My mind has this tendency to associate certain words together. For instance, when I hear the word “macaroni,” I instinctively think of “cheese.” There are multiple ways to serve macaroni – where cheese is superfluous and, even, undesirable. Other association examples including “peanut butter” and “jelly,” “ketchup” and “mustard,” “salt” and “pepper,” “Ben” and “Jerry’s,” and “Nickleback” and “headaches” also seem to be made for one another.
While these examples are fairly self-explanatory, I also correlate certain things with specific places. To me, Florida is Disney World, retirement communities named Sunny Heights Paradise, and alligators; Massachusetts is the boat that reenacts the Boston Tea Party and the Boston Red Sox, (opposing my childhood misconceived notion, not the same team as the Chicago White Sox in red jerseys); and California is Hollywood, Rodeo Drive, oversized sunglasses, and platinum blonde.
The dancer in me links New York City with American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, Alvin Ailey, Paul Taylor, Bill T. Jones, and Broadway. Chicago is Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, The Joffrey Ballet Chicago, River North, and Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago.
Growing up in the northwest suburbs fifteen minutes outside of Chicago, I feel like I have a good grasp on the dos and don’ts in terms of safety: when to take the red line or the blue line, to never walk across Wells Street with your mouth open (especially after it rains), and that the appropriate response to the hooting and hollering of street workers is never, “Thanks boys, I’ll be here all week,” because chances are, so will they. With as much time as I have spent in Chicago, and the high probability of me ending up in the city once I graduate in May (YIKES!), I decided to do some research on the Chicago dance scene. In my mind, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (in residency with Hancher in September!) and The Joffrey Ballet Chicago are the forces to be reckoned with, but that is because those are the companies I grew up watching. I have some knowledge of other Chicago companies due to relationships I have with people involved, but up until recently, I have been ill informed of any company that paralleled the level of performance opportunity and repertoire as HBDC and Joffrey.
During a rather unfortunate dance performance in early April with The University of Iowa Dancers in Company, I broke the fourth metatarsal in my foot. Prior to this injury, I was a planner. I made “To Do Lists” every day, packed my schedule so tightly that I was frequently forced to use the margins in my planner, and have always had my summer plans figured out by December. Needless to say, this injury rained all over my pre-planning tendencies and forced me to dabble in the power of impulsivity. Missing out on most summer intensive auditions due to a giant space boot, a.k.a. my walking cast, and no certainty of when I would be fully recovered, I figured I’d take this summer and try to figure it out as I go. To date, this whole whim-planning has presented some remarkable results.
In my information-seeking quest of Chicago’s dance downlow, I came across a one-week intensive with Thodos Dance Chicago. I found out about it on a Friday and started that following Monday. I hadn’t danced since April, but had a good feeling about just going for it. Not only was it a week well spent (correction: a week of my muscles and body hating me from workout overload), but it also opened my eyes to all other options of dance in Chicago.
Thodos Dance Chicago has an impeccable rep, a great touring season with a multitude of performance opportunities, a project called “New Dances” that allows company members to choreograph and show work, and is compiled of members who are inspiring movers. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. Speaking with Thodos company members and fellow dancers, I learned that there are over 90 different ballet, modern, and contemporary companies in the city, as well as an abundance of freelance work and pick-up projects around every corner. While I still hold Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and The Joffrey Ballet with the highest regards, it was eye opening to learn the extent of other companies working on the same caliber.
Back in beautiful Iowa City for the week (another impetuous decision), and listening to a young boy play “Fur Elise” on the piano outside of Tspoons coffee shop, I realized how my simplifications previously stated are pretty rash generalizations.
With an informed understanding, I can see that Chicago has a rich dance scene stretching beyond just the big name companies, Massachusetts is home to some of our country’s proudest history, and California is not only platinum blonde, but also the deep blue of the ocean, rich evergreen of the palm trees, copper sand on the endless miles of beach, and golden, shining sun. Iowa City can be painted with opposing notions of cornfields and tractors, sounds of music, laughter, and chapter’s beginnings, middles, and ends. And while macaroni and cheese are always nice compliments, macaroni has been known to be pretty useful in the land of arts and crafts.
These happy thoughts make me look forward to what my next spontaneous idea will reveal.
— Kim Chmielewski
