The Harris Theater’s 'Eat to the Beat' Series Concludes 5/13

The Harris Theater's wildly successful 2010-2011 Eat to the Beat lunchtime series concludes on Friday, May 13, 2011 at 12:00 pm with the Chicago debut of the Chicago Academy for the Arts Repertory Dance Company. Witness the future of dance when Chicago's most thrilling young artists take the stage of the Harris Theater, performing works by renowned choreographers Joseph Holmes, Nick Pupillo, and Company Artistic Director Randy Duncan. Designed to help break up the monotony of the workday, audience members are encouraged to enjoy their brown bag lunch while experiencing an energizing and exciting hour of live dance. 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 2010-2011 series included performances by acclaimed Harris Theater resident company River North Chicago Dance Company in November; the gifted artists from the highly acclaimed ChiArts (Chicago High School for the Arts) in January; and the celebrated Harris resident company Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago in March. The Chicago Academy for the Arts Repertory Dance Company will conclude the series this season. The inaugural 2009-2010 series featured three different performances by DanceWorks Chicago.

Chicago Academy for the Arts

A nationally recognized, internationally influential independent high school, Chicago Academy for the Arts (CAA) prepares young artists for life through rigorous academic education and professional arts training. One of only four independent arts high schools in the country, CAA was recognized as a John F. Kennedy Center National School of Distinction for its work in setting new standards in arts education. "The Chicago Academy for the Arts is a national leader in arts education. [Their] students are engaged in a level of creative development well beyond their years as high school students," said Kennedy Partnership Board Member Karen Erickson.

As CAA enters its fourth decade, it does so building upon its founders' commitment to deliver an uncompromised, world-class arts education. CAA students are sought after as artists, thinkers and leaders by the nation's top colleges, universities and conservatories. The CAA educational model combines coursework and practicums with professional artists and educators of the highest caliber in an environment that prepares young artists for success. "The Chicago Academy for the Arts has distinguished itself by having an outstanding faculty and staff," said Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley. "They represent the best Chicago has to offer."

The CAA Repertory Dance Company

Chicago Academy for the Arts has brought internationally acclaimed choreographers to the school, both as faculty members and guest instructors, for nearly three decades. Now, CAA has made another advance in professional training for dancers by establishing the CAA Repertory Dance Company.

The Company, under the guidance of Artistic Director Randy Duncan, engages 12 outstanding CAA student dancers who range in age from 14 to 18 years old. The Company aims to preserve the world-class works that have been set on the students, and promote CAA students as youth ambassadors of Chicago's dance community, representing pre-professional artists.

As a result of their extraordinary training and professional attitudes, CAA students are sought after and regularly invited by the nation's leading dance companies to participate in festivals, master classes and enrichment programs. CAA alumni have found homes in some of the nation's most prestigious dance companies including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Houston Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, New York City Ballet and Pilobolus. CAA's Dance Department has a strong track record of training dancers of color, promoting ethnic diversity in the professional dance community and facilitating mutually beneficial partnerships between CAA and nationally recognized dance companies.

 

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