FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Jill Chukerman
773-525-3974/jchuk@rcn.com
Digital Photos: chicagotap.org
WINDY CITY RHYTHMS GOES GLOBAL
Chicago Human Rhythm Project’s National Tap Dance Day Concerts May 29–31
Feature Brazil’s Barbatuques, Ted Levy, BAM! at Museum of Contemporary Art
CHICAGO—Bringing a new spin to its annual celebration of National Tap Dance Day, the Chicago Human Rhythm Project (CHRP), the world’s only year-round presenter of American tap dance and contemporary percussive arts, presents Windy City Rhythms Goes Global, featuring the postponed Chicago debut of the Brazilian body band Barbatuques, joined by 2009 Artist in Residence Ted Levy and CHRP’s performing ensemble BAM!. Windy City Rhythms Goes Global, presented in association with the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA), Chicago, takes place May 29–31 at the MCA Stage, 220 E. Chicago Ave.
Barbatuquesdefies boundaries by combining Afro-Brazilian chants, body drumming, stomping feet, video montage and pulsating rhythms to create a visual and auditory feast. Founded in 1996 by Fernando Barba, this 14-member “body-band” has performed on television and at special events in its native country as well as in France, Portugal and Spain. “We originally intended to present Barbatuques for our annual Global Rhythms performances in November 2008,” explained CHRP Founder and Director Lane Alexander. “Despite getting the visa application approved, the U.S. Consulate in Sao Paolo was unable to expedite their visa interview in time to get them into the country for their performances. We are thrilled that we can now present their long-anticipated Chicago debut.”
Ted Levy, CHRP’s 2009 Artistic in Residence, is a Chicago native who won an Emmy for his television debut in the PBS special Precious Memories. He received Tony and Drama Desk nominations, as well as an Outer Critics Circle Award, for collaborating on the choreography of Jelly’s Last Jam.
BAM!, created in 2004, represents CHRP on Chicago stages and in Chicago Public Schools, as well as at the 5th Anniversary Beijing International Dance Festival in 2007. Directed by Alexander, BAM!, which spotlights some of Chicago’s finest tap artists, will premiere new works by Spanish tap master Guillem Alonso and Ted Levy, sponsored by the Sara Lee Foundation.
In addition to the performances, Windy City Rhythms Goes Global features a post-performance discussion with Alexander and the artists on Friday, May 29. In addition, members of Barbatuques lead a body drumming class for dancers and percussionists on Sunday, May 31 at 4 p.m.
CHRP’s 2009 season continues with Rhythm World, its 19th summer festival of classes, master classes, workshops and performances, July 27–August 9 at various downtown Chicago venues; and Global Rhythms,
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WINDY CITY RHYTHMS GOES GLOBAL/ADD ONE
contemporary percussive arts performances featuring the Chicago debut of Washington D.C.’s Step Afrika!, November 19, 20, 21 at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance in Millennium Park.
CHRP’s 2009 season is supported by The MacArthur Fund for the Arts and Culture at the Prince, The Chicago Community Trust, Prince Charitable Trusts, the National Endowment for the Arts, Target, American Airlines, Leo’s Dancewear, The Illinois Arts Council, The Judd A. and Marjorie Weinberg Family Foundation, The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, The Jerome and Jeanette Cohen Family Foundation, The Oppenheimer Family Foundation, L!VE Marketing (sic), Charter One Bank, the Illinois Arts Council, the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, the Farny R. Wurlitzer Foundation, Arts Midwest, The The Dr. Scholl Foundation, American Overseas Transport, L and L Hardwood Flooring and generous individual donors. All programming is subject to change. For information, visit chicagotap.org.
Founded in 1990, the Chicago Human Rhythm Project is America’s oldest institution dedicated to preserving, presenting and teaching tap and percussive dance by bringing together generations of tap dance legends, professionals, students and enthusiasts for classes, performances and workshops. CHRP has four artistic focuses: presenting world-class dance concerts, building a permanent educational forum for tap and percussive dance, sustaining the art form through preservation and documentation and promoting respect and appreciation between various communities by presenting ethnically and aesthetically diverse artists.
The MCA provides a 300-seat theater as well as several settings for experiencing the performing arts in the galleries and around the museum grounds. The MCA Stage is the Museum of Contemporary Art’s program of performing arts and is a nationally recognized presenter of contemporary theatre, dance and music, featuring some of the most influential artists working today in performance, music, dance and the media arts. The MCA Stage celebrates artists and their creative process, connecting audiences with artists in meaningful discourse with its Artists Up Close series of post-show talks, panels, roundtable discussions, workshops and residencies. Audiences at MCA Stage performances receive one free museum admission with each ticket stub on the performance date or during the following week. For information and tickets, call the box office at 312-397-4010 or visit mcachicago.org.
Windy City Rhythms Goes Global takes place May 29–31, Friday–Sunday at 7:30 p.m. at the MCA Stage, 220 E. Chicago Ave., Chicago. Tickets are $35, $30 for MCA members, and are available at 312-397-4010 or mcachicago.org. The Barbatuques workshop is $25, $15 with a ticket purchase to Windy City Rhythms Goes Global; registration is available at chicagotap.org. All programming is subject to change. For information visit chicagotap.org.
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