Giordano Dance Chicago Heats up the MAC on 2/4

Giordano Dance Chicago (GDC), America's original jazz Dance Company, heats up 2017 with the sizzle of jazz dance at McAninch Arts Center (MAC) Saturday, February 4 at 7:30 p.m. The Chicago Sun-Times calls GDC, "more stunning than ever;" Dance Magazine calls them, "a burst of pure dance joy;" and Time Out Chicago says, "When the curtain falls and the evening ends, there are a lot of grateful, happily satisfied customers."

The program for the MAC engagement includes the following:

• Roni Koresh's "Crossing Lines" (2015): Cutting edge and powerful with nuance of wit, this is the second work the Israeli-born Koresh has created for GDC. "The work's mix of anxiety and humor, of hostility and community, is intriguing." (Chicago Tribune);
• "Shirt Off My Back" (2015): Award-winning choreographer Ray Mercer's work explores the inherent sacrifices people make as they enter into a relationship. "A tour de force showcase for the company and its spot-on ensemble dancing..." (SeeChicagoDance);
• "Divided Against" (2016): Peter Chu explores the divergent forces within us in this full company work set to original music by Jean-François (Djeff) Houle. "Chu's psychological thriller pushes the dancers to wipes their faces clean...'Divided Against' is not pretty...it's beautiful." (SeeChicagoDance); and
• Kiesha Lalama's "Alegría" (2011): This full company work uses jazz, modern, contemporary and ballet movement to examine the universal human experience of searching, finding and ultimately accepting joy. "A fitter way (both physically and thematically) to end an acrobatic evening couldn't be desired." (Stage and Cinema).

Plus another work from the GDC repertoire to be announced.

Following the performance, interested audience members are invited to join the GDC dancers on stage for a 30-minute ballroom class. No prior dance experience necessary.

GDC, now in its 54th year, is one of the longest running professional dance companies in Chicago and one of very few dance companies in the U.S. to have achieved this milestone. Currently under the leadership of Artistic Director Nan Giordano and Executive Director Michael McStraw, GDC is a world-class dance company and a driving force in Chicago's thriving performing arts community. The company's new works continually expand the boundaries of jazz and contemporary dance. Each year, the company's innovative outreach program, Jazz Dance/Science & Health, reaches more than 400 CPS students in three neighborhood locations, and the Nan Giordano Certification ProgramSM offers certification worldwide to professional dance educators in the proprietary and foundational Giordano Technique, created by Gus Giordano.

About the MAC

McAninch Arts Center (MAC) at College of DuPage is located 25 miles west of Chicago near I-88 and I-355, and houses three performance spaces (the 780-seat proscenium Belushi Performance Hall; the 283-seat soft-thrust Playhouse Theatre; and the versatile black box Studio Theatre), plus the Cleve Carney Art Gallery, classrooms for the college's academic programming and the Lakeside Pavilion. The MAC, now celebrating its 30th Anniversary, has presented theater, music, dance and visual art to more than 1.5 million people since its opening in 1986 and typically welcomes more than 75,000 patrons from the greater Chicago area to more than 230 performances each season.

The mission of the MAC is to foster enlightened educational and performance opportunities, which encourage artistic expression, establish a lasting relationship between people and art, and enrich the cultural vitality of the community. For more information about the MAC, visit atthemac.org, facebook.com/atthemac or twitter.com/atthemac.

Giordano Dance Chicago comes to the McAninch Arts Center, at 425 Fawell on the campus of College of DuPage, Saturday, February 4 at 7:30 p.m. GDC conducts a free post-show ballroom class for all skill levels onstage following the performance. For more information, call 630-942-4000 or visit athemac.org. $39 to $49.

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