness; it simply keeps unfolding. Where exactly Red & Black arrives at the end is unclear and perhaps doesn’t need to be. The journey for this recent offering – so many years and countless stairs climbed by gifted dancers since I felt the Giordano magic on Davis Street – is destination enough.

For more information on Giordano Dance Chicago, go to https://www.giordanodance.org/

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/.