Auditorium Theatre regulars usually don't see the house packed so full...
Chicago audiences also don't often get to see the Chicago dance world's A-list all on one stage...
This was the 2018 Dance for Life, considered by this writer to be the year's best one-stop shop for time-strapped Chicagoans who try to see dance performances as well as theater, concerts, museums and more.
2018 Dance for Life - Mix of Gravitas and Lightness
Unlike the 2017 Dance for Life where two Second City comedians held court during relatively long set changes, this year's event struck a more solemn tone in the presentations-- but almost universally whimsical and light in the dance performances that followed. Short videos -- including historic footage-- introduced both more high profile grant recipients Frank Chavez and Claire Bataille, and also honorees Nan Giordano and Lou Conte.
For those of us who vividly remember the scary times when yet-to-be-named or diagnosed AIDS was simply called "the plague", this heftier format was a nearly sacred reminder of how Chicago Dancers United was born. (Read more in a preview interview from 2017 with Chicago Dancers United Executive Director Phil Reynolds here.)
Today, the organization supports dancers facing a wide range of difficulties where financial grants can have an impact. To find out more about Chicago Dancers United and next year's Dance for Life visit the Dance for Life website.
Photos: Todd Rosenberg; Painting: Alice Klock
Videos: (top to bottom) Hanna Bricston and Dancers, ADROIT (choreographed by Randy Duncan), Chicago Dance Crash, The Joffrey Ballet
About the Author: Amy Munice
Amy Munice is Editor-in-Chief and Co-Publisher of Picture This Post. She covers books, dance, film, theater, music, museums and travel. Prior to founding Picture This Post, Amy was a freelance writer and global PR specialist for decades—writing and ghostwriting thousands of articles and promotional communications on a wide range of technical and not-so-technical topics.
Amy hopes the magazine’s click-a-picture-to-read-a-vivid-account format will nourish those ever hunting for under-discovered cultural treasures. She especially loves writing articles about travel finds, showcasing works by cultural warriors of a progressive bent, and shining a light on bold, creative strokes by fledgling artists in all genres.
