Steadstyle Chicago
	February 2010 Dance Review by Alan Bresloff
	River North Chicago Dance Company Living in Chicago can be a cultural nirvana for those who enjoy the arts.  We have it all: great theater, opera, ballet, museums, cultural centers, the Symphony, Ravinia in the Summer and modern dance.  When it comes to dance venues, the Harris Theater for Music and Dance is located at the northernmost part of Millennium Park and is designed so that the audience can enjoy the visual and audio experience.  River North Chicago Dance Company, now in its 20th season, calls the Harris home. This Valentine's Day weekend has a special production of a few return numbers from earlier this season and a few premieres as well.  It is always a shame to only have two opportunities to view their work, but please note they do repeat some of the numbers in new engagements.  Under the Artistic Direction of Frank Chaves the evening opened with "Evolution of a Dream" Choreographed by Sherry Zunker.  This is a highly energetic body of work utilizing the entire ensemble with the powerful music of David Stewart and some additional scoring by John Mennella.  The lighting by Todd Clark worked with the spirit of the number and the energy of the dancers lifted the audience from their seats and gave them the warmest of feeling, despite the single digit temperature on Randolph and Michigan Ave. Following the opener, we were treated to a premiere called "Ella" celebrating the scat vocals of Ms. Fitzgerald to marvelous movement choreographed by Robbert Battle and gracefully performed by the stunning and adorable Lauren Kias.  A most delightful experience.  You will see moves by Ms. Kias that make the music come alive; skittering, sliding, jiggling and tumbling.  Wow!  How can you follow up this hip and joyful number?  Why not bring on "Tuscan Rift" choreographed by Mr. Chaves to the music of Rene Aubry and Andrew Bird?  This piece, featuring Hanna Brictson, Christian Denice, Brandon DiCristo, Monique Haley, Cassandra Porter and crowd favorite Ricky Ruiz depicts the contrast between the music and the dancer.  Who is the more powerful?  This work premiered in 2009 and will live on for years to come. The next production is the most sensual work I have seen on a stage.  "Sentir em Nos (Even For Us)" features the music and voice of Andrea Bocelli and Dulce Pontes.  Mr. Chaves is once again the spirit behind the dancers who are amazing in the movements he designed.  Michael Gross and Melanie Manale-Hortin are more than just dancers, but acrobats of sorts.  If in the future, you see that this number is on a performance schedule, make sure that you get the opportunity to experience the rush that hundreds of people felt tonight!  To end the first portion, we were  treated to an Afro-beat number titled "Uhuru" which means "Freedom" in Swahili.  Horns, percussion and vocals make this piece scream with energy and as the custom, this being the first act finale, the entire company participates under the choreography of Monique Haley. The second part of the production leads off with two world premiere numbers.  "Suppose" is a look at a small community and their curiosity about each other and themselves.  The music by Deadbeat "Let it Rain" and Gustavo Santaolalla is enchanting and powerful and the choreography by Laura Stallings spirited.  The dancers, Hanna Brictson, Christian Denice, Brandon DiCrisco, Lizzie MacKenzie, Cassandra Porter, Jeff Wolf and Jessica Wolfrum create the feeling that they are stripping away the flesh of the person they see in order to get into who they truly are.  Being able to make an audience see what they attempting is not an easy task, but I for one got it.  This is followed by "Three", another premiere choreographed by Robert Battle with a mixture of music types.  The three dancers in this number, Christian Denice, Michael Gross and Rick Ruiz truly show off their talent in this energetic work of art as they battle for supremacy. To finalize this marvelous production, we experience "Forbidden Boundaries" with Chaves again as choreographer.  This piece is set in four parts, Invitation, Hidden Truth, Harmony and Confrontation.  This number takes us through our quest to find happiness and overcoming the obstacles that we meet along the way, some by accident and some self-caused.  The dancers create the feeling of being held back or stopped with a marvelous, almost Cirque du Soliel "silk" without flying, by using the shirts on their backs in place of the silk.  The movement that they use is hard to describe but a wonderful thing to see and from this piece we learn that we may truly be our own worst enemies when it comes to succeeding.  The only thing holding us back may just be us!  To keep up with what the future will have in store for this dance troupe, check out www.rivernorthchicago.com.  To see what the Harris has in store, check out www.harristheaterchicago.org.  Hear The Music, See The Dance!   About Alan Bresloff Alan Bresloff, once an actor himself, has been covering the Chicago Theater Scene since 1993, first as the Theater and Arts critic for LaRaza newspaper, then with Salsachicago.com and then onto Extra Newspaper and The Epoch Times.  He also writes for ElImparcial and TeleGuia.  His reviews can also be seen on www.theatreinchicago.com.  Alan does not call himself a "critic" but a "reviewer" as he tries to educate the reader about theater itself, what is a good value, what to look for in a play or musical and more.  "Exposure to theater is a very important part of a young person's life" he says. "Learning about the arts and culture is in fact learning about life" and he tries to explain more in his reviews than just if it is good or bad.  Even some of the poor productions have some value, he often says and he would love your feedback on shows that you have seen.  You can write him here or at albresloff@sbcglobal.net.