Thodos Dance Chicago Celebrates 25th Anniversary, 3/11

Thodos Dance Chicago (TDC) celebrates 25 years of artistry and innovation with FULL CIRCLE, TDC's final performance as an ensemble-based company, on March 11 at the Auditorium Theatre.

"We are thrilled to welcome back Thodos Dance Chicago and are honored that they have selected our National Historic Landmark stage for their final performance as an ensemble company," saysTania Castroverde Moskalenko, Auditorium Theatre CEO. "Twenty-five years ago, Melissa Thodos created a contemporary Dance Company that has helped elevate the Chicago dance scene to international acclaim. We look forward to celebrating this Chicago institution on March 11."

Following the performance, Thodos Dance Chicago Founder and Artistic Director Melissa Thodos will start a new chapter for TDC as she restructures the organization and focuses on more project-based work.

"Some of the world's most renowned artists and companies have graced the Auditorium Theatre's beautiful stage," says Thodos. "The theatre is truly one of the best venues for dance in all of Chicago, and we can't wait to commemorate our amazing Silver Anniversary season and our last performance as an ensemble-based company, on the historic stage."

The Silver Anniversary program includes a one-time-only performance of Thodos' The Wheel Trilogy, which incorporates Reaching There (1986), Getting There (2011), and There, the newest and final piece in the trilogy that will have its world premiere on this historic evening.

TDC also gives the Chicago premiere to famed West Coast choreographer Bella Lewitzky's unique Nos Duraturi, a compelling and dramatic full-company piece. Former Lewitzky dancer Walter Kennedy (who was featured in a poignant duet in the 1984 premiere) and former company member Amy Ernst will be in residence with TDC ahead of the performance, setting the work on the full company and working with its design team to honor the dramatic lighting and costumes for the piece. The company also performs Brian Enos' Acid Reign, created specifically for the company's 25th anniversary season; company member Briana Robinson's Uncovering; and Thodos' Changing Strangers.

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About Thodos Dance Chicago

Thodos Dance Chicago was founded in 1992 by the Evanston-born, Chicago-based dancer and choreographer Melissa Thodos. TDC has been performing, creating, and teaching dance in Chicago and around the world ever since. The company's unique mission of inspiring expression through dance education, dance creation, and dance performance has established TDC as an innovative, internationally-known presence in American contemporary dance. The Silver Anniversary performance signifies the beginning of another chapter for TDC. Moving forward, Melissa Thodos will begin creating work on a project basis, participating in residencies in Chicago and beyond, pursuing independent teaching opportunities with emerging artists, and setting new works and signature dances from the TDC repertoire on other companies locally and nationally.

Program Information

Acid Reign - Created specifically for TDC in honor of the company's 25th anniversary, TDC guest choreographer Brian Enos sets out to answer the question, "What might a celebration look like on another planet in the future?"

Uncovering - First presented by TDC company member Briana Robinson in 2016 during the company's New Dances series, Uncovering is set to music by the Portico Quartet.

Changing Strangers - The Chicago premiere of a Thodos piece that exemplifies Melissa Thodos' fluid, kinetic style.

Nos Duraturi - Set to Stravinsky's heroic Symphony of Psalms, Nos Duraturi is a life-affirming work by Bella Lewitzky about the triumph of brotherhood over violence, which fittingly premiered at the 1984 Olympic Arts Festival in Los Angeles. Thodos Dance Chicago's recreation of Nos Duraturi is the fourth work to emerge from the company's American Dance Legacy Project. The project is supported by an NEA Arts Work grant.

The Wheel Trilogy - TDC presents The Wheel Trilogy, which includes Thodos' signature works Reaching There and Getting There, as well as the newest and final piece of the trilogy, There. This is the first and only time that the trilogy will be performed in its entirety.

Performance and Ticket Information

Thodos Dance Chicago

Saturday, March 11 | 7:30PM

Tickets start at $29, and are available online at AuditoriumTheatre.org, by phone at 312.341.2300, or in person at the Auditorium Theatre Box Office (50 E Congress Parkway). Discounts available for groups of 10+.