Thodos Dance Chicago Launches 14-15 'Chicago-Inspired' Season

Thodos Dance Chicago launches its 23rd "Chicago Inspired" season Saturday, November 29 at 7:30 p.m. at the Auditorium Theatre, kicking off the historic Chicago venue's 125th Anniversary "Made in Chicago" dance series.

Appropriately, the first act is The White City, Chicago's Columbian Exposition of 1893, the company's critically acclaimed ode to the Windy City's famous 1893 World's Fair, created by TDC Founder and Artistic Director Melissa Thodos and Tony Award-winning choreographer Ann Reinking. Named "Best Dance Performance" by the Chicago Sun-Times (2011), The White City is a 50-minute story ballet danced to original compositions by Bruce Wolosoff, based on actual events occurring just one year after the Auditorium Theatre opened its doors surrounding Chicago's Columbian Exposition as depicted in Erik Larson's best-seller, Devil in the White City.

The second act of mixed repertoire celebrates Chicago voices past and present with two original works by Chicago modern dance legend Sybil Shearer. For the first time, Thodos Dance, in partnership with the Morrison-Shearer Foundation and Shearer protégé Toby Nicholson, will debut amazing recreations of Shearer's 1956 dance suite, Salute to Old Friends, as well as her masterful 1961 Time Longs for Eternity. With video projectors simulcasting archival footage of Shearer performing the same works, it will seem as if one of Chicago's most influential dance icons is dancing on the Auditorium stage with the TDC ensemble. Completing the program are Tsuru, created by Hubbard Street Dance Chicago Rehearsal Director Lucas Crandall, and Lullaby by independent choreographer Brian Enos.

Tickets are $27-$67 and are available online at AuditoriumTheatre.org, by calling (800) 982-ARTS (2787) or in-person at the Auditorium Theatre Box Office, 50 E Congress Pkwy, Chicago. Discounts for groups of 10 or more are available at (312) 341-2357 or sales@auditoriumtheatre.org.
ABOUT THODOS DANCE CHICAGO

In 1992, Melissa Thodos, a young Evanston-born, Chicago-based dancer and choreographer, was frustrated with the lack of opportunities for local dancers to work in what in her mind was the obvious environment for any well-rounded dance professional: A place to perform. A place to create. And a place to educate. Fast-forward 23 years, and Thodos is the only female choreographer and director to have helmed her own mid-sized, contemporary dance company in Chicago for more than two decades with this unique mission.

Today, Thodos Dance Chicago (TDC) is an ensemble of twelve versatile dance artists with a captivating style that uses a variety of dance forms. The company's unique mission of inspiring expression through dance education, dance creation and dance performance has established TDC as an innovative presence in American contemporary dance.

Thodos Dance Chicago features the American voice in contemporary dance and has created two critically acclaimed story ballets. In addition to performing works by Melissa Thodos and resident artists, TDC performs a diverse array of works created by other reputable choreographers: Bob Fosse, Ann Reinking, Lar Lubovitch, Shapiro & Smith, Jon Lehrer, Michael Anderson, Zachary Whittenburg, Lucas Crandall, Brian Enos, Amy Ernst, Ron De Jesús, Gustavo Ramírez Sansano, Ahmad Simmons and KT Nelson.

Thodos Dance Chicago ensemble members, who each teach, choreograph and perform for the company, include veterans John Cartwright, Tenley Dorrill, Kyle Hadenfeldt, Brandon Harneck, Alissa Tollefson, Jessica Miller Tomlinson, Diana Winfree and Laura Zimmerer. New ensemble members this season are Abby Ellison, Taylor Mitchell, Brennan Renteria and Briana Robinson.

Thodos Dance Chicago continues to expand its artistic and institutional boundaries under the guidance of Founder and Artistic Director Melissa Thodos, Executive Director Gail Ford, Booking Director Rick Johnston, Rehearsal Director and Ballet Mistress Laura Gates, Resident Lighting Designer Nathan Tomlinson, Marketing and Operations Manager Annie Zahour, and Education and Outreach Associate Kate Weatherly, Board President Elaine Rosenfeld Margulis, a dedicated board of directors, and the support of thousands of contemporary dance enthusiasts both in Chicago and nationwide.

The company is supported by the Illinois Arts Council-a state agency, Target, The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, the MacArthur Fund for Arts & Culture at the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, The Arts Work Fund, The Morrison-Shearer Foundation, The Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation, The Service Club of Chicago and many individual and corporate sponsors.

For more information, visit thodosdancechicago.org.