By: Tara 6.11.2013

After months of preparation, the artists of ADC have taken residency in their third and final rehearsal space for the year, the black box theater at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts.  Located at 1016 N. Dearborn in the Gold Coast neighborhood of Chicago, the Ruth Page Center is a historic landmark for the dance community.  It's also able to accommodate the rigging needs for ADC, which is an essential component for the success of GRAVITY.

Over the next three days, the company will hold dress rehearsals, including an afternoon performance for Chicago Public schools.

Remember to grab your tickets now for opening weekend to support Aerial Dance Chicago--critics from the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Reader will also be in the audience!  Groups of 10 or more will receive an incredible discount of 50%.  To buy tickets online, click here.

In the mean time, experience a sneak peek of the show from tech rehearsals with the link below:

One minute of GRAVITY

ADC Artist Tara Gragg in Linnea Schlegel's piece On the Brink

By: Tara 5.22.2013

Despite a change in location, many of ADC's aerial students returned for Spring Term classes.  These classes at the Drucker Center are held in the mornings on Wednesdays and Fridays, and are geared towards dancers looking to explore aerial technique as well as adult beginners.

Students in Aerial Dance II prepare for the "knee tangle"

Some of the Aerial Dance II and Fabric students spoke last week about their affinity for all things aerial:

What brought you to (or back to) Aerial Dance Chicago?

"Since I was little I've done both gymnastics and dance.  Unfortunately, I always broke my ankles, so now I have the best of both worlds without getting hurt."  --Paulina

"I danced with ADC back when it was AMEBA.  After a few years away from aerial dance, I found that I missed it.  Aerial dance is a wonderful blend of beauty and strength; there's nothing quite like it."  --Amy

"I grew up in dance and always loved performing.  I found that aerial dance gave me a chance to perform again."  --Megan

What has aerial work taught you about yourself or your body?

"It has taught me so much about motivation because it's so rewarding."  --Megan

"I was so out of shape!  But I'm glad to be getting all of my muscles back."  --Paulina

"That I was meant to climb things!  It's a great feeling to discover something that feels natural to my body.  Ironically, I have a fear of heights that will probably never go away, but I've learned to master it by building strength and confidence."  --Amy

And what was the most popular apparatus among the students?  In first place was the lyra (turns out our students like to spin!), with silks coming in second: "It's such a simple apparatus but so versatile!"  --Amy

By: Tara 5.15.2013

ADC has successfully transitioned into its new rehearsal space at the Drucker Center, and the company members are hard at work rehearsing for the Gravity performances in June and July.  The Gravity program features a diverse collection of works with moods ranging from somber to silly.  Here's an overview of what audience members can expect:

Many current company members' choreography is featured in Gravity.  Second-year company member Sarah Milosch premieres her first work on ADC, a melancholy group piece for four titled All She Can Carry.  Linnea Schlegel's exciting trio On The Brink features rope work with and without harnesses, to pulsing music by Swedish House Mafia.  Karen Fisher-Doyle offers two duets: Slip Away, on the tipping lyra, and My World, a cute and comical bungee take on synchronized swimming.  Director Chloe Jensen captures the tension of Gotye's hit Somebody That I Used to Know in her sling duet Leeway.

Gravity will also feature two solos: Linnea Schlegel's sling solo to cellist Zoe Keating's beautiful Optimist, and Chloe Jensen's mesmerizing new bungee piece Adrift. 

Tracy von Kaenel's new world premiere, Out There, features all of the ADC company members and guest dancers.  Using all sorts of apparatus in both familiar and unexpected ways, Out There features Karen Fisher-Doyle as a childlike character navigating through a complex world.

To see a sneak peek of rehearsals for Gravity, take a look at this exclusive behind-the-scenes video!

By: Tara 5.6.2013

The past few weeks have been very busy for ADC--we completed our final rehearsals at the lovely Belle Plaine Studio, the company's home for the past fifteen years; took down all of the equipment and transferred it to our new rehearsal space at the Drucker center; and, last Wednesday, began Spring Term classes at the Drucker Center.  We will miss the Belle Plaine Studio and would like to extend a huge thank-you to Margaret Reynolds for our time there!

The Belle Plaine studio after all the equipment had been taken down

The big move posed some major challenges for Artistic Director Chloe Jensen and Rigging Director Kip Conwell.  Slight changes in rigging can mean big differences for the company dancers, so Chloe and Kip took measures (literally!) to make the transition as smooth as possible.  The first order of business was to calculate the ideal height for the apparatus; this involved some math skills, estimation, and of course some trial and error owing to the stretch of the equipment and the slope of the beam at the Drucker center.

Spans, silks, and more, ready to be rigged!

Next came the hard labor: Chloe and Kip spent ten hours and took over 50 trips up and down giant ladders to hang the (sometimes very heavy) equipment.

Rigging director Kip Conwell takes a trip up the ladder at the Drucker Center

Then it was on to the task of creating a pulley system to organize groups of the apparatus together and attach them to tie-away lines.

The finished product of Kip and Chloe's hard work!

Tomorrow the ADC company dancers rehearse for the first time in the new space...stay tuned for more updates on our journey towards the Gravity performances!

By: Tara 4.23.2013

As we near our June and July repertory performances of Gravity, ADC is hard at work honing each and every piece of choreography.  One of the most challenging--and exciting--aspects of aerial dance is that, despite the dancers' technique and experience, sometimes they are truly at the mercy of the equipment.  Anything can happen onstage, so the only way to prepare for the unexpected is to drill trouble spots in the studio.

In Tracy von Kaenel's new work Out There, soloist Karen Fisher Doyle has some particularly tricky transitions.  Without giving too much away, let's just say that at one point in the piece, bungee, harness, silks, and a prop kite are all thrown into the mix!  Recently the ladies of ADC spent over an hour practicing some of Karen's choreography in Out There to help her through the tough spots.

By: chloe 5.25.2012

With original music by Tim Quirk:

3 shows left. Get your tickets.