Public Invited To Eat to the Beat at the Harris For Just Five Bucks

The Harris Theater's wildly successful Eat to the Beat lunchtime series continues on Friday, January 21, 2011 at 12 pm featuring exceptionally gifted artists from the highly acclaimed ChiArts (Chicago High School for the Arts). Designed to help break up the monotony of the workday, audience members are encouraged to enjoy their brown bag lunch while experiencing the next generation of brilliant dancers, actors, vocalists, and jazz musicians from Chicago's "own version of Fame." (WBEZ) Individual tickets are priced at $5 ensuring that anyone is able to enjoy live performance. Park Grill box lunches are available for advance purchase. Tickets are available at the Harris Theater box office located in Millennium Park at 205 E. Randolph Dr., by calling 312-334-7777 or by visiting www.harristheaterchicago.org.

Geared towards those who live, work, attend school, or find themselves in the vicinity of the Harris during the workday lunch hour, the second season of the popular Eat to the Beat lunchtime series features an expanded lineup of four programs. The series' first program in November featurEd Harris Theater resident company River North Chicago Dance Company; another celebratEd Harris resident company Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago will be showcased on March 24, 2011. The series concludes on May 13, 2011 with the Chicago premiere of the exciting Chicago Academy for the Arts Repertory Dance Company. The inaugural 2009-2010 series featured three different performances by DanceWorks Chicago.

About ChiArts (Chicago High School for the Arts)

Opened in 2009 with 150 ninth- grade students, ChiArts (Chicago High School for the Arts) is a college-preparatory, pre-professional arts training program providing instruction in dance, music, theatre, and the visual arts. With students from all neighborhoods across Chicago, ChiArts satisfies the strong need for a diverse, public arts high school open to all Chicago residents who qualify, providing superior arts training coupled with a top-notch academic program. ChiArts Executive Director Jose Ochoa explained to WBEZ, "At our school, the jock is the student who wins the concerto competition, and the homecoming queen is the young lady who gets the lead in the school play. The culture has been building where everyone is equal, everyone is accepted, and no one is making fun of the male dancers because they're wearing tights. Everyone thinks that's cool."

The school offers challenging courses in all subject areas that encourage intellectual curiosity and develop critical thinking skills. Students participate in a rigorous program, including five hours of academic classes, three hours of arts training in their major area, and one to four hours of rehearsal/practice per day. Training is available for all levels of ability and students with potential or undeveloped talent are encouraged to apply. Student Alex Arnold told WBEZ, "It makes us feel like we belong in this place where everyone is just like us. There's no one calling us weird or just crazy or stupid or dumb. They're saying wow, you really can sing, or wow, you really can act. Or wow, that's a beautiful picture. It lets us be who we are." The ChiArts faculty consists of full-time certified academic teachers, artist-teachers, and part-time artist-teachers of local, national, and international acclaim. By 2012, school enrollment is expected to reach its full capacity of 600 students. Additional information about the company can be found at: http://chiarts.org.

 

Program information for the remainder of the Harris Theater's 2010 - 2011 Eat to the Beat Series is as follows:
Eat to the Beat: Chicago High School for the Arts
Friday, January 21, 2011 at 12:00 pm
Tickets are $5.

With an incredible interdisciplinary tour-de-force, the brilliant young students from the renowned Chicago High School for the Arts will showcase their extraordinary talents in a performance featuring each of the school's artistic areas of concentration. From the stage of the Harris Theater, ChiArts students of dance, theatre, choral and jazz music will exhibit their exceptional skill, while an installation by the school's visual artists will be displayed in the lobby.

Eat to the Beat: Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago
Thursday, March 24, 2011 at 12:00 pm
Tickets are $5.

Experience the high-energy high-impact performance and the enthralling art that defines one of Chicago's most ethnically diverse dance companies. Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago captivates audiences with "technical mastery and stamina that had [the] packed house audibly gasping." (Chicago Sun-Times) From traditional jazz dance to the contemporary works of today, their incredible canon of repertoire spans nearly 50 years.

Eat to the Beat: Chicago Academy for the Arts

Friday, May 13, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Tickets are $5.

Witness the future of dance when Chicago's most thrilling young talent from the area's most acclaimed performing arts academy take the stage of the Harris Theater. Don't miss the stars of tomorrow in the debut of the Chicago Academy for the Arts Repertory Dance Company, performing works by Randy Duncan, Joseph Holmes, Eddy Ocampo, and other renowned choreographers.

 

Individual tickets for the Harris Theater Eat to the Beat lunchtime series are $5 each. Tickets are available at the Harris Theater box office located in Millennium Park at 205 E. Randolph Dr., by calling 312-334-7777 or by visiting www.harristheaterchicago.org.

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The Chauncey & Marion D. McCormick Family Foundation is the Lead Foundation Sponsor of the Eat to the Beat Lunchtime Series.

United Airlines is the Official Airline of the Harris Theater.

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is the Lead Underwriter of the Harris Theater's Rental Subsidy Program.

The Harris Theater is partially supported by the CityArts Program 4 grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.

* * * All programs, prices and dates are subject to change. * * *

Founded in 2003, the Harris Theater's mission is to partner and collaborate with an array of Chicago's emerging and mid-sized performing arts organizations to help them build the resources and infrastructure necessary to achieve artistic growth and long-term organizational sustainability. The Harris Theater for Music and Dance was the first multi-use performing arts venue to be built in the Chicago downtown area since 1929 and today the Theater continues to host the most diverse offerings of any venue in Chicago, featuring the city's world-renowned music and dance institutions and the Harris Theater Presents series of acclaimed national and international companies. To learn more about the season at the Harris Theater, visit www.harristheaterchicago.org or call the box office at 312-334-7777 to request a brochure.